Do you struggle to accept God's help when you feel that your problems are your own fault? Today, Pastor Lutzer starts a new series, entitled, "Making the Best of a Bad Decision." In it we learn that a bad decision, by God's grace, doesn't have to be the end of the story and no matter how many wrong paths you have taken, there is still a right one just up ahead.
In this last episode of the series, "When You've Been Wronged," we are considering "the why" behind Joseph's seemingly astonishing decision to forgive. Why would he forgive his brothers after they had caused him so much turmoil? The answer is this: Joseph was able to step back and see the bigger picture. He knew that God had been there all along and that He was able to make every wrong right and orchestrate everything to His divine purposes. In this way, Joseph foreshadowed another to come, one who faced the greatest injustice imaginable and yet "entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly."
Born into disfunction, mercilessly betrayed by his own, and wrongly condemned to prison — there seemed to be countless reasons for Joseph to choose resentment and retaliation. Are you and I prone to cling to our wrongs, or can we say with Joseph: "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction?"
Since God always foresees the end of the story, we may never know why He chose to favor King Saul with the blessings and the position that He did. What we can know, however, is that God can use circumstances in our lives to purge each of us of the "King Saul" in our hearts. Are you ready to relinquish your little "kingdom" to God today?
King Saul didn’t take it well when God said He was going to give His kingdom to someone else. Saul believed the kingdom was his, not God’s – and he was going to hold onto "his" throne at any cost. In today's episode, Pastor Lutzer outlines the characteristics of a "spear-thrower" and how to react to them.
Today on "5 Minutes with Pastor Lutzer," we're continuing the series "When You've Been Wronged: Moving from Bitterness to Restoration." We're examining the downward trajectory of a tragic biblical figure, King Saul, who was anointed by God under Samuel the prophet and blessed by Him in every way, only to choose the path of fear, jealousy, and ultimately despair.
Today we continue the series, “When You’ve Been Wronged.” We’re looking at the life of Jacob—a biblical figure who, in many ways, made a mess of his life. God meets him, reaffirms his covenant with him and renames him Israel. Sometimes God needs to humble us and bring us to a point of great need in order to reconcile us to Himself—and to others.
God used circumstances in Jacob’s life to force him on a journey back home to reconcile with his estranged brother. He could no longer hide from his wrongdoings. On the way, he wrestles with God and is left in a dependent state. For the first time in Jacob’s life, he cannot rely on his own devices or schemes—and despite his fear, he has to reconcile with Esau God’s way. God has reconciled us to Himself, and He is the author of our reconciliation with each other.
Jacob lied and manipulated to get the things he wanted out of life, even the very thing God had already promised to him from the beginning when he said, "the older will serve the younger." Jacob's hastiness and deception left him fractured from his family and filled with fear. In the midst of his risky return journey to face his brother, he had an encounter with the God of his fathers who had not forgotten him.
Imagine getting a one-on-one counseling session with God. Who could give you better advice? Well, Cain allowed his anger, envy and jealousy to override the counsel given to him, personally, by God—and killed his brother Abel. He was so blind to his own sinful jealousy, all he could think about was avenging his wounded pride at any cost. Let's heed God's warning today that sin is crouching at the door.