Just Switched!

Hey everyone! I guess you've probably figured out by now (if you've been a follower of mine previously) that I've switched my devotional posts over to this blog. I hope you're not inconvenienced by this move, and I hope you'll continue to read and provide feedback on my posts.
If you're new to my writings, you can find my main blog at elizabethaltenbach.com.
Thanks, everyone!

In Which I Compare Joseph's life to Romans 8:28

Anyone who follows my blog probably knows about my favorite verse, Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose."
We see this verse played out in the lives of many Bible characters, but the one I'm going to discuss today is Joseph.
He had a pretty good life. Some sibling rivalry, but lots of kids have that. And he had a colorful, handsome coat, which lots of kids didn't have.
Overall, life was pretty smooth - until the day his brothers sold him into slavery and faked his death.
Can you imagine that moment of utter betrayal Joseph must have felt when they threw him into the pit? Can you visualize his confusion, his shock, his sadness?
This was the first "thing," like in the verse, that he experienced.
Then his brothers pulled him out... only to sell him. A second stab of betrayal. The second thing.
The people who bought him made him march to Egypt, where they sold him as a servant to Potiphar's household. He was not only a stranger in a foreign land, he was a slave. Third thing.
This job was okay, until he was framed for sexual assault. He did nothing that even remotely resembled making a move on Potiphar's wife, yet this upstanding woman testified against him, and therefore he was condemned without trial. Fourth thing.
So Joseph was thrown into a filthy, dirty prison. Fifth thing.
Now, lots of other people would give up at that point. Betrayed in the worst way by their own siblings, sold as a slave, then framed and thrown in jail... That seems pretty hopeless to me.
But look at what happened! If he hadn't been thrown in jail, he wouldn't have met the baker and cupbearer and interpreted their dreams. And some time after the cupbearer got out of jail, he told Pharaoh that Joseph could interpret his dream, and then Joseph was made second in command over all of Egypt!
As if that weren't enough of a good thing, Joseph saved the lives of many Egyptians and Canaanites by storing up the food, rationing, and selling it. His family might well have died if he weren't in that position of authority. And then finally, he made up with the brothers who tried to ruin his life.
All things work together for GOOD.
If Joseph hadn't been sold, he would have never made it to Egypt.
If he hadn't been framed, he would never have gone to jail.
If he'd never gone to jail, he wouldn't have met the baker and cupbearer and interpreted their dreams.
If he'd never interpreted those dreams, he never would have been referenced to the Pharaoh and been fetched from jail to interpret the Pharaoh's dream.
If he'd never interpreted the Pharaoh's dream, he never would have been put in charge.
If he'd never been put in charge, he wouldn't have been able to save so many lives.
So you see, all these horrible things that happened to Joseph worked out for good. For his good, his family's good, the whole land's good, and our good as well. He kept His eyes on God and never stopped trusting, even when his life was at its darkest. We need to follow his example and follow the Lord even when we can't see the path.
All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Hoping and Trusting: My Thoughts on Romans 8:18-39

I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about my favorite Bible passage, Romans 8:18-39, and what it means to me.

This passage is about hope. Sure, it talks about other things too, but I think the main theme is hope; this theme reflects throughout the entire thing. Hope in salvation; hope in God’s love; hope of Him being with us here; hope of us being with Him in Heaven. And it tells us that we can trust in Him, no matter what, because He knows best. There is no power higher than He, no one wiser, no one who could ever possibly love us more. So it stands to reason that He has a good and holy reason for allowing all trials that come upon us.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

This is saying that no matter what we’re going through here on earth, even the worst that can possibly happen, pales in comparison with the glory of God that we’ll see when we meet Him face-to-face. When we see Him, we'll forget all the agony of this life. It will mean nothing; all our pain will be worthwhile just because we have the privilege of seeing Him. We just need to press on until our day comes.

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

The Lord knows our hearts; He knows what’s on our minds and what’s hurting us. Even when we can’t find the words, He knows how we feel and He knows our hurt. He knows. Isn’t that amazing? When we hurt too deeply to find the words to express our pain, He knows how we feel; He knows the words our souls are crying.

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

This is one of my favorite parts.

Let’s look at verse 28 again:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

All things. Not some things, but all of them. Every wound, every heartache, every circumstance, no matter how horrible it is… all things work together for good. It’s not something you want to hear in the midst of something terrible that seems hopeless, but it is true; It’s all working together for your good. God allows the trials we go through, in order to teach, mold, and shape us. It’s impossible for us to see how these things could possibly be for our benefit, but God knows what He is doing. He is sovereign, always. No matter how distant He seems, He is in control. He knows what you’re going through and why it’s happening to you. He also knows how it will change you, and how it will contribute to your growth as a follower of Christ. You can trust that He knows exactly what your limits are, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can take. I know it feels impossible, but He knows best. Always. He's working all this for your good; just keep your eyes on Him.

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;

we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He loves us. Enough to sacrifice His only Son. That in itself never ceases to amaze me. If you had one child, and you really, truly loved him more than anything, would you give him up to watch him be beaten and mutilated, then put to a slow, torturous death on a cross? All to save a bunch of sinful people? There’s a small chance that some might, but it wouldn’t matter anyway because your child is not perfect. No one ever born of man has been perfect. God’s perfect Lamb, conceived in the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit, had to be sacrificed, had to take all the sins of the entire world onto His sinless Self, in order to save us all. This, my friends, is perfect love.

Perfect love from which nothing can separate us. No matter what we do, what sins we commit, how unworthy we feel, we can always come back to the Lord and He will accept us as His children.

If you love Him, He is working all things together for your good.

He is perfect. He is sovereign. He is holy. He is just. He is loving. And in Him we have hope.

Hope in His purpose for our lives.

Hope of a life everlasting.

Hope in His unconditional love.

And hope that no matter how dark the night, no matter how long, there will always, always be a dawn.

So keep on trusting Him, and He will help you through every storm that life brings.

Happy Happy, Joy Joy!

So what is the difference between happiness and joy?

hap·pi·ness [hap-ee-nis]

noun
1.
the quality or state of being happy.
joy [joi]

noun
1.
the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.
This doesn’t really tell us much, does it?
Well, happiness is fleeting. We can be happy when we’re at the store and we find a shirt that fits just right, but that happiness often disappears when we see the price tag. We can be happy when someone gives us a gift, but when that gift breaks, when it no longer fits, we’re unhappy. When we meet a new friend, we’re happy. But that fades away after a while. You don’t stay eternally happy and smiley.
Joy, on the other hand, can last. Joy is something you can have in your heart that is beyond compare or comprehension. When a loved one dies in the Lord, we are sad and we grieve, but at the same time we have joy in the knowledge that they’re in Heaven with Jesus and we’ll see them again one day. When a friend moves to another country, we miss them, but we have joy because we got the chance to be with them, even if for a shorter while than we would like.
Joy is hard to feel sometimes. Hard to have. Because when all these bad things happen, when you don’t know how anything’s ever going to work out right again, and you can’t see the sun, everything looks hopeless. You don’t know what you can have joy in. But there is always something.
Joy in the knowledge that Jesus loves you.
Joy in the fact that you’re on your way to Heaven.
Joy in the fact that God is always with you.
Joy in the Lord’s promises.
Joy in the fact that God does nothing without a purpose. Your life has meaning.
I know it’s hard to remember these things, and even harder to find joy in them sometimes, but if you have Jesus, you can have true joy that lasts, persists, endures forever, even during the darkest times.

Job, Broken Pieces, and Sandpaper

My dear friends,

You are overwhelmed.You feel you are surrounded by sharp rocks that cut you, stab you whenever you move. But in reality they are only scratching you. God is there to provide a shield for you. The rocks won’t kill you. God says He never gives us trials that we cannot bear. He might let the rocks scratch you, and yes, it hurts, but He won’t let them kill you. He won’t let them hurt you beyond what you can take. God is giving you so much to handle because He knows exactly how very strong you are. It might not feel so, but it’s the truth.
It’s an honor that God knows you can handle so much.

James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 1:12
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

He knows exactly how much you can handle, and He allows you to go through trials and tribulations-but not more than you can take. You are not going to drown. You have God. It is hard, and you feel weak, yes, but you CAN get through this. Your Heavenly Father is ready and willing to take you into His arms and carry you. He won’t completely relieve your pain, but He will help you through it.

James 5:10-11
Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Remember what happened to Job?
Job was a rich and blessed man; a friend of God.
The devil didn’t like this, and he came to God and asked if he could torment Job (imagine that! God is so powerful that even the most evil being in the world has to ask His permission!). The devil wanted Job to deny God. But God knew how strong Job was, and so he said yes to Satan.
Satan took everything Job had. And Job, sitting naked in the mud, scratching his sores with a broken shard of pottery, utterly destitute, weary, and in indescribable pain, only praised God.
God knew exactly how much Job could handle, and Job knew that whatever happened, however bad he felt, it was God’s will.

And look what came of it!

Job 42:10-17
10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.

12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.

I can’t stress this enough. God knows exactly how much you can handle. He may push you until you break, but He will always be there to put you back together again.

Psalm 37:39-40
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

Psalm 40:1-5
I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.

Brothers and sisters, I can’t claim to know what you’re going through, and I know that-I don’t pretend to understand. But I also know that God is there for you. If and when you break, He is there to pick up the pieces and put them back together again. He hears the cries of His children, and no matter how silent He is, He never turns His back on you. He lets you go through rough times to shape you into who He wants you to be.

It’s like sandpaper. Oh, how it must hurt for a block of rough, splintered wood to be sanded, but in the end, it is smooth, beautiful, the sharp edges gone.

The unspeakably hard things you’re going through are like God’s sandpaper. We are imperfect, fallen humans, and God must reshape us into what He wants us to be. It’s usually impossible to see for us small people, but there is a reason you break. You are in God’s hands. He catches the pieces and puts them back together again; He molds and sands you into who He wants you to be.

Text is Toneless

Hello there, my awesome readers!

I was just thinking about the fact that text, whether it be on the Internet, in a letter, or in a text message, is toneless and can be misinterpreted quite easily. I actually lost a friendship over it once. I’m not going to detail what happened, but the gist of it is, I said something, not meaning at all to be mean in any way, she took it the wrong way, and wouldn’t talk to me anymore. We even occasionally see each other-we have some mutual friends-but she refuses to speak to me. It’s really sad-we had a great friendship.

I almost lost a job once as well, because I sent a text message to my employer and she thought my text sounded cold and rude. I reminded her that text is toneless, though, and explained what I meant, and she apologized.

What I’m saying here is, read what you say before you click “Send,” as if you are the other person, the one reading it who doesn’t feel what you feel and isn’t thinking the same thing you’re thinking. This caution could save a lot of stress, or even a friendship.

The Vending Machine

Everyone meets a person like this at least once. They are a great friend at first, but as time passes, they seem to only come to you when they need help with something, or want something from you. You help them, of course, but you are upset by the fact that they don’t talk to you to see how you’re doing-or if they do, they brush off your problems and don’t act like they care. They only come to dump all their sorrows on you, vent at you when they’re mad about something, or when they need a ride. They only call when something bad is happening. We’re always there for them, waiting to assist whenever they call, but they’re not really there for us.

I was thinking about this, and realized that we sometimes treat God this way. We’ll acknowledge that He exists, yes, but only when we want something from Him. When everything is going fine, we have a steady paycheck coming in, our families aren’t suffering any issues, our lives are basically great, we push God to the side. But when disaster strikes, when we get demoted or fired, an argument breaks out at home, we suddenly beg on our knees for God to be with us and fix everything. Doesn’t that seem a bit unfair to you? 

Instead, we should treat God as He treats us-like a true friend, who is always there for us no matter what, even when we treat Him like a vending machine. We should come to Him with our problems, yes, but also with our joys. We need to talk to Him about everything, instead of just begging Him for a new toy.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to ask God for things. But He wants us to talk to Him, converse with Him, be friends with Him. After all, what do you think “relationship” means?