FAITH CAPSULE: Many take distance from Jesus, but Jesus remains closer to all.

Genesis 37

In ways of life, have you been exposed to not received where you are looking forward to being embraced?
It can be emotionally exhausting or exceedingly discouraging to become disengaged in the place where to be embraced.
Are you disengaged from Jesus by living outside of His word?
The best way to describe the forsaken experience is in the story of Joseph and his brothers.
Israel (Jacob) called on his son Joseph to see if it was well with his brothers and the flocks. Jacob expected Joseph to go and return with the word, but Joseph walked into an unexpected journey that led to a divine assignment for his life.
The Bible records the response to the approach of the brothers of Joseph upon his arrival at their location, “Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! Come, therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!” (Genesis 37:18-20)
Joseph went forward to his brothers in peace, while the brothers responded with bitterness and a wicked agenda.
Imagine the brothers and Joseph, all raised under the same roof, the same father.
They all played, ate, drank, and worked together, yet they conspired against their younger brother because of his dream.
Jesus came for a man with a demonstration of unfailing love.
Jesus came with an agenda to give life abundantly to all.
At His time, He was conspired against, and being conspired against Him by not living according to His word.
Jeremiah 17:9 documents, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Despite the wicked ways of the wickedness of the world, the birth of Jesus is a top-notch celebration in December by many.
Is there an understanding of celebrating the birth of Jesus?
Celebrating without understanding is a wasted way of life.
Certainly, many find comfort in celebrating the birth of Jesus without understanding.
Gain an understanding of celebrating the birth of Jesus all year round, not seasonally.
The brothers of Joseph were desperately wicked, and when he got to his brothers, “…they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him. Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it” (Genesis 37: 23-24)
Are you responding to Jesus just like the brothers of Joseph did to Joseph?
The story of Joseph testifies that God watches over all.
With understanding, know to live for God.

Prayer for the day: Ask to be filled with the understanding to live for the glory of God.