ANDREW'S AFFIRMATION

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Exodus 1:6-22 Even after Joseph and his brothers died, the Israelites remained many, mighty, and fruitful throughout the land of Egypt. Unfortunately, when a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph, he made the Israelites serve Egypt as slaves. The king of of Egypt even commanded that the Hebrew midwives murder any Israelite baby boy. These are the drastic measures that the king of Egypt took to suppress and oppress the Israelites. In what ways have we forgotten someone who helped us in a time of need? Are we forever grateful or is our spirit of thankfulness as fleeting as the wind? The worldly mentality of - ‘what have you done for me lately’ - tends to forget the service and sacrifice of those who have gone before us. How has the faithfulness and fruitfulness of those in the past been cast by the wayside in today’s context? Do we feel appreciated for what we have done to help others? Explain. 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 For just a...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 50:15-26 Have you ever been forgiven by someone but couldn’t forgive yourself? When Jacob died, Joseph’s brother began to wonder if Joseph had really forgiven them or if he still bore a grudge against them. As a result, they lived in fear - afraid that one day Joseph would pay them back in full for all the wrong that they did to him. They even offered to live as Joseph’s slaves as long as Joseph agreed not to destroy them. To this Joseph replied - "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones." Why is it so hard for us to forgive ourselves? Do we live in fear of others judging or condemning us for our past mistakes? If we are stuck in the past, then how will we be able to move forward? 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 What are spiritual gift...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 49:29-50:14 This passage is an amazing testimony to the eternal communion we share with all the saints and children of God. Both in life and in death we commune with those who have gone before us and those who will come after us. Jacob (Israel) was aware of this great truth, and in the final moments before his death, he passed this revelation onto his children. He said to them - “I am about to be gathered to my people.” In a temporal sense, Jacob longed to be buried with his ancestors. In an eternal sense, Jacob believed he would share fellowship with the faithful forever. In a beautiful description of Jacob’s last moments in this temporal world, we are told that Jacob drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. To know that we are eternally gathered into the communion of saints brings us such peace in face of life’s greatest trials and tribulations. Surely, we can relate with Joseph who threw...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 49:1-28 In this passage, we find Jacob on his death-bed. He calls his sons together in order to explain to them the consequences of their life choices. As hard as it may have been for him, Jacob kept it real with each son - those who had made bad choices had to face bad consequences, and those who had made good choices faced good consequences. Why is that we have a tendency to remember more clearly the words that someone shares with us on their death-bed? What challenges are there to keeping it real with those we genuinely care about? Describe a difficult consequence that you had to face because of a poor life choice you made. Why apologize and why turn away from wrongdoing if we still have to face harsh consequences for the bad choices we made in the past? 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1 We must intentionally flee the worship of vain glory. It does not just happen organically. If we are sensible people, then we will judge ourselves fairly for...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 46:1-7,28-34 My parents speak to me about death quite often these days. The older and older they get, death feels closer and closer to their doorstep. I only hope that they know that I love them, and I desire to be there for them in their final moments as they close their eyes in this world and open their eyes in the next. When Jacob set out on his journey to Egypt, he was old and gray. We are told that God spoke to him in visions. God assured him that there was nothing to be afraid about. God promised to go down to Egypt with Jacob and bring him back again to his homeland. God even comforted Jacob with the insight that Joseph, the son whom he thought had died but was now alive, would use his own hand to close Jacob’s eyes. When Jacob was near Egypt, Joseph rushed to meet his father, presented himself to him, fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. The years they had spent apart seemed like forever but now nothing wou...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 45:16-28 What is on your bucket list? Are there more wants or needs? If you had one wish before you died, what would that wish be? In this passage, Jacob, in his old age, comes to know that his son Joseph is still alive. Jacob’s joy knew no bounds, and he remarked - “I must go and see him before I die.” When Jacob was told that Joseph had died, a part of him died; but upon hearing that Joseph was alive, Jacob experienced a spiritual renewal. There are so many things that we want in life. When all is going well, our bucket list might look a little different than when we are devastated by life’s storms. When we take our safety, freedom and blessings for granted, a sense of entitlement begins to unconsciously set in. As a result, our bucket list might reflect more of what we want than what we actually need. In moments of trial and tribulations, however, our bucket list quickly changes from what we want to what we need. In the face of death...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 45:1-15 Most of us have experienced, at least once in our life, a situation where we were so flooded with emotions that we could not control ourselves and just broke down and cried. When this situation arose, were we alone or were we surrounded by others? If we were around people, then what was their reaction to our emotional outpouring? In this passage, Joseph is so overwhelmed in seeing his brothers that he could not control himself; he broke down and cried. Yet, it was not just Joseph and his brothers that were in the room, there were non-family members also. While Joseph was filled with joy and gladness in reuniting with his brothers, we are told that Joseph’s brothers were in shock and speechless. They could not believe that it was truly Joseph. We can only imagine how scared, ashamed, and even angry Joseph’s brothers may have been in this moment. They clearly remembered how poorly they had treated Joseph, and they would have...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 44:18-34 There is a saying - “Land of the free because of the brave.” In this passage Judah steps up and pleads for Benjamin’s freedom. Has anyone ever stepped up and pleaded on your behalf? Have you ever done that for someone else? What inspires someone to invite diaster upon themselves in hopes of saving another person from danger? Did not Jesus step up and plead on our behalf when he died on the cross for our sins? We must realize that there is always a costs to freedom. What rights and liberties do we currently enjoy that we have forgotten to give thanks for? How might remembering the costs of our freedom helps us to be more grateful and humble? 1 Corinthians 7:25-31 In this passage Paul is confronted with the impending crisis of Christ’s return. In light of this crisis, people were seeking counsel from Paul as to how they should live their life. Their confusion rests in the tension between temporal/eternal realities and indiv...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 42:29-38 “All this has happened to me!” Have you uttered these words in a moment of desperation? A moment when the trials of life added up so much that you were pushed beyond the breaking point? This is how Jacob felt when Reuben requested Jacob’s permission to take Benjamin to Egypt. Jacob had already lost Joseph and Simeon, and now he was about to lose Benjamin. Sorrow fills our hearts when we experience loss after loss. How do we keep hope alive and move forward in faith when all the storms of life appear to converging at once? It is almost impossible. In such times, we must continue to trust those closest to us and lean on the wisdom of God to guide us when nothing else makes sense. List two or three people whose advice you would trust in a moment of desperation. Why do you trust them? In what ways are we gleaning the wisdom of God so that we might discern the light of Christ even in the midst of dark times? 1 Corinthians 6:12...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 42:18-28 Are we paying the penalty for our sins? This was the question that Joseph’s brothers asked to themselves as they reflected on the cruelty they had inflicted upon him. They had seen Joseph’s anguish when he pleaded with them from the well but they had refused to listen to his cry. Whose anguish have we seen but blatantly ignored? Whose cries have we refused to hear? Joseph’s brothers wondered if the anguish that had come upon them was due to their past sinful behavior towards Joseph. The Bible teaches us that there will always be a reckoning - if not now in this world, then surely in the world to come. What heartache are we going through today that might be linked to poor choices we made in the past? What gives us hope is that we believe in a God of second chances. I f we confess our sins, God, who is  faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God was already working on a reconc...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 42:1-17 Our words and actions always have consequences. Either now or later, we will have to account for how we have chosen to live our life. There is no running away from the truth; we have no choice but to face the music and pay the piper at some point. In this passage Joseph’s brothers go down to Egypt to buy grain. Little did they know that the  Joseph, whom they had sold into slavery, had now become a mighty leader in Egypt. Joseph was governor over Egypt, and all the food Egypt was under his control. Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them and remembered his dream, but the brothers did not recognize him. Joseph, not wanting to reveal his true identity, treated his brothers like strangers, spoke harshly to them, accused them of being spies, and even put them in prison for three days. The brothers explained to Joseph that they ...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 41:46-57 A day has 24 hours - not an hour more or an hour less. How we spend our time determines how we spend our life. If we waste our time, then we will waste our life. If we practice good stewardship of our time, then we will live our life with purpose and in abundance. In this passage we see the result of faithful stewardship. In the seven plenteous years, when the earth produced abundantly, Joseph gathered up and stored food in such abundance that it was beyond measure. When the seven years of famine came, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold food not only to the Egyptians but to people from all over the world who were experiencing famine. Living life in abundance is not about the lack of hardship or struggle in our life. Rather, it is about faithfulness and stewardship in good times so that when we go through bad times we can pull from our reserves. 1 Corinthians 4:8-20[21] Our purpose in life comes not from what we do...

  A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Genesis 39:1-23 Have you ever felt like you had everything stipped away from you because of the evil schemes of someone else? Joseph had become a successful man and was given charge of the house of Potiphar (an officer of Pharoh). Potiphar’s wife happen to cast her eyes on Joseph, and while no one else was in the house, she caught hold of Joseph’s garment hoping to make love to him. When Joseph realized her intentions, he left her and fled outside. Unfortunately, she twisted the facts and made it seem as if Joseph had tried to make love to her but when she raised her voice and cried out, he fled away. When Potiphar heard this twisted version of events from his wife, he became filled with rage, took Joseph, and threw him into the prison. What distorted truths have severely impacted our life? How might seeing Jesus as the way, the truth and the life help us move beyond the temporal sufferings and into the eternal blessings God has in store ...