After watching Ben Stein's movie "Expelled-No Intelligence Allowed", one thought kept ringing in my mind. The tragedy of not believing in a Divine Designer, & Intelligent Creator, and not just Intelligent Designer but Jehovah God, is the lost sense of purpose and hope. I listened to a lesson about Joseph yesterday regarding his potential for despair in his circumstances. The last verse of chapter 40 in Genesis says that he'd been forgotten by the chief cupbearer. His family had already sold him into slavery. Yet over 18 times Joseph mentions his concern for God's purposes in the record of his life in Genesis. Even in the moment he's tempted by Potiphar's wife, he says to her, "How can I do this great sin before God?" He knew there was a greater purposes for his life, if only to glorify God through his humbled circumstances.
Interesting. He perceived that there was a standard of righteousness that was understood. Even speaking to a prominent Egyptian woman, who's god's were vary different in their purposes for mankind--self-seeking, not benevolent toward mankind.
This standard to which Joseph referred was not called the Intelligent Designer, or Higher Power, but Lord God, the Creator of the Universe, the God of Abraham, who spoke to him and promised that all nations of the earth would be blessed. In chapter 17 of Genesis, God is refered to as El Shaddai, the provider of all good things, as we need them. This is the same God who has revealed himself throughout the Scriptures of the Bible.
Without God, without a relationship with Him who will deliver one in this life or in the next, there is no hope, nothing to hang one's hopes on. It would be easy to despair at the experiences of this fallen world. Even when the things we hold most dear and count on the most fail us, we can say with the writer of Psalms that the Lord will take care of me.
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Education, Easter and Early Mornings - April 9, 2023
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2 comments:
You are going to love the KONOS obedience unit. Your timeline idea sound great. I put my strips on foamboard (about 20 x 30) that Jimmy butted together and taped with clear packing tape. I used that timeline for quite a while, then we got out of the habit of using it. Obedience in a box was my very first KONOS unit. Next I did Orderliness, then moved to using the volumes. I own all three volumes and over the years have done most of the units. I am no longer using KONOS, but may use it again for Leah and Sam when they are a little older.
Have a great school year!
I had never noticed the 17 times thing about Joseph... must go back and reread - how inspiring! Thanks!
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