Random Thoughts

Jim:

Genesis 50:15-26
Verse 20 sums up the entire Joseph story. He tells his brothers, “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good…” Joseph’s brothers were intent on ridding themselves of a nuisance, but through their actions God worked to preserve them. When they sold Joseph into slavery they were actually securing their own future. We can not really know what God is up to at any given time, but we can trust that God is working out the divine purpose, through our actions—and often despite them. Our challenge is to discover God’s will for our lives and to seek to serve God instead of working against God. This takes prayer and an openness to what God may be saying to us.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11
In verses 4-6 Paul uses a Trinitarian formula to describe the unity found in the diversity of the church. “Now there are varieties of gifts,” he writes, “but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.” Even if we do not serve God in the same way that someone else does we are still united with that person in the fact that it is God who has given us each our gift for service. Just as God is united––three in one––so are we, our various skills, talents, and insights given to us as a means of supporting the church and each other.

Mark 8:11-26
The story in verses 22-26 is fascinating in that it shows Jesus “fine tuning” a healing, laying his hands on a blind man a second time to give the man his sight.