Doyle Smith Daily

Genesis 41:37-40 (ESV) Originally published 01/02/2014 In one day Joseph's whole life changed. He had been the favorite son, then a slave, then in prison, but now he tells Pharaoh God's message in the dream God had given Pharaoh. "This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, 'Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?' Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you'" Genesis 41:37-40 (ESV). God rewards faithfulness, and when we are faithful, he accomplishes his purpose in our lives. Lord, fill me with your Spirit that I might be faithful, regardless of how things appear and that you will accomplish your purpose for and through my life.

 Genesis 41:28-30, 33-34 (ESV) Joseph interpreted the dream of Pharaoh: "It is as I told Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come seven years of plenty, and all the plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt...Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years" Genesis 41:28-30, 33-34 (ESV). God gave these troubling dreams to a pagan king and put Joseph in place to interpret them. He gave this pagan king the warning and plan to avoid disaster. Unknown to Pharaoh God was using Pharaoh to fulfill his plan. God even works in the lives of those who do not follow him to accomplish his will. Lord, you are amazing! World leaders think they are making decisi...

Genesis 41:15-16 (ESV) Originally published 12/31/2014 God had given Joseph an interpretation of the dream of the cupbearer of Pharaoh. When Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret, the cupbearer told Pharaoh about Joseph's ability to interpret dreams. "And Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that  when you hear a dream you can interpret it.’ Joseph answered Pharaoh, 'It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer'" Genesis 41:15-16 (ESV). Joseph is no longer a spoiled child, but a man of faith that God could and would use to do what was needed, and he was a man of humility. This was a man God could and would use. Lord, I want to know you well enough to know what you would do in situations, so I know how to pray. Help me to grow to be a person that you can use.

Genesis 41:12-13 (ESV) Originally published 12/30/2014 God had given Joseph the interpretation of a dream that Pharaoh's cupbearer had while in prison, and Joseph asked the cupbearer to tell Pharaoh about Joseph's unjust prison sentence, but the cupbearer did nothing. It was two years later that Pharaoh had a dream, and no one could interpret it, and the cupbearer told Pharaoh what Joseph had done for him. "A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. And as he interpreted to us, so it came about" Genesis 41:12-13 (ESV). Sometimes we think God has forgotten us when he is hard at work creating the exact situation that we need. Lord, give me more faith in your promises than in what I can see with my eyes.

Genesis 40:23 (ESV) Originally published 12/29/2014 Joseph was in prison because of false charges, and God gave him the interpretation of the dreams of Pharaoh's former cupbearer and chief baker. He asked the cupbearer to take Joseph's situation to Pharaoh when he got out. "Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him" Genesis 40:23 (ESV). Lord, it is so easy to take your blessings for granted and forget to thank you for what you have done for me. Remind me to keep my promises to you and others and to be grateful to you and the people through whom you help me.

Genesis 40:6-8 (ESV) Originally published 12/26/2014 This is characteristic of someone controlled by God. "When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody in his master's house. 'Why are your faces downcast today?' They said to him, 'We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.' And Joseph said to them. 'Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.'" Genesis 40:6-8 (ESV) Joseph noticed that the people he met were troubled, and he was concerned to help them. We don't all have the experience of interpreting dreams. But when we see people who have problems that God has helped us overcome, he expects us to tell them what he can do for them. Lord, open my eyes to people that you have placed in my life to tell them what you want to say to them and give me the boldness to tell them what you want them to know.

Genesis 40:1-4 (ESV) Originally published 12/25/2014 Joseph was in prison because of lies told about him, but even there, God was with him and he was put in charge of the prisoners. "Some time after this, the cup bearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them." Genesis 40:1-4 (ESV) This unrelated event will have a great impact on Joseph's life. Joseph could have given up on God, but he was faithful, and as a result God was at work to bless Joseph. Lord, help me to be faithful in every relationship I have that you could do everything you desire with my life and bless the people around me

Genesis 39:19-20 (ESV) Originally published 12/24/2014 Obedience to God does not guarantee that everything will go well in your life. Joseph refused sex with his boss's wife, and she accused him of trying to rape her. "As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, 'This is the way your servant treated me,' his anger was kindled. And Joseph's master took him and put him  into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined,..." Genesis 39:19-20 (ESV) If you have been obedient to God and disaster comes, don't blame God; Satan is trying to destroy you. Lord, help me not to be concerned about whether good or bad things happen to me, but to be passionate about obedience to you.

Genesis 39:6-9 (ESV) Originally published 12/23/2014 What a change in Joseph! He was no longer a spoiled kid, but a man of integrity. "Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, 'Lie with me' But he refused and said to his master's wife, 'Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?'" Genesis 39:6-9 (ESV) Joseph was a long way from his family and religion and they would never know. He had no Bible or 10 commandments, and this woman was throwing herself at him. He was doing what was right because he wanted to please God. Lord, there are many temptations to please people and do things that no person will ever know abou...

Genesis 39:3-5 (ESV) Originally published 12/22/2014 This is what God wants for all his followers. "His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake;" Genesis 39:3-5 (ESV). God wants to bless his followers so that others will see His character, and He wants to bless those for whom we work to reveal Himself. Lord, I ask you to direct me today so that you might be able to bless others through my choices and actions and so that they would see you because of my obedience to you.

Genesis 39:1-2 (ESV) Originally published 12/20/2014 God does what appears to be little things, but they turn out to be big. "Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master" Genesis 39:1-2 (ESV). God was with Joseph and the result was he was placed in the home of a very influential man, and God made him a successful slave. Neither of these would seem particularly important, but it was the beginning of a great life. Lord, there are many things I have no control over, but if you are with me, my life will achieve your purpose. When things are not working as I think they should, remind me that I have given you my life and you are with me too.

Genesis 37:17-22 (ESV) Originally published 12/19/2014 Israel sent his son Joseph to find his brothers who were caring for the sheep. "So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, 'Here comes this dreamer. Come now let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.'...But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, 'Let us not take his life.' And Reuben said to them, 'Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him'--that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father" Genesis 37:17-22 (ESV). This was a messed up family, but even though none of them recognized it, God was working out his purpose in spite of them. Lord, remind me when things seem impossible that you will accomplish what you have planned to do. There is no one like yo...

Genesis 37:8 (ESV) Originally published 12/18/2014 Joseph told his father bad things about his brothers (Genesis 37:2). Jacob gave Joseph, his favorite son, special gifts (Genesis 37:3). Joseph had a dream that indicated that all his older brothers would recognize him as greater than they, and he told them the dream. "His brothers said to him, 'Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?' So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words" Genesis 37:8 (ESV). We would call Joseph a spoiled brat in our language, and Jacob and Joseph both contributed to the hostility between Joseph and his brothers. Lord, give me a spirit of humility in my relationships with everyone I meet today.

Genesis 37:3-4 (ESV) Originally published 12/17/2014 We don't always learn from our past. Jacob knew firsthand the trouble that came from his parents having favorites. He repeats the parenting pattern of his own parents, which will lead to another disaster. "Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him" Genesis 37:3-4 (ESV). Sometimes our behavior is more shaped by our family than by God. Lord, alert me when I am acting more like my human parents than like my heavenly Father. Teach me to be a father like you are my Father.

Genesis 33:3-4 (ESV) Originally published 12/16/2014 God told Jacob to go back to his homeland even though he left to keep his brother, Esau, from killing him. In fear he sent droves of cattle ahead of him when he heard Esau was coming. He arranged his wives and children so that his most loved would be last if Esau were to want to kill everyone. "He (Jacob) himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him and they wept" Genesis 33:3-4 (ESV). God does not tell us to do something unless he has already prepared the way for us to accomplish what he wants us to do. Lord, help me to trust you today by doing what you tell me to do without any concern for the consequences.

Genesis 33:1-2 (ESV) Originally published 12/15/2014 Jacob was going back to his home country, but when he left home his brother was planning to kill him. Now he was afraid Esau would kill him when he returned. He sent hundreds of animals in droves as gifts to his brother in hopes that the gifts would change his brother's mind. "And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female servants. And he put the servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all" Genesis 33:1-2 (ESV). What would it be like to realize that your father would prefer you to die over one of your siblings? Jacob was planting seeds of resentment that would later cost him separation from his most loved son. Lord, help me to treat everyone around me in a way that they will feel valued and important.

Genesis 32:11-12 (ESV) Originally published 12/13/2014 God told Jacob to return to his home, but now he finds that the brother who wanted to kill him is coming to meet him with 400 men. Jacob prays: "Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, 'I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude'" Genesis 32:11-12 (ESV). When we are obeying God and face fears and dangers, we follow Jacob's example and ask God for his help. Then we remind ourselves of the promises that God has made to those who obey him. If we believe God will answer the prayers of his followers and keep his promises, then we will have peace even in the face of danger. Lord, give me the peace that comes from trust in your faithfulness, not my circumstances.

Genesis 31:24 (ESV) Originally published 12/12/2014 God has ways to protect his followers beyond anything they could ever do. Laban was angry at Jacob for taking his cattle and daughters and leaving the country. Laban had been chasing Jacob (who was obeying God) for three days, and Jacob thought his family and assets were in great danger. "But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad'" Genesis 31:24 (ESV). God sometimes protects us in ways we cannot even imagine; he has the ability to enter the mind of our most determined enemy and change what they think and what they want to do. Lord, in times of conflict remind me that if I act as you direct me that you will take care of me in ways I cannot imagine.

Genesis 31:14-16 (ESV) Originally published 12/11/2014 God uses even the bad things that people do to further his work. God had told Jacob that he wanted him to return, to go back to his home, but it would mean asking his wives to leave the only family and place they ever lived. When Jacob told them what God wanted him to do: "Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, 'Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do'" Genesis 31:14-16 (ESV). When God told Jacob to go back home, he may have thought, “My wives will not want to leave family,” but God knew that they were ready. Laban's treatment of his daughters prepared them to be ready to obey God. Lord, when you tell me to do something that looks impossibl...

Genesis 31:9-12 (ESV) Originally published 12/10/2014 Jacob was being cheated by his father-in-law, but Jacob explains to his wives how God has taken care of him. "Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am!' And he said, 'Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you'" Genesis 31:9-12 (ESV). In times of conflict we get afraid because we don't know what those around us are thinking or trying to do to us. Our comfort is that God does, so we don't have to figure that out. We only have to serve God and do what he tells us to do. Lord, don't let my behavior be controlled by what others ...

Genesis 31:6-8 (ESV) Originally published 12/09/2014 Sometimes when we are living in obedience to God, bad things happen to us, and we wonder why God doesn't protect us. Jacob's experiences help us to see how God works. "You know that I have served your father with all my strength, yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. If he said, 'The spotted shall be your wages,' then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, 'The striped shall be your wages,' then all the flock bore striped" Genesis 31:6-8 (ESV). Sometimes God does not stop people from trying to hurt his children, but he blesses them in spite of what people try to do to them. God does it this way to show us that he is greater than all our enemies. Lord, remind me not to worry when things go wrong, but to have confidence that you will bring victory to me if I am faithful to serve you.

Genesis 31:1-3 (ESV) Originally published 12/08/2014 When we serve and listen to God, he guides us through times of conflict.   "Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, 'Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth.' And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. The LORD said to Jacob, 'Return  to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you'" Genesis 31:1-3 (ESV).     When Jacob left home, his brother wanted to kill him, and now his in-laws have turned against him. God tells him which choice to make and promises that he will be with Jacob if he obeys God. Lord, remind me to ask your guidance in all the decisions I need to make today so that I will know what to do, and help me to obey what you tell me to do.

Genesis 30:43 (ESV) Originally published 12/06/2014 Laban and Jacob made a deal that all the white sheep and goats would belong to Laban and the black and spotted sheep and goats would belong to Jacob. Laban secretly removed the black and spotted sheep and goats three days away from the white flocks so there would be no spotted ones born. Jacob was going to trick Laban by putting sticks in the water to make the white sheep have spotted lambs, but we know that would not work. Both were trying to cheat each other, but God was keeping his promise to Jacob. "Thus, the man (Jacob) increased greatly and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys" Genesis 30:43 (ESV). When we commit to live in submission, service and obedience to God, we sometimes think that our success is the result of good planning, hard work, and skill, when, in reality it is God who makes our planning work and our work productive. Lord, remind me that every good and perfect thing...

Genesis 30:25-27 (ESV) Originally published 12/05/2014 God shows his nature and character through those who serve him. "As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, 'Send me away, that I may go to my own home and country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, that I may go, for you know the service that I have given you.' But Laban said to him, 'If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you'" Genesis 30:25-27 (ESV). When we submit to God to serve him and obey him, not only does he bless us, but he blesses the people around us. In this way the people around us can see what God is like. Lord, guide me today that I might be a blessing to everyone I interact with so they might want to serve and obey you too.

Genesis 30:14-16 (ESV) Originally published 12/04/2014 Rachel and Leah were jealous, competitive, and manipulative, while Jacob was not providing much leadership to the home. "In the days of wheat harvest Reuben went and found mandrakes (perhaps considered a fertility aid) in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, 'Please give me some of your son's mandrakes.' But she said to her, 'Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also?' Rachel said, 'Then he may lie with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes.' When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, 'You must come in to me, for I have hired you with my son's mandrakes.' So he lay with her that night. And God listened to Leah and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son" Genesis 30:14-16 (ESV). This is so messy that it is embarrassing, but the Bi...