Joseph’s brothers stayed in Egypt and raised their families there. The descendants of Jacob came to be known as the Israelites. The Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves and would not allow them to worship God. The Israelites cried out to God to save them and He did!
God called Moses to deliver them. Moses had actually grown up in the Egyptian pharaoh’s house but had fled to the desert as a young man. While Moses was out taking care of his sheep, God spoke to him out of a burning bush. God told Moses that He was going to use Moses to lead His people out of Egypt.
God told Moses and his brother Aaron to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go that they may worship me.” Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go, even when God sent a series of plagues on his land. First, the water was turned to blood, then the land was covered with frogs, then gnats, and then flies! Then, God struck the livestock with a deadly plague, then the people and animals broke out in boils! Then, the land was struck by hail and then by locusts and finally darkness fell over the land. But every time, Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites to go worship God. God wants and deserves worship, and His people should be free to worship Him.
The final plague was on the firstborn son of every family, yet God had a plan to rescue the Israelites from this plague. God commanded each family to kill a lamb and put the lamb’s blood on the doorposts of their home. In any home without the blood, the firstborn would die, but in any home with the blood, the firstborn would be safe for that home would be “passed over.”
God was teaching a lesson to this land that He separates those who trust and obey Him, rescuing them from his just judgment by their faith.
God was faithful to keep His promises, both to the Egyptians and to the Israelites. God saved His people that night and God told the Israelites to celebrate a Passover feast every year to remember when God delivered them. The story of Passover also teaches us about Jesus. Jesus is that perfect, spotless Lamb of God whose blood saves us when it is applied to our hearts. When we trust and obey Jesus, we become His special people and are given eternal life as a gift. God will pass over us for judgment because Jesus was judged in our place.
Today is a perfect day to thank God for His saving grace through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God has a special purpose for each and every person that He makes. God blessed Jacob with 12 sons, each with a special purpose. Jacob had been his mother’s favorite child, then Jacob had a favorite wife (Rachel) and now Jacob chose one of his sons, Joseph, the first son of Rachel, as his favorite child.
In James 2:1, we read that Christians should not show favoritism. In Jeremiah 9:23-24, we read that we should not boast in our own wisdom or power or wealth. Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph and Joseph’s dreams about his coming superiority over his brothers, caused division and jealousy between Joseph and his brothers. Joseph’s brothers sold him off to some traders on their way to Egypt, where Joseph became a valuable servant in Potiphar’s household.
Eventually Joseph was thrown into prison after being falsely accused of a crime against Potiphar’s wife. Have you ever been falsely accused of something that you didn’t do?
God was always with Joseph, even during his years in prison, giving Joseph favor with the prison leaders. After Joseph correctly interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph was released from prison and became Pharaoh’s “right hand man.”
God gave Joseph wisdom, so that the Egyptians would save up food for seven years because a famine was coming. When the famine came, just as God had said, the Egyptians had food stored up. Guess who came to Egypt to buy food? Joseph’s brothers. Those very same brothers who had sold Joseph off! Yet, Joseph had grace and mercy toward his brothers. Like we are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:15, Joseph did not repay “evil for evil,” but he sought to “do good to one another and to everyone.”
Joseph’s life reminds us of Jesus. Jesus had grace, mercy, and love for us while we were still His enemies. Jesus, too, was treated unfairly and falsely accused, yet He repaid evil with good. God worked through both Joseph’s and Jesus’s trials to bring about blessing as a result of painful circumstances.
Today is the perfect day to thank God for working all things together for GOOD for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.
Isaac grew up and got married. His wife, Rebekah, had twin sons. They named their sons Esau and Jacob. Before Esau and Jacob were born, God had told Rebekah that her sons would be rivals and that the older son would serve the younger son.
One day when Jacob was on his way to stay with his uncle Laban, he stopped to camp for the night. As he slept, Jacob dreamed of a ladder that reached from earth all the way to heaven. Jacob saw angels of God going up and down that ladder. The Lord, standing at the top of the ladder, repeated to Jacob many of the same promises that He had given to Abraham.
Look at Genesis 28:13-15 and list these promises. God promised to give Jacob and his descendants this land, that Jacob would have countless descendants (as many as the dust of the earth – can you count all the flecks of dust on earth???) and that these descendants would spread to all places on earth. God promised that all the families of the earth would be blessed through Jacob and his descendants. God promised to be with Jacob, to protect him wherever he went and to bring him back to this very land one day. God promised to never leave him and to be faithful to keep all of his promises.
WOW! Our God is always faithful. He is faithful to keep all His promises. We can trust Him.
God appeared to Jacob from the top of a ladder. God is so holy and perfect that we cannot reach Him by our own human efforts.
Ladders connect us with things that are beyond our human reach. I often need to use a ladder to change a light bulb or to reach a dish kept up in a high cabinet.
Jesus is our spiritual ladder, our way to reach the holy, perfect God. In the beginning of Jesus’s ministry on earth, Jesus told Nathanael, “You will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.” (John 1:51 NLT) Our sin has separated us from God, but Jesus, the son of God and the son of Man, came to pay the price for our sin, so we can be reunited with God.
Today is the perfect day to trust in Jesus, the only way to the Father.
As Abram knew God more, his faith grew stronger. God gave Abram a new name, Abraham, which means “Father of many.” This was an unexpected name because Abraham and his wife, Sarah, hadn’t had any children together and they were very old.
At just the right time, as God had promised, Sarah gave birth to a son and they named him Isaac, but one day God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as an offering. Even though this was an unthinkable request, Abraham trusted God and prepared to do what God had told him. Abraham built an altar and placed Isaac on it, and at just the right time, God provided a ram to take Isaac’s place on the altar. God often grows our faith as we wait for Him to the very last minute!
I can only imagine how excited Abraham was to see that ram. Abraham had trusted God and God kept His promises to Abraham.
Just like God provided a ram to die in Isaac’s place, God provided Jesus to die in our place. In Romans 6:23, we read that “The wages of sin is death.” This means that our sinful deeds deserve death. We earn death by our sin. But Romans 6:23 goes on to say, “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” When Jesus died on the cross, He paid for our sin with His death. Jesus is called “The Lamb of God,” because He was the perfect sacrifice for mankind’s sin. We can receive eternal life and forgiveness of our sin when we trust in Jesus Christ to be our Lord.
Thank you, God, for providing Jesus to take my place and to pay for my sins.
Have you ever had to move to a new town? We did. We had to leave our house, our friends and our family when we moved to a new state 5 ½ hours away. Moving can be a scary experience. You have to leave behind what you’re used to and go to a new, unknown place full of new, unknown people
About 4000 years ago God told a man named Abram to go to a new place, but He didn’t even tell him exactly where to go! God told Abram to go to a place that He would show him, and Abram trusted and obeyed God.
Look again in Genesis 12 and see what God promised Abram He would do in this new land.
God promised to make Abram a great nation, to bless Abram, to make Abram’s name great, to bless those who blessed Abram and curse those who cursed Abram. God promised that all of the families of earth would be blessed because of Abram.
WOW! That’s a lot of promises! Abram obeyed God because he trusted God. He believed that God would keep his promises. Abram had faith like Noah.
How about you? Do you trust God? Are you willing to obey whatever God tells you because you believe His words? God has graciously given us the Bible, so we can know Him and know how to obey Him. Do you read your Bible? Reading the Bible is how you, too, can know and trust God.
Remember that promise that God made that all the families of the earth would be blessed through Abram. Matthew 1:1 tells us how that happened. Matthew 1:1 tells us about the family tree of Jesus. Can you find Abram’s name there? Abram had a lot of descendants, but the most important one was Jesus, the Savior of the world.
All the families of the world have been blessed through Abram because Jesus came to earth. Every single person who trusts in Jesus for salvation can receive forgiveness and a place in heaven with Him. Have you received Jesus’s gift of salvation and forgiveness? You can trust Him today!
About a thousand years after God created Adam, Noah was born. Noah was the great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandson of Adam, but people back then lived a long, long time. Adam had only died about a hundred years before Noah was born, because Adam lived for over 900 years!
By the time Noah was born, everyone on earth had turned against God. Everyone’s hearts had grown wicked, but Noah remained faithful to God. Noah was different than the people around him. Noah obeyed God even when no one else did.
God knew that Noah would obey, so He gave Noah a very big job. God told Noah to build a huge boat called an ark, because God was going to send a flood to cover the whole earth. God told Noah exactly how to build the ark and Noah did it just as he was told.
God is faithful to His promises and the flood came just as He said. Before the flood came, God sent many animals to get on the ark to be saved. Anyone who trusted God could have been saved by entering the ark, but Noah and his family were the only people who got on board.
After the waters went down, God sent a rainbow as a sign of His promise to never flood the earth again. Ever since then, whenever we see a rainbow, we can be reminded of God’s faithfulness to keep His promises.
Do you know what the greatest promise is that God ever made … and kept? God promised hundreds of years before Jesus was born that He would send a Savior into the world to save His people – and God did, just as He said. In fact, that promised Son was a descendent of that faithful man, Noah. We can trust God to always keep His promises because He is always faithful and trustworthy. He is faithful to keep His promises to both the faithful and the wicked.
Jesus is the greatest gift we can ever receive. Have you trusted in Jesus to save you?
This is my lesson for this week. May it bless many and bear fruit to the glory of Jesus.
I am the younger of two children. I have only one sister. She is older than me. Her name is Kristan.
Growing up, I was always competing with Kristan. I never felt like I was as good as her. She was a quiet girl who didn’t cause much trouble. I always thought she was prettier than me. She was taller than me – and she still is. She was an excellent piano player while I struggled through my piano lessons.
Because I felt like she was better than me in so many ways, I tried to be better than her in other ways. I showed off by being talkative, friendly, outspoken, and loud. I earned awards in science fairs and debate competitions. I went to a special school for the top students in my city, yet I still felt like I was in her shadow.
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever compared yourself to someone else and felt like you weren’t as good, as smart, or as pretty as them?
Last week we talked about what people like to share on social media like WeChat and Facebook.
I think one reason why people like sharing on social media is because they want people to praise them. We all want people to think we’re smart, beautiful, kind, and good. We all want people’s praise.
Now that I am an adult, I still find myself comparing my strengths to others’ weaknesses. I like to share the highlights of my week when my family did something special. I don’t share the moments when I got mad at my husband. I don’t share when my house was a mess and I served frozen pizzas for dinner. I don’t share when I spent 2 hours scrolling mindlessly through Facebook. I want to show the good things my kids or my husband or I did. I still want so much for people to praise and value me. This is still a struggle for me.
How about you?
I want to show you a short video of a young man with Down Syndrome speaking at a meeting for some American government leaders. While you’re watching this video, I want you to think about how you feel watching this young man and how you would feel if he was your son.
If you were this young man’s mom, would you be proud to call him your son? Why? Why not?
Now let’s think about our own families. If you had a son, would you value him more if he was the top student in his Chinese class? What if he won a track meet or an English competition? What would he have to do to make you proud?
What about God? What does God value? What makes God proud? To find an answer, let’s consider the story of the shepherd boy David who grew up to be the King of Israel. The first king of Israel, King Saul, had disobeyed God and God was looking for a new man to be king of Israel. God sent His prophet Samuel to a man named Jesse to find a new king from one of Jesse’s sons. When Jesse’s first son arrived, Samuel thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed,” but Samuel was wrong.
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT)
Let’s try reciting this verse together. First, you can listen to me say it. Then, we will say it together. Finally, I’d like a few sisters to try it by themselves.
God had chosen Jesse’s youngest son who was out in the field caring for the sheep. As we are told in Acts 13:22, God had chosen David, the son of Jesse, because he was a man after God’s own heart who would do everything God wanted him to do.
Does that mean that David never sinned? Does that mean that David never broke God’s laws? No, it doesn’t. In fact, David committed adultery with a married woman and had her husband killed. Yet, David was repentant over his sin. David grieved over his sin and turned to God for forgiveness. David held fast to God and had faith in God even when life was very hard.
So, what exactly is in a man’s heart which makes God value him?
What do you think, sisters? What makes a person worthy to be called God’s child?
God created each and every person in His very own image. Every single person ever made was created in the image of God – no matter their skin color, no matter their wealth, no matter their intelligence or ability level, no matter how much money they have. Every single person has value in the sight of God because every single person is created in the image of God.
But not everyone is God’s child.
Jesus “came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn–not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” (John 1:10-13)
The only thing that can make you God’s child is faith, faith in Jesus Christ, the only Son of our Heavenly Father God. This alone is what makes you worthy. Faith is the greatest value.
And even this faith is a gift, as we read in Ephesians 2:8, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”
As you trust in God, then He will strengthen you and guide you to do great things for Him. He will change you, grow you and make you more like His Son as you trust in Him.
Like I once worked so hard to be better than my sister, when I became a Christian, I worked so hard to earn God’s love. But I was wrong. There was nothing I could do to deserve God’s love.
“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24) 耶和华这样说：“智慧人不可夸耀自己的智慧，勇士不可夸耀自己的勇力，财主不可夸耀自己的财富。 夸口的却要因了解我，认识我而夸口；认识我是耶和华，我在地上施行慈爱、 公正、公义；因为我喜悦这些事。”这是耶和华的宣告。
Let’s try reciting this verse together. First, you can listen to me say it. Then, we will say it together. Finally, I’d like a few sisters to try it by themselves.
God delights in steadfast love, justice and righteousness. Yes, He does. And He wants us to do these things, too, but He wants us to do them by faith. He wants us to obey Him by faith.
Jesus chose the intellectual Paul, a Jewish Pharisee and a persecutor of Christians, to share the good news of salvation with the lost. But Jesus also chose four common fishermen like Peter to spread the gospel. Does Jesus love the intellectual Paul more than simple Peter? No.
As Paul wrote in the beginning of his letter to the church in Corinth,
“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)
Do you think if your child got better grades or your husband had a better job, then God would love you more?
Do you think that if you were prettier or smarter or richer, then God would love you?
What if you memorized more Bible verses or prayed more or went to church more often, then would you be worthy of God’s love?
What if you gave all you owned to the poor or gave up your life as a martyr for Christ, then would you finally be valuable to God? (See 1 Corinthians 13 for more on this!)
Look at these pictures of my husband and my son in our backyard. My husband is much taller than my son when you look at them up close, but when you compare either of them to the height of the trees, they are both so tiny.
We may like to compare ourselves to one other, but when we compare ourselves to God, then we see how short we truly are. None of us are perfectly good, wise or holy. Only God. God loves you because He is God. He is your Creator, and He wants to be your Father. There is nothing you can say or do or think to make yourself worthy of His love.
In your own power, you are unworthy and undeserving, but in Christ Jesus you have infinite worth.
I don’t know whether you need to hear this because you need to be reminded not to show favoritism to your children or your coworkers or your friends, or because you need the reminder that you can’t earn God’s love, but I know that you need to hear this.
When you place your trust in Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you. When God looks at you, He sees His Son, Jesus Christ, in your heart. Jesus Christ is who makes you worthy and valuable, completely worthy and infinitely valuable, and Jesus Christ is the truly the only one truly worthy of praise.
Let me encourage you to share this good news with someone else this week.
This is my lesson from last week with the international women’s discipleship group. I pray it would bless many!
WORTH can describe either a monetary value (cost) or a personal, moral value. This coat is worth more money than that coat. Spending time with my mom is worth more than watching TV. Let’s try this dialogue to learn more about the word “worth.”
Abby: Hey, Mom. Look at these shoes! Aren’t they cool?
Mom: Yes, they are. Those shoes are beautiful. How much do they cost?
Abby: $120.
Mom: Wow, Abby. They are so expensive! Are they worth that much to you?
Abby: Not really, Mom. I found this pair over here. They’re only $40 and I think they’ll be great.
Mom: Good work, Abby. I think these shoes are worth $40. Let’s get them.
When we’re buying something, we look at how much the thing is worth. How much will I pay for a car or a house or a pair of shoes? How much will I pay someone to clean my house or take care of my children? It depends how much it’s worth.
VALUE has a similar meaning to WORTH. VALUABLE has a similar meaning to WORTHY.
Let’s try this dialogue to learn about the words, “value” and “valuable.”
Betty: Honey, I love you so much. I really value the time that we spend together. Thank you for taking me out for dinner tonight. I had a great time.
Husband: Betty, I love you, too. You are my most valuable treasure. You are worth so much to me!
We can also use the word “WORTHLESS” to describe something that is notimportant, something that is notvaluable. Worth + less = not worthy.
In looking at the Bible for “worthless,” I really liked this Bible verse. Let’s learn it together.
“Turn my eyes from worthless things and give me life through your word.” Psalm 119:37. 求你使我转眼不看虚空的事；又使我在你的道中存活。
First, listen to me say it, then we will say it together. Finally, I’d like three ladies to try it on their own.
“Turn my eyes from worthless things and give me life through your word.” (Psalm 119:37 NLT)
Just like we have limited amounts of money, we also have limited amounts of time. Our lives here on earth won’t last forever. There are only 24 hours in a day. There are only 365 days in a year. We don’t want to waste our time or our money on worthless things.
One way you can see what is valuable to you is by looking at where you spend your time and your money. Pay attention to your calendar and your bank account.
If you suddenly had three hours of free time what would you do?
Go shopping or go to a fancy restaurant?
Clean the house or play with your children?
Read through WeChat or read through the Bible?
I’d like three new women to share their answers.
If you were surprised to receive an extra 1,000 yuan, what would you do with it?
Would you pay your electric bill or buy your groceries?
Would you buy a new purse or a new book?
Would you give it to your parents or to someone in need?
I’d like three women to share their answers.
Let’s look at another Bible verse about what is valuable versus what is worthless.
Job 28:17-18 says, “Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold. Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it. The price of wisdom is far above rubies.” 黄金和玻璃不能与它比较，纯金的器皿不能与它交换。 珊瑚和水晶都不值一提，取得智慧胜过取得红宝石。
We can also show what we value by what we think about and talk about. What do you fall asleep thinking about and wake up thinking about? What are you excited to talk about to your parents, friends, kids or husband? What do you post on social media?
Your cats or your kids?
Your favorite movies and music?
A new restaurant or a new coat?
A Bible verse or prayer request?
I’d like three new women to share their answers.
As a women’s group, we want to value what God values. We want to love what God loves.
We’re going to talk about this more next week, but tonight let’s just look at this one Bible verse:
“Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” (1 Peter 3:3-4 NLT) 不要单注重外表的装饰, 就如鬈头发, 戴金饰, 穿华丽衣服； 却要在里面存着温柔安静的心灵, 作不能毁坏的装饰, 这在 神面前是极宝贵的
What is valuable to God? What should a woman value? What should a woman not value?
Further reading: Proverbs 31:10-31, Matthew 6:19-34
It is so easy to grow weary. It is so easy to think that life is without purpose or meaning. Yet, the light shines in the darkness. The Lord gives strength to the weary. In His mercy, the Lord opens the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf and the hearts of the captives.
I find encouragement in knowing that our Heavenly Father never grows weary. In my weariness and weakness, I am able to recognize the enormity of God’s power.
God alone is almighty. He alone is outside of time and space. He alone is able to do everything and know everything. He intentionally created me to need food and rest, that I would recognize my humble state and praise His almighty glory.
So, today, sisters, let me encourage you. Do not grow weary of well-doing. God is not finished with you. In this world you will have trouble, but you can take heart because Jesus – Son of God and Son of Man – has overcome this world! This world is temporary, but the new heavens and new earth are eternal. Do not work for the food that perishes! Instead, work for the treasures which are everlasting. (John 6:27) God Himself is your peace in the storm, the giver of every good thing.
We are together in this earthly journey. Let’s encourage one another as we see the end drawing near. As my Chinese friends say, “Jiayou!” (Keep going!)
All glory to His Almighty name
TWIG
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9 ESV
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”
“For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” Ezra 7:10
Teachers are held to a higher standard. We have to be careful to study, but we better not skip that personal obedience step before jumping straight to teaching.
Thank You, Father, for giving us Your Word. It is a light to our feet. It shines in the dark corners and speaks truth to our souls. Thank You for Your mercy and grace and for the wisdom that You give day after day. I’m praying for my own role as a teacher, but also for the teachers of our nation’s children, whether in the schools or the church. Give them Your wisdom and strength for the glory of Your name.
Teach What is Good 
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