What Shall You Make Of Your Life Series

What Shall You Make of Your Life

A. By Plotting and Planning

B. By Pleading before the Lord

We live in a glorious place here in Dillingham, Alaska and Bristol Bay. We see clearly the hand of God around us in his creation and in the wonderful people he has placed here.

I often am amazed at were this young Cajun boy has come to in life.

Why am I serving in Alaska?

Why am I serving in “bush” Alaska?

Why has God taken our path here?

What does God seek to accomplish here?

Have you ever tried to plot our how things would be?

As a young boy growing up in Louisiana and as a young man in the military, I had a vision of doing my time in the military and going home to a job in law enforcement or maybe fishing crawfish and crabs.

I am amazed that God protected me in my youth to allow me to be able to join the military in the first place. The way God drew me into a recruiters office with absolutely no intention on my part of signing any papers—especially those that might cause me to spend time outside of my home.

I imagine that I surely would have ended up in jail on multiple occasions if I had stayed home. I ran with a group of young men that were called “The Pas Bons” this means the No Goods. There were a lot of reasons we were called this, but we were pretty much the group of guys that were involved in about everything and anything going on—especially if it involved risk and the promise of adventure.

At seventeen my high School English teacher, Janice Bordis told me I needed to get serious and pass my English course. I told her in French that I didn’t need to take English to weld and to fish crawfish—most of the people I worked with talked French and about all the people that fished talked French too. Mrs. Bordis said “But you do not know where you will go or what you will do.”

I know that God placed Mrs. Bordis in my life and several other significant people in order for me to be where I am today. I praise God for the path He has led me on and to the place we are now walking, and for the future He has promised me and you.

Let’s walk with Joseph this week and discover through our study what most of us know already. We plot and we plan and we often reap the rewards of our plots and wonder why. Much as if we ask in prayer amiss—if we plot without seeking God’s will in our lives—then we shouldn’t be surprised when the outcome is different from what we are truly seeking. Let’s start by looking at some plotting and planning by Joseph.

A. By Plotting and Planning

Genesis 44:1-17 (KJV)

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth. [2] And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. [3] As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. [4] And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? [5] Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

[6] And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. [7] And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing: [8] Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord’s house silver or gold? [9] With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen. [10] And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words; he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless. [11] Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. [12] And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. [13] Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.