Christ Church Daily Devotion June 24 2024

The Israelites multiplied greatly and the land became filled with them. A new king came to power in Egypt and became concerned about their numbers. He oppressed them with forced labor, but they continued to multiply. The Egyptians began to dread the Israelites and treated them harshly. Joseph, who was once considered a hero, was forgotten. Changes can happen suddenly, but having faith in God can help us through difficult times. We should worship, study the Bible, and pray to prepare for challenges. We should love God and trust in Him when bad things happen. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for June 24, 2024. Today, we will be reading from Exodus chapter 1, verses 6-14. Now Joseph and all his brothers in all that generation died. But the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful. They multiplied greatly, increased in numbers, and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. Look, he said to his people, the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them, or they will become even more numerous, and if war breaks out, we'll join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Ramses, and as stores, cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. So the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites, and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. In all their harsh labor, the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly. Joseph was a national hero in Egypt, and because of that, Pharaoh and the people of Egypt held the children of Israel in high regard. They were given some of the best land, and were treated well. Then, as they multiplied, and as time passed, things changed. A generation came and went, and a new Pharaoh came to power. Intimidated by the number of Israelites, and their questionable loyalty, he began to oppress them. The Israelites quickly went from welcome guests in Egypt to being cruelly treated slaves. Changes happen to all of us, and they can happen suddenly. One day we are happy and carefree, and the next day we are out of a job, or facing a serious illness, or grieving the death of a loved one. Those of us who have faith may find ourselves in a spiritually dry place, and we must dig deeply and open our hearts to know that God is with us. Perhaps the things we do to grow our faith in the good times, worshiping, studying the Bible, praying, and so on, are in some ways our preparation for the difficult times that will test and perhaps even strengthen our faith. Your personal worship option today? Gracious God, you are my rock, the one on whom I lean. Help me to love you in such a way that when bad things happen to me, I will simply turn to you in hope and trust. Help me to tell others who do not yet know you, about how much you mean to me every single day. Amen.