The Apostle Paul finished his race well as he declared in 2 Timothy 4:6-8, “…I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…”

Robert Clinton wrote a book about 100 prominent figures from among the 2300 people mentioned in the Bible. He claimed in his work Listen Up Leaders! that only 11 of the 100 he studied actually finished well.

Based upon what I read in Genesis 50, I would maintain that Joseph also finished well like Enoch, Joshua, Caleb, Job, Simeon, Anna, John and most importantly, Jesus. What does it mean that someone finished their life with excellence? Allow me to summarize my observations of Joseph as described in this final chapter of Genesis.

Authentic in His Farewell to His Father, 50:1-3

Responsible regarding the Funeral Arrangements, 50:4-13

Returns to Egypt in Faithfulness, 50:14

Avoided being Driven by Fear or Revenge, 50:15

Chose Truth over Falsehood, 50:16-17

Accepted that He Was not God, 50:18-19

Placed His Faith in the Providence of God, 50:20

Chose to Forgive & Give Rather than Take, 50:21

Invested Encouragement in Future Generations, 50:21-26

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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations  
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison  
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/

Finishing Well (Genesis 50)

(Revised Audio)

Abraham learned a spiritual lesson in Genesis 18:1-15. He learned that God can solve an impossible problem.

The Lord asks Abraham an important question that needs to be answered at certain times in a person’s life, namely, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Genesis 18:14.

The hymn Praise to the Lord the Almighty was written by a German composer, Joachim Neander in the 1600’s and included this thought-provoking line, “…ponder anew what the Almighty can do, if with His love He befriends thee…”

What could the Almighty do in your life? How would He accomplish something that was simply too difficult for you? In this text, the Lord left a simple formula for how He solves impossible problems. Let’s learn the following seven faith factors that are necessary in solving an equation that is simply out of reach for man but never out of reach for the Lord God the Almighty.

The Observation Factor, 18:1-2

The Offering Factor, 18:3-8

The Oneness Factor, 18:6-8

The Opportunity Factor, 18:9-10

The Obstacle Factor, 18:11-13

The Omnipotence Factor, 18:14

The Omniscience Factor, 18:9, 13, 15

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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations  
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison  
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/

God’s Equation for Solving the Impossible (Genesis 18:1-15)

Abraham learned a spiritual lesson in Genesis 18:1-15. He learned that God can solve an impossible problem.

The Lord asks Abraham an important question that needs to be answered at certain times in a person’s life, namely, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” Genesis 18:14.

The hymn Praise to the Lord the Almighty was written by a German composer, Joachim Neander in the 1600’s and included this thought-provoking line, “…ponder anew what the Almighty can do, if with His love He befriends thee…”

What could the Almighty do in your life? How would He accomplish something that was simply too difficult for you? In this text, the Lord left a simple formula for how He solves impossible problems. Let’s learn the following seven faith factors that are necessary in solving an equation that is simply out of reach for man but never out of reach for the Lord God the Almighty.

The Observation Factor, 18:1-2

The Offering Factor, 18:3-8

The Oneness Factor, 18:6-8

The Opportunity Factor, 18:9-10

The Obstacle Factor, 18:11-13

The Omnipotence Factor, 18:14

The Omniscience Factor, 18:9, 13, 15

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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations  
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison  
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/

Sometimes a family agonizes over a family member that they love who is taken “captive” by failure, fear of rejection, worry, criticism, anger, pride, depression, alcohol, drugs, pornography, sexual immorality, perfectionism, materialism and the list could go on and on.

Each Christian has three enemies that they encounter on spiritual battlefields like those mentioned above: the devil and his demons, the world system and the flesh (self-centered living). The “zip ties” or “chains” used by these three enemies to bind family members limits their ability to escape. They need others to rescue them. But how?

Abraham models how to rescue a family member taken hostage in Genesis 14. His nephew, Lot, was forcefully taken in a skirmish that was not really directed toward him, but he was most certainly in the wrong place (Sodom) at the wrong time. Let’s follow Abraham’s footsteps of courage.

Resisting Subjugation by an Enemy, 14:1-4

Revealing the Motivation of an Enemy, 14:4-7

Reviewing the Devastation from the Enemy, 14:8-13

Rescuing with Liberation from the Enemy, 14:13-16

Rewarding the Operation over the Enemy, 14:17-24

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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations  
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison  
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/

The Enemy Has Taken Another Hostage Captive (Genesis 14)

We are moving in our Genesis study from the life of Noah to the footsteps of Abraham. About 4,000 years ago Abraham heard God’s voice calling him to leave everything familiar and step out into the unknown. Hebrews 11:8 says of him, “…And he went out not knowing where he was going.” He just knew that he was traveling over a road of obedience with faith in God’s promises.

Abraham’s life covers about 14 chapters and adds up collectively to about 25% of the content of Genesis. There must be something that God wants us to learn from this man’s journey.

Have you ever sensed that God was calling you to something bigger than your past experiences? You may need to make some notes from the biblical legacy we have of this man’s life. He teaches us eight lessons about the way God works with His people.

Way of Movement, 12:1(a)

Way of Separation, 12:1(b)

Way of the Unknown, 12:1(c)

Way of Promise, 12: 2(a)

Way of Blessing, 12:2-3

Way of Obedience, 12:4-6

Way of Surrender, 12:7-9

Way of Testing, 12:10-20

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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations  
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison  
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/

Abraham: Following the Lord on a New Road (Genesis 12)

Genesis chapter six begins at a point in human history that was some 1500 years since God’s creation of the earth, or 1056 years between the creation of Adam until the birth of Noah.

The chapter begins with mankind’s refusal to turn from evil. The level of wickedness was so persistent that it grieved the heart of God. He reached a decision to blot out man and all of the animals that either lived on land or flew in the air.

Genesis 6:8, however, was a turning point, when it states, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” This was our first introduction to grace!

There are two main truths about the Lord that are too large to miss. First, God will eventually remove wickedness. Second, God offers grace. Try to keep your balance in understanding that God is perfect in holiness and justice, while also at His core, merciful and gracious.

Let’s see what lessons we can learn from Noah and the Ark.

Righteous Man, 6:9(a)

Blameless Man, 6:9(b)

Walks-with-God Man, 6:9

Obedient Man, 6:22; 7:5, 16

Listening Man, 6:13-21

Working Man, 6:22

Patient Man, 7:1-8:19

Worshipful Man, 8:20-22

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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations  
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison  
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/

Learning from Noah and the Ark (Genesis 6:8-8:22)

Has the Flood during the days of Noah ever seemed harsh to you? Perhaps, you have not taken the time to really understand the importance of Genesis 6:1-8. I consider this passage to be the biblical key to understanding why such a global flood was necessary.

Unparalleled wickedness began to engulf the entire world. It was intentional as well as continual. Two specific sins began to flourish above the others: sexual corruption and physical violence.

The final strike, however, was when fallen angels began to reproduce upon the earth. This would take things to a whole new level. God had to act quickly to prevent an even worse scenario. Jude wrote in verses 5-6, “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under the gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.”

Listen as we go verse by verse through Genesis 6:1-8 and walk through the darkest period this planet has ever known. This passage will help you understand why God had to act decisively.

Global Growth, 6:1

Demonic Disaster, 6:2

Life Limitation, 6:3

Nasty Nephilim, 6:4

Worldwide Wickedness, 6:5

Divine Disappointment, 6:6

Catastrophic Consequences, 6:7

Glorious Grace, 6:8

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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations  
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison  
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/

Key to Understanding the Flood (Genesis 6:1-8)

Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations  
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison  
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/

Walking with God (Genesis 5:18-24)

Have you ever struggled with jealousy or anger to such a degree that it seemed out of control? The life of the biblical character named Cain answers the question of what can happen when sin is left unchecked?

Cain was the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. He was the first person born into a world where sin had entered. He would be the first man to commit murder when he killed his own brother Abel.

Cain’s punishment was severe as he was forced into exile, alienated from his family and faced as a farmer by trade with land that was cursed due to his disobedience to God. Let’s take a closer look at Cain in the fourth chapter of Genesis.

Voice of Praise, 4:1

Vocations for the Sons, 4:2

Variety of Offerings, 4:3-5

Voice of Intervention, 4:6-7

Violence brings a Curse, 4:8-16

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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations  
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison  
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/

Raisin’ Cain (Genesis 4:1-16)

Old Testament scholar, Bruce Waltke, sees a common theme uniting Proverbs 20:12-19 – speech and commerce. Whether one is the merchant or the customer, the Bible actually offers wise counsel on how to effectively and uprightly conduct business.

The founder of Chick-fil-A, S. Truett Cathy, said, “It has proven to my interest financially as well as convenience of permitting our people to have Sunday off where they can forget the business and other interests – devote it to the family as well as to worship if they so choose.”

He later told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I see no conflict whatsoever between Christianity and good business practices. People say you can’t mix business with religion. I say there’s no other way.”

Our text gives us the following eight practical principles to apply within the world of business.

Receptors to Verify, 20:12

Human Responsibility, 20:13

Deceptive Haggling, 20:14

Valuable Words, 20:15

Imprudent Cosigning, 20:16

Dishonest Speech, 20:17

Wise Planning, 20:18

Avoiding Gossip, 20:19

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Growing in Grace Devotions and Inspirations  
Hosted by Pastor Victor Morrison  
First Baptist Church
1700 Milam Street
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
http://fbccolumbustx.org/

Biblical Principles of Business (Proverbs 20:12-19)

Weekly Biblical devotions that help us Grow in Grace. Real stories and absolute truths from Scripture that provide strength, hope and encouragement. Hosted by Victor Morrison, Senior Pastor of First B

FBC CTX Growing in Grace Podcast · Zencastr

FBC CTX Growing in Grace Podcast

Weekly Biblical devotions that help us Grow in Grace. Real stories and absolute truths from Scripture that provide strength, hope and encouragement. Hosted by Victor Morrison, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Columbus, Texas, USA.