Live the Word Bible Studies

Welcome to Live the Word

I am happy you have visited this site, where my goal since 2001 has been to help people all over the world understand and then apply the word of God in their lives. If you look on the right hand side of this blog site, you will see the name of each book in the New Testament, where you will find what I call a devotional commentary for every verse in those books. My goal was not to do a technical study, but rather a practical one that presented not only insights, but also questions and recommendations to help you apply or live the word. I have now published those studies in book form, but it's time to expand my work with something new (pictured here are two of my commentary covers, and they are all available in paper or Kindle format from Amazon).

For several years, I have had the idea to develop a Purpose Study Bible, similar to others on the market like The Spirit-Filled Bible, The Leadership Bible, The African Bible, and The Student Bible. Each one of those incorporates insights about a particular topic right in the Bible itself, like an easy-to-use commentary. I have been teaching on the topics of purpose, creativity, goal setting, time management, and faith since 1991, and have gained insight and often taught about or written about those topics from a biblical perspective. For the remainder of my days, I want to share what I have learned with my readers on these five topics I have labeled the five Gold Mine Principles, and this format seems like an economical way to do so (since I am not ready to undertake publishing a Bible). This particular study will begin in Genesis and move on in an orderly fashion through the rest of the Old Testament. Should God prolong my days, I will then move into the New Testament.

I also want to learn from my readers, so I invite you to post comments to supplement, adjust, or augment what I have written. My goal, however, is not to make us all experts on what the Bible has to say about purpose or creativity, but rather to help us become people of purpose, for as Jesus said, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:17). That is why my commentaries are called Live the Word, for that is what we are expected to do.

I hope you enjoy reading these studies as much as I enjoy writing them, and I hope you will be an active participant by sharing your own insight and testimonies. Thank you, and may the Lord bless the study and reading of His word!

Purpose Study Bible 56: Me, Myself, and I

Once we learn that Pharaoh's daughter adopted and raised Moses, we are not told anything else about him until he is grown. Stephen's speech before his martyrdom, however, did tell us a few things about those silent years:

Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not (Acts 7:22-25, emphasis added).

Stephen reported Moses knew his life purpose was to rescue his people. Unfortunately, he thought it would happen through his own power and military might, so he started his liberation movement by slaying an Egyptian. That was one down and three million to go.

Look at the passage below and you will see a lot of me-myself-and-I actions (in bold) but not a lot of what God wanted Moses to do or how God wanted him to do it:

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known" (Exodus 2:11-14, emphasis added).

After Moses realized he had been found out, he was afraid and assumed the only way to survive was to run, which he did.

What about you? Do you know your purpose? If you do, what kind of results are you getting? If they are meager, are you acting alone and in your own understanding of how it will be accomplished in and through you? If you have some failures or missteps, are you now living in fear, perhaps running away from your purpose call? The answer is neither self-willed actions or fear-filled conclusions. Instead, the way forward is for you to submit to God's work in your life and ways He has designated for you to fulfill your purpose. That may be in your home area or someplace else in the world, and it may be in ways you never thought possible.

Purpose Study Bible 55: Ideas to Cash

Let's stay in Exodus 2 this week and continue to look at the story of the first months and years of Moses' life. We have seen already that Moses' parents saw purpose in his life and protected him as long as they could. After that, they put him in the river as directed, but first constructed a waterproof basket for his protection. Then we read

Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him (Exodus 2:5-9).

Here we learn that a mother's faith was rewarded not only with her child's salvation, but also with provision for him and her family. Pharaoh's household not only adopted Moses as their own, but also returned the baby to his mother for care and nurture until he was weaned. Moses' mother got to hold her child again, nurse him, and keep him from the king's death edict. In a sense, Moses' mother was financially rewarded for her wisdom and creativity with both salvation and provision.

Often, you pray for financial blessings and God responds not with money, but with an idea. When you act on the idea and bring it to fruition, then the finances come and your prayer is fully answered. Do you have any good ideas you can act on and convert to cash or even wealth? Do you have things of value around you that you have become so accustomed to that you are blind to the fact that they are an answer to your prayers for money? Are you undervaluing your own wisdom or creativity for which people would be willing to pay you to give them? Where are you currently giving away who you are, what you do, and what you to which you could attach economic value and have others gladly pay you for them? Stop overlooking or underestimating what you have around or in you. Then, start expressing, investing, or releasing what you have and see if the Lord won't bring a Pharaoh to provide for you in ways you previously thought impossible.

Purpose Study Bible 54: Purpose Parents

Last week, we looked at the birth of Moses and his mother's faith that saved him. Let's look at that story again this week:

"So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months" (Exodus 2:2).

What did Moses' mama see? What did Moses' mama see that made her boy beautiful?  She saw the purpose of God on him.  She saw past the imperfections and Pharaoh's edict and saw God's hand, as Stephen said while preaching to the Sanhedrin: "It was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father's home" (Acts 7:20).

As we saw last week, Moses' mother obeyed Pharaoh's edict—sort of.  She threw her son into the river, but first she built and placed him in a waterproof basket. After all, Pharaoh didn't say that she could not do that, now did he?  She was creative to preserve her son's purpose from the ravages of culture, prejudice and fear.  This woman changed the world because she saw more than just her baby boy; she saw God's purpose for him, which made him lovely in the sight of God.

Moses’ parents must have imparted purpose to Moses, for he had a clear understanding of what he was to do with his life while still being raised by Pharaoh’s daughter: “For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand" (Acts 7:25, NKJV). While it took another 40 years for Moses to actually be the deliverer he knew he would be, the fact is that he knew his purpose at a reasonably young age.

So if and when you are a parent, what will you do? Will you choose to look at all the wrinkles, faults, and weaknesses of your children, or will you focus on his or her purpose? Will you do for them what Egypt says must be done, or will you do what God's purpose warrants for them? Will you send them into the river without protection or with a handmade basket to protect them from the dangerous elements of life so they can "float" to their divine destiny?

Moses' mother changed history by being a good purpose parent and you can, too. Don't waste time trying to make your children perfect, and don't just hand them over to Egypt. See in them what God sees and then do what you have to do to help bring forth God's purpose in them.

Purpose Study Bible 53: Creative Obedience

Perhaps this entry should be titled "Creative Disobedience" but you be the judge. Let's start with a verse from Exodus 1: "Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live" (1:22). Since the midwives refused to kill all the Israelite male babies, Pharaoh decided to enlist the help of all his fellow citizens. This was apparently effective until one young couple got married, had a baby boy, and decided not to obey Pharaoh's order—at least not right away:

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him (Exodus 2:1-4).

Moses' mother decided to disobey Pharaoh's genocidal order and hid her baby boy for three months. After that, she obeyed Pharaoh's order but with a slight twist. She placed her baby in the river as ordered, but first she placed him in a waterproof basket. Now that was a brilliant strategy that at least protected the baby from drowning or being a crocodile's lunch. The plan would only work, however, if someone would find the baby, take pity on him, and adopt him as their own—which is exactly what happened.

What do you think? Was the baby's mother creatively obedient since she put her child in the river but in a little boat? Or was she creatively disobedient because she violated the essence of Pharaoh's decree? Either way, you must admit that this woman had a penchant for creative problem solving.

How about you? Are you facing a dilemma or problem you have been unable to solve? Do you need a creative breakthrough? Then perhaps you need to do what this mother did and look at the problem from a different angle or perspective? Maybe you need to consult with someone who isn't as close to the problem as you are? And if there is an edict or rule that is hindering your effectiveness, pray God will give you fresh insight that you will help you be creatively obedient—or disobedient, as the case may be.

Purpose Study Bible 52: Elegant Simplicity

We now move into a new book in the Pentateuch, the book of Exodus. The first chapter is a breathtaking journey through 400 years of history that brings the reader up to the time of Moses' birth. We learn that eventually, the memory of Joseph was forgotten and a new Pharaoh, who felt threatened by the increasing numbers of Israelites, subjected the people to harsh labor:

So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store 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 (Exodus 1:11-14).

The king then resorted to a genocidal plot, ordering the Hebrew midwives to kill all male babies. When that plan failed, Pharaoh deputized every Egyptian as marshals and deputies and ordered them to kill all the male babies. What can we learn from this history lesson that pertains to our own quest for purpose and creativity?

1. If you don't have to work for Pharaoh, don't do it. Start your own business where possible.
2. if you work for a good Pharaoh but a bad one replaces him (or her), it's time to leave.
3. Don't jeopardize your success by compromising your integrity. The midwives refused to kill children and God blessed them for it.
4. Don't expect ethical behavior from unethical people. Pharaoh was after two things: power and success. He was willing to do anything and oppress anyone to obtain them.

In addition to the spiritual lessons, let's close with a practical one. Look at the way Exodus One was written and crafted, with elegance and simplicity, and then determine to fashion the work you do with similar panache. What is your main creative expression? Do you spend time developing and perfecting it? Does it communicate the loveliness of your God and His grace? What more can you do to make your work and life a reflection of the Spirit of God, who embodies all that is beautiful and worthy of praise? Can you say a lot with a little? Does it speak of God's hand in who you are and who He has made you to be?

Purpose Study Bible 51: The Big Picture

We do not know very much about Joseph's spiritual life. He didn't write psalms like David or see visions of the future like Daniel did. He was simply a magnificent administrator whom God used to save the world. We know God spoke to Joseph through dreams. When Potiphar's wife wanted to seduce him, Joseph responded, "No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9).

When he came before Pharaoh, he said, “'I cannot do it,' Joseph replied to Pharaoh, 'but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires'" (Genesis 41:16). He then married an Egyptian priest's daughter and did not mention God again until the last chapter of Genesis. When his brothers fear for their lives after their father died, Joseph said, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:19-20).

It was when Joseph died, however, that he revealed the secret of his success, and why he was able to survive and then prosper in Egypt. He did so because he had faith and, as he died, shared words of faith that described the big picture of what God was going to do for His people:

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place" (Genesis 40:24-25).

We then read in Exodus 13:19 of what Moses did centuries after Joseph made the Israelites promise to bury him in the Promised Land: "Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, 'God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.'"

Do you see God's hand in your past even when people wronged or betrayed you? Do you acknowledge God as the One who helps you fulfill your purpose as Joseph did? Do you have the big picture of what God is doing in your life with your purpose and creativity? Do you speak words of faith not only about your present but your future, even after you're gone? Are you creating and working with the realization that God can preserve and use what you do even after you are gone from this life? What faith legacy do you want to leave for your posterity?

Purpose Study Bible 50: Beautiful Blessings

As we approach the end of Genesis, we have the account of the blessings Jacob pronounced on his sons after he had bestowed a special blessing on Joseph's sons, his grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim: “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel" (Genesis 49:2). He pronounced the longest and choicest blessings on two of his twelve sons, Judah and Joseph. Let's look at Joseph's blessing here:

“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk" (Genesis 49:8-12).

When reading any of the blessings, including Judah's, the reader is confronted with some thoughtful phrases filled with beautiful images and elegant words. Jacob must have given a lot of thought to what he said, and it seems he spoke in front of all the sons, not meeting with them one on one even if he did not have pleasant things to predict concerning their futures. Yet the only tribe that seemed to maintain their prominence into the times of Jesus were Judah, which was Joseph's and Mary's tribe, and Benjamin, which was the heritage of the Apostle Paul (the Levites also had a presence in the New Testament). It is interesting that the word concerning the tribe of Benjamin was fulfilled quite nicely in Paul's life as a missionary: “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder" (Genesis 49:27). In a sense, Jacob wasn't just blessing his sons; he was prophetically addressing the good things to come from his bloodline in Christ.

Are you pronouncing blessings on your family and those closest to you? Do you spend time thinking about how you can bless them through written or spoken words? Are you watching and helping to guide the will and purpose of God in those you love? Do you see that God has an individual purpose for your family members and that you are to help foster and promote that purpose? What more can you do to declare beautiful blessings on others?

Purpose Study Bible 49: Famine Finances

Joseph had predicted the seven years of famine and had prepared for them by laying up grain in the good years, but then he encountered a problem:

When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is all gone.” “Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.” So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys.And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock (Genesis 47:15-17).

The Egyptian government went into the grocery business and sold people the food that was in storage. When their money and livestock ran out and they had no way to pay, here is what Joseph did:

When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.” So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. . . Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.” . . . So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s (Genesis 47:18-21, 23-24, 26).

While he was careful to make Pharaoh, his boss, a lot of money, Joseph kept nothing for himself. He accepted no bribes or kickbacks. He took care of the people even though he taxed the people at a fair rate of 20%. (Some dispute that Joseph did good in this situation and feel he actually enslaved the people, enriching Pharaoh in the process. We will not debate that position here.) The people seemed grateful and declared, "'You have saved our lives,' they said. 'May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh'” (Genesis 47:25). 

How creative are you when you face problems at work or in ministry you have never before encountered? Do you take care of the people or yourself? Do the people bless you for your role or speak ill of you? Does your presence benefit those who have employed you? Do you bring glory to God in what you and how you do it?

Purpose Study Bible 48: Deathbed Blessing

When Jacob or Israel was dying, Joseph took his sons to him to receive their grandfather's blessing. This is reminiscent of Jacob and Esau paying a similar visit to their father, Isaac, except that Rachel and Jacob conspired to steal the elder's blessing. Joseph perhaps knew the story and so he positioned his elder son at Jacob's right hand and Ephraim, his youngest, at Jacob's left so the elder could get the right hand of blessing. Jacob did not cooperate with Joseph's plan but instead we read,

Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn (Genesis 48:12-14).

This time, Jacob got it right and acted as a prince, the meaning of his new name, Israel. There was no conniving, no plots, no stealing. Jacob imparted the greater blessing to the younger, as had been bestowed upon him, but without the intrigue or resulting family feud. 

Why did Israel give the greater blessing to Ephraim and not Manasseh? He did so because he finally realized why he received the blessing instead of his brother, Esau. Jacob got the blessing because of God's grace! It was God's choice to bless Jacob so he was then cooperating with God's plan to pass the grace on to another undeserving person. Ephraim, whose name literally means "God has made me fruitful" was appointed by God to be a bit greater than his brother, but there was no natural reason for that choice; it was only a matter of God's sovereign will. It is interesting that every time after this when the tribes were numbered, Ephraim's head count was always greater than his brother's. Why? It was only because of God's grace.

Do you realize that you have a purpose, gifts, and creative skills for no other reason than God chose to gave them to you? They are a token of God's grace toward you and those who will benefit as you deploy them. Do you also realize that you can receive God's grace in vain? "As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain" (2 Corinthians 6:1). Do you see what you have is a matter of God's choice and that you have done nothing to earn it? Are you doing something with the grace extended you? Are you bearing fruit? Are you passing grace blessings on to others?

Purpose Study Bible 47: The Good Pharaoh

The Pharaoh in Joseph's story doesn't get enough recognition for the excellent leader he was. The reasons he was so effective are many:

1. He put the cupbearer and baker on probation rather than dismiss them immediately.
2. In the long run, he retained the cupbearer and "fired" the baker, which proved to be wise since the cupbearer introduced him to Joseph.
3. He knew how to recognize talent, for he hired Joseph on the spot.
4. He gave Joseph unlimited authority to do his job of storing grain as he saw fit.
5. He took care of Joseph, making sure he had a wife and all he needed to be successful.

Pharaoh once again showed his leadership ability when Joseph's family arrived from Canaan to stay in Egypt. He did not promise that he would employ all Joseph's family, but instead said this:

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock" (Genesis 47:5-6).

Pharaoh was not "into" nepotism, hiring people based on who they were related to. He only wanted those in his employ who had "special ability." In other words, he was directing Joseph to hire his brothers if they were good and skilled at what they did. Otherwise, Pharaoh was willing to provide for his family but not give them a job. 

The real issue is that Pharaoh built his empire on the strengths of his people and not his whims or preferences. And that meant his people had to know what their strengths were so they could serve Pharaoh and Egypt effectively. What are your strengths? What do you do best? Do you know your spiritual gifts? If you are a leader, do you know the strengths of the people with whom you work? Do you hire according to who someone knows already in your organization or what they are able to do? Have you hired your family based on merit or relationship? Learn from Pharaoh and hire the best people, and if you have trouble recognizing who they are, get someone to help you.