ANGLICAN DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL FOR JANUARY 28, 2023 (ASCRIBE THE GLORY TO GOD)
TOPIC : ASCRIBE THE GLORY TO GOD”
TEXT: Genesis 40(NKJV)
1. It came to pass after these things [that] the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt.
2. And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker.
3. So he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph [was] confined.
4. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.
5. Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who [were] confined in the prison, had a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night [and] each man’s dream with its [own] interpretation.
6. And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they [were] sad.
7. So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who [were] with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look [so] sad today?”
8. And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and [there is] no interpreter of it.” So Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell [them] to me, please.”
9. Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine [was] before me,
10. “and in the vine [were] three branches; it [was] as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes.
11. “Then Pharaoh’s cup [was] in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”
12. And Joseph said to him, “This [is] the interpretation of it: The three branches [are] three days.
13. “Now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler.
14. “But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house.
15. “For indeed I was stolen away from the land of the Hebrews; and also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”
16. When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also [was] in my dream, and there [were] three white baskets on my head.
17. “In the uppermost basket [were] all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”
18. So Joseph answered and said, “This [is] the interpretation of it: The three baskets [are] three days.
19. “Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
20. Now it came to pass on the third day, [which was] Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast for all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.
21. Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.
22. But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23. Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.
MESSAGE
Joseph was careful to observe that Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in prison had a sad countenance. He therefore asked them,“Why do you look so sad today?” It was this question that made each of the officers to open up and tell Joseph the dreams he had that made him sad.
When they told him their dreams, Joseph who had the gift to interpret dreams simply asked them “Do not interpretations belong to God?”Joseph’s interpretations came to pass as he had said but the butler who was restored forgot about him.
Joseph did not request payment before interpreting the dreams. Today, some gospel artists and ministers demand for payment before doing the work of God. Some boast that they are self-made, thereby arrogating praise and glory to themselves and forgetting that God will not share his glory with any man (Isa. 42:8).
We must acknowledge God for every gift we have. In this new year, think of the welfare of your family, neighbors and other acquaint ances.
Call someone on phone today and enquire about their welfare. When you do this, you will discover there are people whose lives can be brightened by just a phone call.
PRAYER: Great Father, please incline my heart to ascribe all glory and praise to You. Amen.
The Anglican Communion is the fourth-largest Christian denomination. Founded in 1867 in London, England, the communion currently has 85 million members within the Church of England and other national and regional churches in full communion.
