Wednesday, December 13th, 2023 Testimony Meeting

Genesis 37 : 3 (to : ), 4, 23, 24 (to : ), 28 (to ,)

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: …
4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: …
28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, …

Genesis 39 : 1 (to 5th ,), 2 (to ; ), 3, 5 (and the blessing) 7, 8 (to 1st ,), 12, 13 (to 1st ,), 14, 15, 20 (to 2nd ,), 21, 22

1 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, …
2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; …
3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
5 … and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
7 And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
8 But he refused, …
12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
13 And it came to pass, …
14 That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:
15 And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.
20 And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison,
21 But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

Genesis 41 : 1 (to : ), 8, 14 (to : ), 15 (to : ), 16, 25 (to 1st ,), 29, 30, 33, 34, 36, 37, 39, 40, 46 (And Joseph went), 48 (to : )

1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: …
8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: …
15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: …
16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
25 And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, …
29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.
36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.
37 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
40 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
46 … And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: …

Genesis 42 : 1 (to 2nd ,), 2 (get), 3

1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, …
2 … get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
3 And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

Genesis 45 : 4, 5, 8 (to : )

4 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.
8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: …

Genesis 47 : 11 (to 3rd ,), 12 (to 3rd ,)

11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land,
12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, …

589 : 19-22 (to 1st .) (a higher)

JOSEPH. … a higher sense of Truth rebuking mortal belief, or error, and showing the immortality and supremacy of Truth; pure affection blessing its enemies.

202 : 3-13

The scientific unity which exists between God and man must be wrought out in life-practice, and God’s will must be universally done.

If men would bring to bear upon the study of the Science of Mind half the faith they bestow upon the so-called pains and pleasures of material sense, they would not go on from bad to worse, until disciplined by the prison and the scaffold; but the whole human family would be redeemed through the merits of Christ, — through the perception and acceptance of Truth.

9 : 5-16

The test of all prayer lies in the answer to these questions: Do we love our neighbor better because of this asking? Do we pursue the old selfishness, satisfied with having prayed for something better, though we give no evidence of the sincerity of our requests by living consistently with our prayer? If selfishness has given place to kindness, we shall regard our neighbor unselfishly, and bless them that curse us; but we shall never meet this great duty simply by asking that it may be done. There is a cross to be taken up before we can enjoy the fruition of our hope and faith.

22 : 11-20

“Work out your own salvation,” is the demand of Life and Love, for to this end God worketh with you. “Occupy till I come!” Wait for your reward, and “be not weary in well doing.” If your endeavors are beset by fearful odds, and you receive no present reward, go not back to error, nor become a sluggard in the race.

When the smoke of battle clears away, you will discern the good you have done, and receive according to your deserving.

8 : 13-16, 19-5

What is it that harms you? Can height, or depth, or any other creature separate you from the Love that is omnipresent good, — that blesses infinitely one and all?

Whatever purifies, sanctifies, and consecrates human life, is not an enemy, however much we suffer in the process. Shakespeare writes: “Sweet are the uses of adversity.” Jesus said: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake; … for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

The Hebrew law with its “Thou shalt not,” its demand and sentence, can only be fulfilled through the gospel’s benediction. Then, “Blessed are ye,” insomuch as the consciousness of good, grace, and peace, comes through affliction rightly understood, as sanctified by the purification it brings to the flesh, — to pride, selfignorance, self-will, self-love, self-justification. Sweet, indeed, are these uses of His rod!

10 : 4-28

We have no enemies. Whatever envy, hatred, revenge — the most remorseless motives that govern mortal mind — whatever these try to do, shall “work together for good to them that love God.”

Why?

Because He has called His own, armed them, equipped them, and furnished them defenses impregnable. Their God will not let them be lost; and if they fall they shall rise again, stronger than before the stumble. The good cannot lose their God, their help in times of trouble. If they mistake the divine command, they will recover it, countermand their order, retrace their steps, and reinstate His orders, more assured to press on safely. The best lesson of their lives is gained by crossing swords with temptation, with fear and the besetments of evil; insomuch as they thereby have tried their strength and proven it; insomuch as they have found their strength made perfect in weakness, and their fear is self-immolated.

This destruction is a moral chemicalization, wherein old things pass away and all things become new. The worldly or material tendencies of human affections and pursuits are thus annihilated; and this is the advent of spiritualization. Heaven comes down to earth, and mortals learn at last the lesson, “I have no enemies.”

11 : 3-4, 17-21

Love is the fulfilling of the law: it is grace, mercy, and justice.

We must love our enemies in all the manifestations wherein and whereby we love our friends; must even try not to expose their faults, but to do them good whenever opportunity occurs.

12 : 2-5, 12-14, 26-32

Hate no one; for hatred is a plague-spot that spreads its virus and kills at last. If indulged, it masters us; brings suffering upon suffering to its possessor, throughout time and beyond the grave.

Every man and woman should be to-day a law to himself, herself, — a law of loyalty to Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

Whatever manifests aught else in its effects upon mankind, demonstrably is not Love. We should measure our love for God by our love for man; and our sense of Science will be measured by our obedience to God, — fulfilling the law of Love, doing good to all; imparting, so far as we reflect them, Truth, Life, and Love to all within the radius of our atmosphere of thought.

578 : 5-18

PSALM XXIII

[DIVINE LOVE] is my shepherd; I shall not want.

[LOVE] maketh me to lie down in green pastures: [LOVE] leadeth me beside the still waters.

[LOVE] restoreth my soul [spiritual sense]: [Love] leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for [LOVE] is with me; [LOVE’s] rod and [LOVE’S] staff they comfort me.

[LOVE] prepareth a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: [LOVE] anointeth my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness] of [LOVE] for ever.