Wawasee Bible Podcast

This week, Pastor Dave Winters preaches from Matthew 22:35-38—the first half of "The Great Commandment". Love is often used casually, but Scripture calls us to its highest form—agape, the unconditional, self-giving love God shows humanity. The greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind—a love that is personal, exclusive, and rooted in gratitude, not guilt or ritual. It’s not about approaching God transactionally or through checklist spirituality, but embracing him as my God, centering life and worship on him daily. This means being with God, not just doing for him—knowing his love personally and responding with an authentic, all-consuming love. We nurture this through prayer, confession, Sabbath rhythms, and natural conversation about him. If this is the foremost command, the question is: how are we loving him today—uniquely and fully?

This week our guest is Pastor Knute Larson, who says that no other passage of Scripture helped him with hope as much as Psalm 73. Psalm 73 wrestles with the age-old question of why the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer, ultimately revealing that God’s justice is eternal, not always immediate. True hope comes only through Christ, whose death and resurrection secure our present help and eternal future.

God used Jephthah—an outcast born of a prostitute—to deliver Israel, showing how he empowers flawed people for great purposes. Jephthah’s faith and leadership set him apart, as did his strength. Not just physical strength, but deep theological understanding. Though he made a controversial vow, it appears he honored it in obedience without violating God's law, possibly dedicating his daughter to lifelong service rather than offering a physical sacrifice. This narrative draws attention to how God refines and uses the imperfect—those with scars, mistakes, and unlikely origins—as instruments.

In Matthew 9:36, Jesus sees the crowds with great compassion... as "sheep without a shepherd." This week Roberto Paz preaches from this verse while sharing his story of how Jesus had great compassion on him and used even the brokenness around him to shape his life.What would it mean to recognize the people around you as "sheep without a shepherd"—and respond with the same compassion that found you?

Joseph's story—and the book of Genesis itself—wraps up with two important vignettes. The first is Joseph's father, Jacob, blessing his sons in his final days and marking them as part of God's covenant family, building a legacy that would far outlive him. In those final days of Jacob, we also get a glimpse of God's sovereignty. God is in complete control of everything and always knows what’s best, even when we don’t understand. The second vignette comes in chapter 50 when Joseph reiterates his forgiveness of his brothers. In both events, we see that we can trust God's sovereign plan and extend grace as people who are blessed by God to bless others, and forgiven by Jesus to forgive others.

When life takes a devastating turn and circumstances seem impossible to understand, there's comfort in remembering that God sees the full picture even when we don't. This is the story of Joseph, whose life was filled with betrayal, injustice, and long periods of confusion and waiting. Still, Joseph eventually came to recognize that what probably seemed like senseless suffering had actually been used by God to preserve a nation of people and demonstrate his providence. The more we walk with Jesus the more we become adept at recognizing God's hand and taking risks to follow him—for God's glory, others' good, and our joy!

As Joseph's brothers return a second time for grain, we see Joe using some tests to reveal the true character of his brothers. It had been over 20 years since they sold him into slavery. Had they changed in that time? Curiously, the tests Joseph uses are similar to tests God uses in our lives—specifically the types of tests that reveal our hearts and show us where we need to grow. God often uses tests of sincerity, of jealousy, and of selflessness to reveal our character and help us grow.

When Joseph's brothers show up to buy grain in Egypt, we get a profound picture of how hurt can be transformed rather than repeated—especially when the opportunity for revenge is right in front of us. Joseph, sold into slavery by his own brothers and left for dead, rises by God's providence to power in Egypt, only to come face-to-face with his brothers decades later. The encounter reopens old wounds for Joe. Yet, he restrains himself from revenge and instead extends grace, choosing to fear God and participate in his plan. When we pause, seek God’s wisdom, and extend grace to those who’ve hurt us, God can write a better story than our own revenge ever will.

Life often feels confusing, especially when viewed through the narrow lens of our own struggles, delays, or unexpected turns. It's easy to focus in on the immediate—heartbreak, disappointment, loss, or discouragement—without seeing how it fits into anything larger. But what if those microscopic hardships are essential parts of a far greater plan? Just like Joseph, who went from the depths of betrayal and imprisonment to becoming instrumental in saving an entire nation, there's a reminder that God sees a comprehensive, far-reaching story unfolding. We tend to look through a "microscope" and make what's small in God's plan big and all-encompassing. But we need God's perspective, to remember it's a small thing in light of all that he's doing. When we do, it helps us to wait for God's perfect timing, respond with faith intact when opportunity arrises, and maintain trust in God alone when/if success come.

What sustained Joseph during all of his trials in Egypt? Certainly, a big part of it was his ongoing awareness of God's presence. Despite betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment, Joseph remained faithful, attentive to others' needs, and confident in God's presence and plan. Practicing the presence of God is about learning to live aware of being in the presence of God all the time. Theologians sometimes call this living "coram deo"—before the face or gaze of God. As we cultivate this awareness in our lives, it enables us to serve and thrive even while we endure, discern what's what as we make decisions, and to know we're never forgotten by God (even when it feels like it, and even when people do forget us).