Increase...

The people of God are a very resilient people. It has been proven in history that we can handle all kinds of troubles and yet maintain our stride. This legacy is seeded very deep in our history.
“The people continued to increase in number – a very strong people.” ~Exodus 1:20
Years after Joseph’s generation died the children of Israel were thriving in the land of Egypt. They were building their families and increasing their herds at a rate far faster than their hosts. In fact, it became alarming to the Egyptians to see such blessing on these outsiders. So they devised a plot to make slaves out of Israel and treat them harshly, thinking it would slow down their energy to increase their families and build their herds. But nothing changed. Then the Egyptians plotted to kill all the male children during childbirth. The above verse is written after that second diabolical plot failed. The Israelites kept increasing. Through history ‘increase favor’ has resided with the people of God. It is referred to by some as ‘redemptive lift’. There is one suppressive story in history that much can be learned. In Russia in 1918, the communists made it illegal for the Christians to serve the poor, take care of the widows, or provide for orphans as they had done for centuries. Within 70 years, the Christian church in Russia became irrelevant and non-existent. This suppression effort worked because Lenin cut our life-line. Our strength is in our serve. Providing ‘redemptive lift’ for others is what creates INCREASE for us. ~verlon