I just finished the book of Genesis and I really liked this verse towards the end of Chapter 50. After all that Joseph had been through: his brothers had sold him into slavery, he had been in and out of prison, he had seen the peaks of success and the pits of failure in his time in Egypt. And yet here is what he said at the end.
Genesis 50:19-21(NKJV)
19Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?
20But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
21Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
I find it inspiring how he was able to look back and realize that all that he had gone through was necessary to put him EXACTLY where God needed him to be when God needed him to be there, and that it's all good!
Serving God requires sacrifice. Just because we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior doesn't mean life is always smooth sailing as most of us know. Now sometimes that sacrifice takes the form of writing a check for a little more than normal meaning you may have to go without a Mocha or two during the week. Sometimes the sacrifice takes the form of volunteering a little extra time which costs a round or two of missed golf.
But sometimes the sacrifice required is much greater than that. Sometimes the sacrifice is much harder than anything you've ever gone through in your life. Sometimes the sacrifice is so horrible you can't understand how a loving God could allow it to happen. (Like when Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery) Have you ever experienced sacrifice like that?
Now imagine what was required of Jesus when He stepped up and volunteered to serve as a sacrifice for all of us. Imagine what that must have been like for Him. Kind of makes any sacrifice we are required to make to serve God pale in comparison doesn't it?
My prayer for each and every one who has in the past, is now, or will in the future be required to make sacrifices to serve God is that you will be able to look back on it like Joseph and offer God the praise by seeing that "God meant it for good!"
This is one of my favorites yet! One of the things that I try to constanty live be and keep at the front of my mind is that everything that happens in my life, not matter how difficult it may seem at the time, is for good and is part of God's plan. That has helped me deal with so many things in life. I have seen how things in my past that seemed horrible, several years later contributed to something amazing. Now whenever I face adversity, big or small, I just remind myself that, whatever it is, God is using me for his plan of good, not evil.
ReplyDeleteVery cool Sweetie! Isn't cool to be able to face adversity with a bit of a smile knowing that it will all work out? It may suck for a while but if you are going through it then there is a reason and you just have to patiently wait for it to be revealed. Very cool!
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