GOD INTENDS ALL FOR GOOD
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.
Genesis 50:19-21 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
Jacob, the father of Joseph and his eleven brothers dies. Before his death Jacob blesses each of his sons and makes them promise to return his body to the land of Canaan. After his death Joseph organizes the embalming and trip back to Canaan. It is a big ceremony with seventy days of mourning, a long trip, another seven days of mourning as they bury Jacob. After the burial the brothers get nervous that Joseph will now seek revenge for the evil, they did to him. They figure that with their father gone Joseph will repay them for selling him as a slave. Instead of acting against his brothers, Joseph points out that God took their bad actions and worked it out for good. Joseph declares that it was God who “brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” Bad things will happen in our lives. People will do bad things to us. We will have times of pain and hurt. We will have times when we are confused, disappointed, frustrated, and broken. All the negative emotions are a part of life. Failure and shame are a part of life. But when we choose to commit ourselves to the will of God, we begin to discover that He works all things—the good and the bad—together for our good. (See Romans 8:28) Cindy and I have recently stepped out of a place of comfort and security to follow what we believe is God’s plan for our lives. There is no guarantee with this plan. There have been sleepless nights, confusion, and even a lot of physical issues—maybe those were caused by some anxiety over the process we are now in. We know we are in the will of God. We know we are doing His work. So, we walk forward by faith. We trust God and believe that He is going to work all things together for our good. There have been times in our life where people disappointed us and even said bad things about us. We chose to never retaliate or attack those who attack us. My dad taught me as a young minister that God and time have a great way of proving out the truth. When we try to prove we are right we can block God from doing His work. Many times, we have to back off and trust the process of life to God. We want God’s plan for our lives. We want to see His kingdom come and His will done through us.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit I renew my commitment to Your plan, Your time, and Your way. I believe You are working in and through my life. Regardless of what others say or do I believe that You are in charge and working.
“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”