Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
You go to a doctor whose name you can’t pronounce and whose degrees you have never verified, then he gives you a prescription you can’t read. You take it to a pharmacist you have never met. They give you a chemical you do not understand and most of the time you can’t even pronounce its name. Then you go home and take the pill according to the instructions on the bottle. It’s all in trusting and sincere faith.
Look at Joseph, Jacobs’s son, Joseph with the coat of many colors found in Genesis chapter 37. The story of Joseph is not all about Joseph. It’s not all about his brothers. It’s not all about Jacob. It’s about God. It’s about forgiveness; it’s about trusting in God for your life. It’s learning that God is in control and has a plan for your life.
Sometimes we feel that God has pulled the rug out from under us. Joseph must have felt that way because no sooner than he reached some heights he was brought back down. He was brought right back to where he started. In God’s plan for our lives He may remove the good from us to give us the better. Sometimes He may remove the better to give us the best. That’s what happened to Joseph.
Think of the example that Joseph’s life gives us. It is a Christ-like example. Joseph had the favor of his Father. He was despised and betrayed by his brothers. He was sold into slavery for a few pieces of silver. But Joseph was exalted to rule. Our Lord Jesus found favor with His Father. Our Lord was betrayed by His own people. Betrayed for a few pieces of silver but now sets at the right hand of God the Father.
Each of us has encountered situations where we just felt like throwing in the towel. We felt like the whole world was against us. We felt like no matter what we did things would turn out bad. We all have at some time said to ourselves, “No matter what I do things still won’t change.” Or we feel that we have gone so far down that there is nothing that can bring us up.
I don’t know about you but if I’d been around Jacob and the boys and had known Joseph, watched the events of his life from a distance; if I had witnessed the hatred of his brothers throwing him in the pit, selling him like a piece of furniture, being bought into the slave market, and then going on through hard times for the next 13 years, I’d think I’d be tempted to tell Joseph: “Looks like God has forgotten you. God’s has abandoned you.”
We turn to God at times when our foundations of our life start shaking and many times only to discover it’s God who is doing the shaking. God cannot work good things through us until He works deeply in our hearts first. With faith, forgiveness, and knowing that God is in control and keeping our fellowship with Him intact with prayer these things come a lot easier. I believe that’s the reason Joseph had forgiveness in his heart. His fellowship with God was never broken. The Bible says that God was with Joseph. When we choose to forgive I believe we become a trophy of grace like Joseph.
We might think that we know what is best. But God has a plan for every life and all we have to do is seek after His will. The Bible says in Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
If you follow His ways. If you let Him lead you, if you seek after His will. You will find that there’s no one else who knows the right direction for your life but God. He can open doors that have been shut, He can close doors that no man can open. Nobody else can do that but God. He can give sight to the blind. He can make the lame man walk and the dumb man talk. No one else but God. “But God” can do anything but fail!
Love in Christ Jesus, Evangelist Ronnie Miller.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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