Thursday, August 14, 2008

Title: Rise Above The Circumstances
Scripture: Genesis 50:20
Passage: ...you intended evil to harm me, but God intended it all for good...
Thoughts: Everybody faces adversity from time to time. Someone loses a job. Bills are due, but there’s no money to pay them. A relationship is strained and in trouble. We feel misunderstood and get stressed out.

How we handle these situations can say a lot about our faith in the Lord.

Look at Joseph. In his case, his problems started the moment he fell for his brothers' "we've got a really neat pit to show you" trick.
They sold him as a slave to some Ishmaelites that were passing through the area in an attempt to get rid "the dreamer" (Genesis 37:19). Finally Joseph was able to gain a good standing with Potiphar and was put in charge of his house. But then later, when things were going pretty good, Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph and then falsely accused him of adultery. Joseph ended up in prison as a result of the lies.

Joseph had plenty of opportunities to complain about the injustices he was facing. He had plenty of chances to complain about the treatment he'd received from his brothers.

He could've easily become bitter when the king's cupbearer was released from prison and forgot about him.
But these kinds of actions and attitudes would have just brought Joseph to complete hopelessness.
Instead, Joseph allowed himself to be used by God to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Then Pharaoh took him out of prison and put him in charge of Egypt, where he organized a plan to store grain before the famine happened.

Finally, Joseph was reunited with his brothers.

What was intended for bad was used by God for good.

Another translation of this Scripture that I like says it like this:
Even though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it.

Obstacles have the ability to take us out of contention, but we also have the opportunity to rise above them.

We can cry, complain, and live in misery because of our struggles and the circumstances and the adversity we face......and that would be easy to do and..... might even be justified sometimes.

Or we can react like Joseph—allowing God, in His timing, to bring something good out of our circumstances.

Are you allowing God to help you land on your feet?

He loves you and wants to do it. Let Him do it!