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Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Genesis 45: 4-7
as i read this i am so impressed by joseph and his attitude. remember his BROTHERS sold him into slavery – a potential death sentence, but a life sentence of sorrow and hardship at the least. and this time for joseph also involved prison. not luxury accommodation. not an easy life to live. yet he extends grace and welcome to his brothers and honour towards God, who is ultimately in control. he is aware that his journey has resulted in the salvation of his people, that his position as prime minister means he is responsible for the survival of his family and nation. and that that positioning was orchestrated by God.
it takes great faith and faithfulness and surrender and submission to God to have this attitude.
How many times in the 22 years since he was sold into slavery by his brothers did Joseph fall to his knees and beg God to know the answer to a question often on all of our lips: Why? As he sat in the pit…why God? As he worked as a slave…why God? As he sat in prison… why God? And now, looking back he can see the fingerprints of God on his life story. The master’s hand cared for him and guided him to this point so that he may care for his family. Joseph could just as easily been vengeful or bitter. I think many people would be. He could have been smug and callous toward his brothers. But he choose to see this moment as the answer to his prayer “Why?” and not be blinded by his circumstance.
But you have to look for the answers. It’s easy to be blinded by bitterness and be angry at God for all the bad things that happen to us. If the first step in healing is asking God “Why?” then the second step is to learn how to wait for his answer and then see it when He shows you. Joseph had to wait 22 years yet he remained faithful to his Lord. I believe God will always show us the answer to our question in His time, when the answer is complete. Until then we must place our hope in the Sovereignty of God.
It’s like watching a great composer create a new masterpiece. We see notes being inked out one at a time and often they don’t sound good in of themselves. Then we see a phrase and the hint of a melody. Then at least we hear the full score being played and it takes our breath away it is so perfect and beautiful. The end result is what was always in the masters plan… that is why He is the master. youversion note
many people would turn their backs on God and reject Him, be angry with Him, feel unloved and rejected themselves by God.
but Joseph didnt. perhaps he had moments, late at night, in the darkness of his cell, where he prayed and wept and was overwhelmed by his circumstances.
but at this end point we see that he had processed through his feelings and that he had reconciled himself to knowing that God is God and God is GOOD and he honours Him and shows commitment and surrender to His ways. Joseph’s circumstances went from bad to worse as he went down into Egypt and yet he recognized the sovereignty of God even in the negative circumstances.
take the opportunity of the prison to pray.
take the opportunity of the prison to be transformed.
take the opportunity to surrender.
because sometimes the prison is the path to the palace and in the palace God requires men and women of God who live for His name and fame and will be obedient to His will.
Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him. Genesis 45:14-15
what a moment of reconciliation. for all of them. i wonder if any of the brothers had pondered about where joseph was, if they had sleepless nights worrying about him and regretting their actions. i wonder how it affected their own lives, if they were in a prison of guilt and a slave to their past. i wonder if they dreaded ever meeting their brother again and how he would react to them. but joseph kisses and embraces. weeps and forgives. how amazing is that. its obvious that joseph has spent time dealing with any feelings of anger and resentment and rejection and has forgiven his brothers well before seeing them in person.
dont let something fester inside us – if joseph had carried onto any bitterness or forgiveness he may have rejected his family and allowed them to return to israel and perish. bitterness destroys. forgiveness continues the cycle of hurt and hurtfulness.
"Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you." Corrie Ten Boom
SIX REASONS TO FORGIVE
1. We are commanded. In our obedience, God is honored.
2. It brings healing.
3. There is reconciliation in forgiveness.
4. We imitate Christ.
5. Sets us free from burdens we were not intended to carry.
6. We take away a foot hold from Satan.
Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
How do we forgive when we don’t feel like it? How do we translate the decision to forgive into a change of heart? We forgive by faith, out of obedience. Since forgiveness goes against our nature, we must forgive by faith, whether we feel like it or not. We must trust God to do the work in us that needs to be done so that the forgiveness will be complete. I believe God honors our commitment to obey Him and our desire to please him when we choose to forgive. He completes the work in his time. We must continue to forgive (our job), by faith, until the work of forgiveness (the Lord’s job), is done in our hearts. @ about christianity
Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Genesis 37:1-8
this passage is our introduction to someone i find personally challenging and encouraging and inspiring: Joseph
Joseph’s life story looks crazy when you look at it, when you look back his dreams and the call of God upon his life and the living out of the call. As a young man he dreamed of leadership and destiny but first had to endure the rejection of his brothers, to the extreme – they sold him into slavery – where he was promoted and then falsely accused and sent to prison for many many years. Then when it looked like the light at the end of the tunnel he is forgotten for more years. Over 17 years pass in Egypt. And then SUDDENLY he is promoted again and is living his dream.
I read these interesting verses in psalm 105 the other week while thinking more about THE PROCESS…”He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true.” Psalm 105:16-19
Until what he foretold came to pass, until the Word of the Lord, until his dreams of leadership and destiny, until the Lord proved him true… until the right time… until Joseph was ready and the times were ready. There was a bigger picture.
"God often uses our challenges as stepping stones to the higher purposes of God." – James Robison
There are lessons to be learned in the process. Lessons about ourselves, lessons about how to work with others, lessons about how to relate to God.
Process isn’t just about skills its also about character.
Process is all part of it. Its not less important that the destination and the success.
Joseph had some big lessons to learn and lots of process to live through. God had a plan and a purpose and was with Him in the dreams, in the well, in slavery, in prison and in the rising to power and the salvation of Israel and his family. His life is a demonstration of the faithfulness of God and how we should hold onto our dreams.
perhaps joseph had to learn some humility and discernment. as a young man it seems he skited to his brothers about his dreams of greatness. it was for this reason (and other character issues!) that they so disliked him and hated him that they sold him into a life sentence of slavery. character is very important to God and i think very important for a servant of God, for someone in ministry, to be totally aware of and working on. we are all flawed yes, but that is not an excuse for staying ugly in our character. we are called to transformation.
The great things God will do through you are going to grow in the soil of persistence, prayer, obedience and sacrifice. That means there will be plenty of plowing and pruning. That’s the way living things grow, whether you’re talking about vegetables or vision. The process is a time of strengthening. The process is the place where you lay down your pride and learn to rely totally on God. Most importantly, the process is the way we grow to know God. And that’s really the whole point. Steven Furtick
God will eventually test you in all areas of your life, but He will not let your trials become greater than you can bear. Let God use trails to help you grow. Do not try to measure your progress, your strength, or what God is doing. His work is not less efficient because what He is doing is invisible. God does not transform you on a bed of light, life and grace. His transformation is done on the cross in darkness, poverty and death. Francis Fenelon in 100 days in the secret place
Joseph is another man whose course looks crazy when you look back at the call and the living out of the call. As a young man he dreamed of leadership and destiny but first had to endure the rejection of his brothers, to the extreme – they sold him into slavery – where he was promoted and then falsely accused and sent to prison for many many years. Then when it looked like the light at the end of the tunnel he is forgotten for more years. Over 17 years pass in Egypt. And then SUDDENLY he is promoted again and is living his dream.
I read these interesting verses in psalm 105 the other week while thinking more about The Process….”He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true.” Psalm 105:16-19
Until what he foretold came to pass, until the Word of the Lord, until his dreams of leadership and destiny, until the Lord proved him true… until the right time… until Joseph was ready and the times were ready. There was a bigger picture.
see I AM IN PROCESS #1 here
Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Genesis 45: 4-7
as i read this i am so impressed by joseph and his attitude. remember his BROTHERS sold him into slavery – a potential death sentence, but a life sentence of sorrow and hardship at the least. and this time for joseph also involved prison. not luxury accommodation. not an easy life to live. yet he extends grace and welcome to his brothers and honour towards God, who is ultimately in control. he is aware that his journey has resulted in the salvation of his people, that his position as prime minister means he is responsible for the survival of his family and nation. and that that positioning was orchestrated by God.
it takes great faith and faithfulness and surrender and submission to God to have this attitude.
How many times in the 22 years since he was sold into slavery by his brothers did Joseph fall to his knees and beg God to know the answer to a question often on all of our lips: Why? As he sat in the pit…why God? As he worked as a slave…why God? As he sat in prison… why God? And now, looking back he can see the fingerprints of God on his life story. The master’s hand cared for him and guided him to this point so that he may care for his family. Joseph could just as easily been vengeful or bitter. I think many people would be. He could have been smug and callous toward his brothers. But he choose to see this moment as the answer to his prayer “Why?” and not be blinded by his circumstance.
But you have to look for the answers. It’s easy to be blinded by bitterness and be angry at God for all the bad things that happen to us. If the first step in healing is asking God “Why?” then the second step is to learn how to wait for his answer and then see it when He shows you. Joseph had to wait 22 years yet he remained faithful to his Lord. I believe God will always show us the answer to our question in His time, when the answer is complete. Until then we must place our hope in the Sovereignty of God.
It’s like watching a great composer create a new masterpiece. We see notes being inked out one at a time and often they don’t sound good in of themselves. Then we see a phrase and the hint of a melody. Then at least we hear the full score being played and it takes our breath away it is so perfect and beautiful. The end result is what was always in the masters plan… that is why He is the master. youversion note
many people would turn their backs on God and reject Him, be angry with Him, feel unloved and rejected themselves by God.
but Joseph didnt. perhaps he had moments, late at night, in the darkness of his cell, where he prayed and wept and was overwhelmed by his circumstances.
but at this end point we see that he had processed through his feelings and that he had reconciled himself to knowing that God is God and God is GOOD and he honours Him and shows commitment and surrender to His ways. Joseph’s circumstances went from bad to worse as he went down into Egypt and yet he recognized the sovereignty of God even in the negative circumstances.
take the opportunity of the prison to pray.
take the opportunity of the prison to be transformed.
take the opportunity to surrender.
because sometimes the prison is the path to the palace and in the palace God requires men and women of God who live for His name and fame and will be obedient to His will.
Then Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is a divine spirit?" So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you." Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, "Bow the knee!" And he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, " Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt. Now Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. Genesis 41:38-46
Favor is a remarkable thing. Favor for Joseph did not start in the palace but in the pit. It was favor that he was even placed in the right spot in that prison. I think sometimes when life takes us to the pits, we tend to forget he is setting us up for something. Favor of God was with Joseph always it didn’t just show up in the Palace. Remember whatever we go through it is has been planned by the Master and we should rest in his favor. youversion note
How sad that Joseph remained in jail two more years because the cupbearer forgot. But then God was waiting for the proper timing. It definitely had more impact with Joseph being freed because of his proving God’s power to Pharaoh. Again, very impressed that Joseph says he can’t do it but God can. In fact Pharaoh was so impressed that he puts Joseph in charge right below him. And just like with Potipher and the jail warden, Egypt prospers because of this decision. Note for math latter that Joseph spent at least 2 years in jail after interpreting the dream for the cupbearer. He entered Pharaoh’s service and married at the age of 30 and his children were born during the following 7 years of plenty, just before the 7 years of famine start. youversion note
if you were reading josephs story, and DIDN’T know the end, i think this ending would be both UNEXPECTED and EXPECTED.
unexpected because how does a slave and a prisoner rise to such a role of high fortune and prestige and expected because this man had a dream placed in his heart by God that was the call of God on his life. God orders the steps of a righteous person and God outworks our call, even through the darkest days and the hardest of circumstances God is in control.
i am always reminded as i read the account of josephs life that my story isn’t over until God says it is over.
my today isnt my tomorrow.
tomorrow may be the day i am remembered before pharaoh and have my life changed
my today is an opportunity to serve and to shine for God, no matter where i am placed
today i can live obediently and wholeheartedly for God in the knowledge that as i trust Him, He IS at work
Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. It came about after these events that his master’s wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." But he refused and said to his master’s wife, "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?" As she spoke to Joseph day after day, he did not listen to her to lie beside her or be with her. Genesis 39:6-10
sin is sin.
no matter who sees it and how public it is. it is sin.
and it has consequences.
between us and God.
joseph had an open door to sin. his masters wife invited him to sleep with her.
but joseph said no. because even though he was a slave he was a man of integrity and obedience unto God.
this passage teaches me to have my priorities right and to make a decision BEFORE i am in a position of temptation. the easy road for joseph would have been to sleep with her, but he chooses to deny his flesh and selfishness and to obey God’s ways. He priorities God’s pleasure and favour above that of his masters wife.
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. Genesis 39:2-4
Joseph had a call to be a leader.
then he was sold by his brothers into slavery.
at this point most people would curl up into a foetal position and cry and give up.
not joseph.
he lives out his call, even in slavery.
he lives out his call of leadership in potiphars house, being promoted into position.
when God is with us, no matter the circumstance, we are blest.
when God is with us, no matter what is going on, we can have peace and prosper. we can have success even though circumstances may be incredibly difficult!
the best thing in life to covet is the favour of God – we should live a life that pleases Him, no matter where we are and what circumstances say.
circumstances for joseph shout deny God, suffer and be angry and depressed. that’s how the world often reacts today.
but joseph made a choice. His life was in God’s hands. He would trust God and live by His ways to please Him, no matter where.
and God rewarded Him and blest Him and raised Him up THROUGH His circumstances.
God will place you in dark places to shine for Him.
Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob’s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. Genesis 37:1-8
this passage is our introduction to someone i find personally challenging and encouraging and inspiring: Joseph
Joseph’s life story looks crazy when you look at it, when you look back his dreams and the call of God upon his life and the living out of the call. As a young man he dreamed of leadership and destiny but first had to endure the rejection of his brothers, to the extreme – they sold him into slavery – where he was promoted and then falsely accused and sent to prison for many many years. Then when it looked like the light at the end of the tunnel he is forgotten for more years. Over 17 years pass in Egypt. And then SUDDENLY he is promoted again and is living his dream.
I read these interesting verses in psalm 105 the other week while thinking more about THE PROCESS…”He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them— Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true.” Psalm 105:16-19
Until what he foretold came to pass, until the Word of the Lord, until his dreams of leadership and destiny, until the Lord proved him true… until the right time… until Joseph was ready and the times were ready. There was a bigger picture.
"God often uses our challenges as stepping stones to the higher purposes of God." – James Robison
There are lessons to be learned in the process. Lessons about ourselves, lessons about how to work with others, lessons about how to relate to God.
Process isn’t just about skills its also about character.
Process is all part of it. Its not less important that the destination and the success.
The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the king’s official in charge of the palace guard. Genesis 39:1
of all the places joseph could have ended up – he ended up HERE – in a rich mans home, in an officals home, in a man of influences home. joseph could have been sold to anyone anywhere but God was even in this, directing his path and putting him in relationships with specific people, training him with specific skills.
who is in your life? who is your boss? who are your workmates?
who are the people around you?
what are they teaching you?
why has God placed you in their life and they in your life?
what is he teaching you through them?
how is he using them to transform and refine you?
life is not a series of accidents and coincidences – God is Lord of All and in control. in all things.
be thankful always that the Lord is caring for you!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
The secret to achieving personal vision is not often found in the straight line or the most obvious route, but it is found in the obscurity of life and its challenges. Character that succeeds in God’s eyes is formed in the fires of refinement. True greatness is often found emerging from the secret place.
It is found in climbing the mountains that are set before you, in holding fast to God’s truth and purposes. It is in partnering with God allowing Him to work in us, through us. Though it may seem like the antithesis of the road to success, the road of obscurity, of dwelling in the presence of God, is the best road to achievement in God’s eyes.
Sometimes it might not make sense… you know the straight line fastest way type thing… God takes us round the mountain and through the valley, and past the seas, and round the path, and through the flood and the fire… its all a process of learning and trusting and faith and growing.
for God it is all about the journey, not the destination. it is all about WHO we are, not where we end up.
he measures success totally differently than we do in the world.
we must seek him and his ways.
he will take us to egypt, instead of establishing us in teh promised land.
he puts us in prison instead of leadership.
he has us mind the sheep instead of enlisted in the military.
he conforms us into the likeness and character and heart of his son Jesus.
in our mind A to B might be the best way to serve our ambition and dreams, but God is the master and the one we serve. listen to him. obey him. follow him.
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