Spiritual Vitamin “Soul food 4 thought”:
Genesis 50:20 Declares: As for you, you meant it for evil against me, but GOD meant it for my good in order to bring about this present result to preserve many people lives;
“Our disappointments are God’s appointments” is one of those well-known “Christian cliches”. Unfortunately, we sometimes become desensitized to the truth of much-quoted sayings because of their familiarity. God really and truly is in control of our disappointments. Maybe you are disappointed this very minute, but remember God is sovereign and knows all about your situation. He has actually appointed you to all these disappointments for good reasons. Joseph’s story is prime example, of how God used his setbacks ultimately as a setup for his good. He realized his foils, even at the hand of his own family was for the greater good of all What faith he showed… when he said God meant it for good. Can you say the same? Is your faith strong enough to see that God not only permits let downs to intrude on our lives he also appoints them.
Joseph setback began as teen with his father playing favorites between he and his brother’s which ultimately caused resentment and friction amongst them. His father should have expected this. This happens today in many families. As a result, Joseph assumed the superior role towards his brother which only exacerbated the situation. Joseph kept tabs and lost no time in relating his heroic dreams. These dreams inspired by God, all eventually came to fruition. Before making judgment that he should or could have done it differently, pause for a minute and think of times we felt the need to assume that same superiority status against one of our siblings, friend, coworker, etc; who we think are not as foppish or “with-it” as you are. How illogical and wrong!!! Everything you have and all your being is a gift from GOD.
The most amazing lesson in this for us is that God cannot only take our failures, he can also take our disappointments and work them into his overall good for us and others. However, this does not atone your faults neither is God culpable of the evil in any way, as God allows us free will. It does show how sovereign our God is and he can overrule in any area of mistakes in our lives. We can be sure he will work things together so that we development discipline and are taught lessons of maturation in areas where we are weak. Joseph, I am sure thought long and hard about his attitude toward his brother as he lay in an empty cistern awaiting his fate. Being sold as a slave was not easy for him I’m sure. God would yet teach him how to use his God given talents. Another lesson we can take from this is concerning Joseph’s faithfulness. Throughout all he endured we’ve not once heard of him losing faith or uttering out against God. We, on the other hand would ask, “Why me God? In fact, I am sure many of you would have become obnoxious, indignant, and full of hatred had your family turned against you. Joseph faith was tested on many occasions, day after day and he remained resilient. Would you have done the same? Not!! Given some situations we would have tried to write off our actions by concluding it was God’s way of meeting my needs. No! God will never lead us to have our needs met in paradox to his word. Other lessons revolved around Joseph’s good looks, Potiphar’ wife being enamoured with him led him to be placed in prison. Often times testing of our faith centers around appealing things. Certainly, we want the reward to be worth the risk. But Joseph didn’t stand around to see if, in fact it was so, he removed himself from the situation. This scriptural approach was a victory over the “lust of flesh”. In closing, you can be sure if GOD allows it, he too has a purpose and reason beyond our knowing. We may not know why or understand until eternity. This takes a measure of faith beyond commonplace, but God is Omniscient! He was in Joseph’s disappointments then, and is still today in yours. Our setbacks are a setup for a BLESSING!!!
Blessings,
~ BJS
Soul Food Sides:
[Genesis 37-50];[ Genesis 37: 3-4] [Genesis 37:5-11][1st Corinth 4:7]; [Genesis 40-41]; [Genesis 39:8-10]
VITA QUOTES:
“I would rather look back on my life and say “I can’t believe I did that, than say I wish I had… It’s better to have had a life full of mistakes that you learned from than a heart full of regrets.” ~Chinese Proverb
“It’s better to be hurt by the truth, than comforted by lies and deceit” ~B.Smith
“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the weight you carry, so lighten the weight”.
~ Unknown
Motivational Vitamin:
Every challenge:
You have made it through every challenge you’ve ever faced. And you have what it takes to get through many, many more. It can be frightening to stretch yourself and test your strength. It can also be energizing, and invigorating.
Overcoming a difficult challenge can bring you to a level of satisfaction which cannot be reached in any other way. Along with that satisfaction comes the solid confidence of knowing for certain that you’ve done it before and you can do it again.
When you seek challenge what you end up getting is achievement. By welcoming each challenge you’re expressing and expanding your own confidence in a way that is truly genuine and enduring.
There was a time when you were challenged by many of the things you now can do without even thinking about them. Think of how far you’ve come as a result of your willingness to take on those challenges. And think of how very far you still can go when you welcome each challenge as the great opportunity it can be.
Blessings,
~R.Martson
VITA VOCAB:
- Obstinate
=tenaciously unwilling or marked by extreme stubborn persistent;
- Unctuous
=unpleasantly or excessive suave ingratiating in manner or speech;
- Splenetic
=being very irritable or prickly ;
