January 21
Gen 42:18-43:34 | PS 18:16-36 | Prov 4:7-10 | Matt 13:47-14:12
We have to be careful when we shorten verses. Many like to say of Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good”. But this is only true if you complete the verse which reads in its entirety, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” So, the strength of this verse rests on how we see our own lives. Do we see ourselves citizens of earth or heaven? Do we seek God’s will or our own will? Do we value more, eternity or our time on planet earth? We can’t minimize this. Death of loved ones and illness are never pleasant, but if it brings people into a relationship with Jesus Christ, then this verse is fulfilled. The crumbling of a nation, loss of jobs, economic downturns are all unpleasant, but worthwhile if it leads others to enter into a relationship with Jesus and one day enter eternity with our Savior.
Joseph went through some very difficult years, being mistreated and sold by his brothers into slavery, being falsely accused by his master’s wife, being thrown into prison, then being forgotten by a man of position after helping him out while in prison. Joseph passed his tests, with his eyes on God, not the world. Joseph’s brothers got away with their lie, and life seemingly went on unchanged. But we see the dread of guilt come out in Genesis 42:21, “Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.”” When they see their worldly plans failing, they say in 42:28, “What is this that God has done to us?” When Jacob hears the demand for Benjamin to go to Egypt, we see his response in 42:36, “All these things are against me.” We see Romans 8:28 spoken forth in 45:4-8, “ And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”
Though this is 3 pages of Scripture, it represents over twenty years of trials. If you are indeed God’s child, a citizen of heaven, and God’s vessel, then who we were is gone and from God’s perspective everything can be used for His good if we live for heaven and in submission to Him. None of us do this perfectly, for we still live in our flesh and on this earth. But to the extent that we can improve this perspective, joy will be the result. God already knows our death date (Psalm 139:16), both how and when. God loves us more than we love ourselves, and loves our loved ones more than we ever will. His desire is for us and them to go through these earthly trials and be refined in the process. They are for our good, and if we love God, and are “called according to His purpose” then we can experience the freedom He so desires for our lives.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: