Joseph didn’t have an easy life. His brothers sold him into slavery. He worked as a slave only to be accused of sexual assault and thrown into prison. He sat there for several years until he saw evil turned into good. God opened a door to serve Pharoah. Later on, in life, he met back up with his brothers, and they feared retribution. He looked at them with mercy and told them what they intended for evil God turned into good. Can you see the events in your life and declare what man meant for evil God used for good?
Genesis 50:20
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Can You Forgive
It would be tough to be in Joseph’s place. While you are the Prime Minister of Egypt at the time of this verse, your biological brothers caused you a lot of undue pain. Can you forgive? Will you extend mercy? He was able to look at the big picture and see that God can even use trying times for his Glory. Hundreds of thousands of people were saved from a brutal famine because of Joseph’s administrative skills.
Keep Your Eyes on Christ
God can use the evil intentions of those close to us. Are we open to that? Can we work through the betrayal of others to see God doing a work in our lives? If we are stuck on revenge or justice, we might just miss what God is doing. It’s not easy. The pain is still there. Look through it all to see what God is doing. Don’t be blinded by the deeds of others.
Rise Above
The lesson we can learn from Joseph is to live for the glory of God no matter what hand we have been dealt. Each place that Joseph went he was the best worker and his superiors recognized that. He was promoted for his work ethic and his character. Let’s follow his lead and be the best employee with the highest integrity.