LEARNING DAILY

 

Genesis 45:4-5, And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said to them, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.”

 

Reading the story of Joseph again emphasized that God leads His people in ways we often do not understand. Then we are used in a way that His purpose for the road we have taken is revealed to us and we realize that “God sent me”. Take a few moments to look back over your life; think of the events you went through, wondering why this was happening, only to God using you in a way that you would not have thought of. I wonder if there will be moments you were used in a particular way, in a particular time that you are not aware of.

 

I look back over the years since asking Jesus into my life and often wonder what would have been different if we had not left Iowa to live in Texas. What if I had stayed in retail instead of going back into the education field? What if I had not moved my family to San Antonio and stayed in College Station? I can only believe that God’s purpose was in all of that. There are many things and many people who have come into my life that have left their “mark” on my life and maybe the reverse has been true as well.

 

My friend and my brother in Christ wrote in his daily “Echoes From the Campfires”, “Perhaps one of the most hated, misunderstood, and neglected doctrines of the Bible is the sovereignty of God.  Man, especially the unbeliever, definitely doesn't want to look at the sovereignty for it tells of his destiny.  Christians, and I have never understood why, dislike this doctrine as well.  The main reason is that of selfishness.  They still want to hold onto the reins of their life.  Even among believers they love that song by Sinatra, "I did it my way," and yet it is very anti-Christian for our lives should be concerned with doing things God's way.” Joseph knew God had led him through all the difficulties he went through to become a leader in Egypt “to preserve life.”

 

God is sovereign and He governs providentially! He made the world and all things in it and He is managing it even though mankind messed up and fell to the deception of Satan. Understand that God is never surprised or frustrated by sin in the world. Instead, He empowers His people to live holy lives and uses them to promote his plan of salvation and walking on the narrow way to His kingdom. Like He directed Joseph, He works through His people today to turn “tragedies into triumphs” (LSSB), and to “overrule the evil actions of humans in order to carry out His will” (DJSB).

 

We can be encouraged because we know that He is directing our path, even when it involves chaos and trial in our lives, to help others come to know Him through the salvation offered by His Son and walk with others on the narrow way. God is creating and controlling circumstances that are directing history to what is known as the end of times. He wants each of His followers to be faithful where they are, to join Him (to be a Joseph) as He accomplishes His Holy purposes.

 

It is exciting to know that the Creator of all things desires to use each of us right where we are “to preserve life.” For us that means we are to be obedient to Him and His word. It means to allow the light of Jesus in us to shine brightly as we go about our daily lives. It means we are to never be ashamed of Him in our life and to share His Gospel whenever we have the opportunity. What a wonderful privilege He has given each of us. Shine right where you are; know that God “has sent you”!