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So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Genesis 39:20-21 (NLT)
It’s the rallying cry of men and women, boys and girls from almost the time they can first utter words. “It’s not Fair!” You hear it in the voice of a two-year old when they want a certain toy, ice cream for breakfast or are unable to play in the middle of a busy street. You hear it from a teen-ager when the curfew is too early, homework is required to be done, and any rules are expected to be followed. You even hear it from Olympic athletes who are told that they are only second best in the world this time around, not first. You hear it when God doesn’t answer prayers in the time and fashion we desire.
Sometimes it seems like the events of life and the people around us are all stacked against us. We feel like even God Himself just “Isn’t that into us.” We read stories of how this person picked them up from failure to succeed, or how that prayer was answered miraculously by God, or families on the verge of breakup are saved, and we wonder, “What about me?”
The life of Joseph is a good example of someone whose life was anything but fair. He felt the rejection of family when his brothers sold him into slavery. He was wrongfully accused of rape and thrown into prison. Once there, he befriended a couple guys who said they’d speak up for him, but forgot.
It couldn’t have been easy for Joseph. There must have been many times when he could have grown bitter or angry at God or at the many people around him who let him down. But Joseph didn’t do that. Even in prison he was seen by the warden as being a man of character. The skills he learned while in captivity helped him later in life to be one the greatest leaders Egypt ever knew.
It’s hard to admit, but many times when life seems unfair, and we get angry or bitter, it’s because whatever the ‘unfairness’ is makes us feel bad about ourselves. We feel like failures. True, Godly character is seen in a person by how they react when the circumstances of their life are not fair.
When we realize who we are in Jesus the attacks of the enemy don’t affect us as easily. We can rise to the challenge and use the unfair events of life as stepping stones for later success. Starting today, look for ways to allow God to use you in whatever life is throwing at you. Trust Him to take care of the inequities you are being subjected to. Let Him direct your actions to change your world.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, right now there are so many things in life that are making me angry and keeping me from experiencing all you have for me in life. Please forgive me for the anger I have towards you and others. Empower me to use this trying time in my life to show others the great and loving God you are. Give me wisdom t know how to act with Godly Character like Joseph did. Amen.
At this, she bowed down with her face to the ground. She exclaimed, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me—a foreigner?” Ruth 2:10
Stereotypically speaking, we guys are supposed to run frantically at the mere mention of a love story. But the story of Ruth and Naomi has always been one of my favorite Bible stories. Imagine for a moment what it must have been like for Naomi. Like any mom, she watched her boys grow with hopes of having grandchildren running around the hut someday, hearing the little pitter-patter of feet on the clay floor, etc. etc.
Naomi and her husband moved with their two sons to a far off land due to famine. Naomi’s husband died and left her alone, as a widow. Hard as that must have been for her, she still had hope since her sons had married two wonderful women that Naomi loved dearly. Someday she would be cared for by her sons and she, in turn, could be the grandma she always hoped to be. Then tragedy struck. Both sons died. Naomi was left alone in a foreign land with no family and no hope. Her only recourse was to return to her homeland and hope to find family, and perhaps a life.
One of her daughters-in-law, Ruth, insisted that she go with Naomi. She would rather die with Ruth than to stay in her homeland. That’s loyalty. That’s love! The story gets better when Ruth goes out into the fields and begins to pick up grain after the harvesters came through. She’s noticed by the owner of the field who happens to be related to Naomi. Ruth and found favor in the eyes of Boaz. They fell in love and got married. Naomi finally got her grandson and little could she know that her great-great grandson would be King of Israel. His name? David!
That’s how God works sometimes. He seems to wait until the last possible moment to ‘rescue’ us from bad situations. Naomi could have given up. Ruth could have stayed home and remarried someone from her homeland. Both of these women stepped into the unknown, gave up what little they had and trusted God for the rest. In the midst of their darkest hour God not only provided their immediate needs, He used this situation for good years down the road! We can never know how our decisions for God today will impact our tomorrows.
Don’t let the enemy discourage you. God can use you where ever you are and in whatever circumstance you are in for His glory. Boaz looked on Ruth with favor for no apparent reason and changed Naomi’s and her future. In the same way, God looks on each of His children with favor and wants to change your world. He is preparing you today for whatever you will need to face tomorrow.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, the story of Ruth is one more reminder to me that you are an Awesome God of love and provision. Forgive me for the times I fail to remember how much you love me. Help me to live with the realization that my decisions for today will have an eternal impact on those who go behind me. Help me to trust you completely as I make choices that will draw others into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. Amen.
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:8
Imagine what it would be like to live in a society where you felt you were the only one living for God. All around you people looked at you as though your religion was outdated, irrelevant and harsh. Some may even accuse you of being intolerant.
You try your best to live for God and take a stand for Him, but people scoff and laugh. Marriage and family are no longer important. In fact the very definition of marriage is under scrutiny. The idea of absolute Truth is a thing of the past. ‘Right’ is what you make it.
If you can imagine that kind of world then you will have a pretty good idea of what Noah went through during his days on earth. Things got so bad that God Himself looked down from heaven and regretted that he even made man.
In the midst of the chaos, God saw one bright light, a man named Noah. The Bible refers to Noah as a righteous man and as one that found favor with God. That doesn’t mean that Noah was perfect. He had issues like any other man. What it did mean is that in the midst of the chaos of his day, Noah followed after God as best he could and God looked upon him with favor (the early Hebrew word means Grace).
God had a special task for Noah to accomplish on earth. It was a task that would take 120 years to complete and would result in every animal on earth being rescued from a great and mighty flood. Imagine what it must have been like for Noah to build on this great boat under the watchful eyes of his neighbors who, most likely, thought Noah had gone completely off his rocker.
God asked Noah to do something that had never been done before. He asked him to stand strong against adversity, trust Him for the strength to accomplish the task, and follow the directions that He’d given Noah. If Noah would follow the path God had for him, he would meet with success and the world would be saved.
We know how the story of Noah turned out. He listened to God. He followed God’s directions. He showed great courage in trying something completely new, and the world was saved!
God isn’t likely to call any of us to change our careers and become boat builders any time soon. Our Father is looking for followers who are willing to stand strong in the face of adversity and work to change their part of the world. It appears from scripture that not only did Noah find favor in God’s eyes; he found favor in the eyes of men as well. Noah lived a life contrary to those around him. Even so, He was accepted in spite of his different beliefs.
Live your life in such a way that others will see you are different. Stand strong on the moral commands that God has given us. At the same time live in such a way that you are accepted. Paul says to live grace-fully, to live at peace with all men (even those who are wrong!) as much as it depends on you.
PRAYER: Father God, sometimes I feel like Noah. Everything around me seems to be falling apart. People seem to have forgotten you. I pray that you will help me be like Noah. Help me to follow your commands in the face of adversity and be willing to step out and try new things because of your power working through me. I want to change my world! Amen.
After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13:22
Remember during recess when it was time to choose teams? Two captains were chosen to determine the self-esteem of everyone for the entire day, or life! We’d look around us and measure each other up. “I’m better than her.” “He’ll be chosen first.” “I hope I’m chosen!” Woe to the last two people in line. While both would be chosen, it was obvious they were the ‘worst players on each team.’
While age matures us somewhat, the process of determining ones worth has really remained the same. Back then, teams were chosen according to their performance. There were some mighty ‘nice people’ that were chosen last because it wasn’t about being nice; it was about performance and outward looks.
The Israelites chose their first king because he was good looking, strong, and powerful man. He stood head and shoulders about all the rest. Years later God sent a message to Saul. “But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” (1 Samuel 13:14). Saul’s kingdom came to an end because of his disobedience and David was chosen as his successor.
Saul lost his Kingdom because of his sin and David was chosen because, as God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ What an ultimate irony. David? A man after God’s heart? The same David that was dishonest, an adulterer, a murderer and a really poor parent? How could this be?
Both David and Saul were like any of us. They were rebellious, sinful, selfish men. What set them apart from each other was the one thing we can’t see: the heart. When Saul was confronted concerning his sin he made excuses, blamed others and refused to admit he was wrong. Time and time again, God would reveal David’s sin to him and David would respond by saying, “I am guilty as charged O Lord. Please forgive me.” Was that the end of his sinful life? NO! But God can use a life stained by sin when that life is washed in the blood of Jesus and our heart attitude is to serve Christ.
God knew David would fail but He chose him anyway because of his desire, not his performance. People, even Christians, will still choose you by your past performance, but God chooses you because of your heart. Follow Him. Ask Him to help you leave the sin that encumbers you. Like David, it’s not about our past and inability to follow Jesus. It’s about our willingness to ask forgiveness for our mistakes and strive to live life the way God intends.
PRAYER: Father God. Like David my life is strewn with rebellion, stubbornness and just plain stupid choices. Thank You for looking at my heart and not my actions. Today, I confess to you my inability to live for you. Please forgive me of my sin and help me to live for you. I want to be a person after your own heart. Amen.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
Worry. It’s one of the greatest crippling influences of lives. The dictionary defines worry as “Tormenting oneself with or to suffer from disturbing thoughts.” There is NOTHING positive about worry and it does nothing healthy for our lives!
In a recent survey researchers discovered that 92% of the things people worry about either never happen, have happened in the past or are out of our control. That means that only 8% of the things we worry about are things that we have any hope of changing, and worrying about them won’t change a thing.
One day Jesus was teaching on a mountain top. I imagine that as people listened to His teaching they were enjoying the fresh mountain air. There were flowers nearby and birds soaring above. Jesus, the master teacher, used the moment to teach us a valuable truth. “Look around,” He said. “Look at the flowers. Do they worry about what their clothes look like? Do the birds concern themselves with having storage barns and cupboards full of food for the future?” We might add, do animals worry about retirement funds and 401K’s and their children’s college fund? The answer to all the above is a resounding “NO, of course not!”
As followers of Jesus Christ we need to constantly remind ourselves that we don’t need to worry about tomorrow. It’s not easy to admit, but often the things we worry about are a result of a lack of true belief in who we serve. If we serve a God that is like an angry, abusive or apathetic father, then we have reason for concern. We are on our own.
If however, we serve a God that is a loving, responsible, caring father we have nothing to fear. As a Loving Father He sees to our needs, encourages us in our weakness and forgives us when we fail. Someone once said, “Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.”
Don’t allow yourself to be tormented by the thoughts of what could have been or what might be. Focus instead on the fact that you have a Loving Heavenly Father who wants to give you the best life can offer. Grow closer to Him in your walk through daily prayer, bible reading and fellowship with Christ honoring believers. The things of your past can be forgiven simply by asking. The future is in the hands of a Loving Heavenly Father. Ask for wisdom on your part in following Him today.
Title: Overheard in an Orchard
Said the Robin to the Sparrow, “I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings; Rush about and hurry so.”
Said the Sparrow to the Robin, “Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father; Such as cares for you and me.”
— Elizabeth Cheney
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you today that you know my past and my future. I acknowledge that I believe you are willing to walk with me every day and that you know my tomorrows. Help me to have the strength to forget my past and the wisdom to face the future. Give me the power to deal with today and leave the rest in your hands. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 