January 14
Genesis 37:1-38:30; 1 Chronicles 2:3-6, 8; Genesis 39:1-23
How we respond to the ups and downs we face in life reveals a lot about our character and our relationship with God. Joseph is introduced as a spoiled, favored child of Jacob who did not mind gloating over his brothers. He is exalted in his family but is quickly brought low as a slave and prisoner in Egypt. In these humiliating circumstances we see him clearly clinging to integrity and trust in God. In his early favored position, his pride seemed to swell, but in his suffering came humility and faith. He allowed his humble situation to create in him the humility God desires. Yet not everyone learns this lesson in difficulty as we see from the stories of Judah and Tamar. Judah chooses to numb his grief through sex and Tamar turned to deception when she had been wronged. It is a bizarre story of two people in hard circumstances relying on themselves rather than trusting in God to meet their needs.
Like Joseph, Judah, and Tamar, every moment in life is an opportunity for us to run from God and towards self-reliance or to grow our faith and trust in God. You may feel like you are on top of the world like Joseph's childhood or at the bottom of a pit, but regardless of where you find yourself, you can turn to God. He is the same God we are told was "with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2). Our circumstances will certainly change, but God always remains the same.
Father God, thank you that you are with me. Thank you for never leaving, forsaking, or abandoning me. Help me to trust you, walk with you, and rely on you in all of life. Amen.
How can you learn to run to God in all situations in life?
How we respond to the ups and downs we face in life reveals a lot about our character and our relationship with God. Joseph is introduced as a spoiled, favored child of Jacob who did not mind gloating over his brothers. He is exalted in his family but is quickly brought low as a slave and prisoner in Egypt. In these humiliating circumstances we see him clearly clinging to integrity and trust in God. In his early favored position, his pride seemed to swell, but in his suffering came humility and faith. He allowed his humble situation to create in him the humility God desires. Yet not everyone learns this lesson in difficulty as we see from the stories of Judah and Tamar. Judah chooses to numb his grief through sex and Tamar turned to deception when she had been wronged. It is a bizarre story of two people in hard circumstances relying on themselves rather than trusting in God to meet their needs.
Like Joseph, Judah, and Tamar, every moment in life is an opportunity for us to run from God and towards self-reliance or to grow our faith and trust in God. You may feel like you are on top of the world like Joseph's childhood or at the bottom of a pit, but regardless of where you find yourself, you can turn to God. He is the same God we are told was "with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2). Our circumstances will certainly change, but God always remains the same.
Father God, thank you that you are with me. Thank you for never leaving, forsaking, or abandoning me. Help me to trust you, walk with you, and rely on you in all of life. Amen.
How can you learn to run to God in all situations in life?
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