Blessings Big and Small

Café Menu for Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Today’s Special is: Obedience Rewarded

Carefully prepared just for you by your friend, Glenn

Main Ingredient:  “From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph.  The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.”  (Genesis 39:5 NIV)

Entrée:

 If you have ever felt like your efforts to live righteously are of no value, you need to become familiar with Joseph in the book of Genesis.

Joseph came from a family of jealous and vindictive brothers.  Their jealousy resulted in Joseph being secretly sold into Egyptian slavery to the household of Potiphar, an Egyptian pharaoh.

In spite of what would appear to be a curse, Joseph refuses to waver in his faith but instead dedicates his energy to serving to the best of his ability.  Pharaoh notices and elevates Joseph to become his personal attendant and “he (Potiphar) entrusted to his care everything he owned”.

Then verse 5 states “the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph”.

Wait, did you catch that?  Because Joseph sought God’s face, the entire household of a very wicked person (Potiphar) was blessed?  One has to wonder exactly how that came across to Joseph.  The text does not give us that answer but it should comfort us.

God honors our struggles on His behalf!  Even when we feel as though our efforts are wasted, God is moving people’s hearts.

Maybe your spouse is not a believer and every part of your life seems harder as you try to follow the LORD and set the example in your family.  Or maybe your work place is hostile to anything that remotely appears to be faith-related.  Try as you might the feeling of isolation can creep in and dampen your faith.

That’s where we have to get stubborn and cling to the promises of our King.  Isaiah 40:31 assures us “those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength”.  Even after Joseph’s life looked like things were falling into place he had several more detours in the road including prison time and years of famine.

Finally, the conclusion of Joseph’s saga (and God’s will) is revealed and Joseph’s brothers get a life application of God’s grace through Joseph.

In the end, that is what God is orchestrating through our lives also.  Through the events of our lives and our trust in Him, He weaves His story of love and mercy for others to witness.

So go ahead, trust your circumstances to God and stand back.

Take Out:  Over a week, read Joseph’s entire story from Genesis 37-50 and absorb the example of his faith.

Dessert: Father, thank You including us in Your master plan of outreach.  Forgive us for being weak and short-sighted always looking for the shortest path to accomplish what we think is Your will.  May we daily submit to Your purpose and Your schedule.   Through the all-providing name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

© 2012 by Glenn Edwards. All rights reserved.

Have you felt Jesus tugging on your heart but you haven’t responded yet?  What are you waiting for?  He is waiting for you!  Have you accepted Jesus’ wonderful gift of salvation yet?  Do you want to accept it now?   If you want to know Him better, visit Extreme Encouragement today.