09.11.09 - Genesis 41 - 50

There is an alternative to speculation about the meaning and purpose of life. Its revelation. We can turn turn to what God has revealed about life in His Word. The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to as the creator of it. The same is true for discovering our life's purpose: Ask God. God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed his five purposes for our lives through the Bible. Its our Owner's Manual, explaining why we are alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future. It explains what no self-help or philosophy book could know. The Bible says, Gods wisdom... goes deep into the interior of his purposes... Its not the latest message but more like the oldest -- what God determined as the way to bring out His best in us." 1 Corinthians 2:7

Joseph is a man of God in everything he does. He could have taken credit for interpreting the dreams but he says more than once that God is who put these dreams in their head and it is God who is working through him in order for Joseph to interpret. So many times I should stop before I speak to let the Holy Spirit speak through me. How often do we say things in the heat of the moment that we really don't mean?

Forgiveness... “To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.” I think this is the one area in life that human-kind struggles with. The moment you let go and forgive someone for the wrong doing they did to you; your heart is set free and the communication between you and God will be that much stronger. Genesis 45:7 - "But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save lives by a great deliverance." Not only does Joseph forgive his brother but he finds the good in what they did in hopes to help them FORGIVE THEMSELVES. So then, it is not you who sent me here but God." 45:8

Sometimes when things are wrong and bad just keeps on happening it hard to remember that God's plan is good. God knows what is best for us and has our best interest at heart. God told Jeremiah, "The plans I have for you are plans to prosper you and not to harm yo, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Joseph understood this truth when he told his brothers who has sold him into slavery, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good." Genesis 50:20 It's vital that we stay focused on Gods plan, not our pain or problem. That is how Jesus endured the pain of the cross.

Romans 8:28 - 30 explains why Genesis 50:20 was always Gods plan: The Apostle presents God's eternal purpose for our lives in Romans 8:28-30. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified."
The important truth in these verses is God causes it to happen. God caused all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. It is not some haphazard evolutionary scheme. "In the beginning God . . ." It is not by accident that you are here today. If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior it is not by accident or chance that you have come to know Him. I can never read this great passage the apostle Paul wrote without remembering Joseph's experience in Egypt. He was kidnapped, buried in a well, sold as a slave to a caravan and carried to Egypt, thrown into prison and forgotten by men. In summing up his whole life experience to his brothers who made all the evil possible he said, "Yea, but God sent me before you to preserve life . . . God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance . . . Now, it was not you who sent me here, but God . . . God made me lord of all Egypt" (Genesis 45:5, 7, 8). Then he sums up his whole life with these words, "And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive" (50:20).
These verses are great assurance for believers. Unbelievers rebel at them. They make no sense to those who do not love the LORD God. They go against their philosophy of life. It is sad to say, but there are many Christians who have let the lost world influence their thinking about this great promise of assurance and security to believers. There is no greater assurance for the Christian when he is going through extremely difficult times than to remind Himself that God sees beyond today and He always has His eternal purpose for us clearly in mind. The Apostle Paul reminds the believer who groans because of the adversities in life of these precious words of encouragement in 8:28. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

I think that the overall message of the story of Joseph; for me it was first: don't favor one of your kids over the others or you can expect resentment. Two: always work hard in whatever situation you're in even if it's being a slave. Three: always do the right thing even if it lands you in prison. Four: always trust in the Lord, He has plans for you that are greater than you can possibly imagine. Five: forgive and let love be merciful and you will avoid bitterness. I think a beautiful line is when Joseph says to his brothers that what they meant for him was evil, but God made it good. God can take the worst situation and turn it around.

God is not just the starting point of our life; He is the source of it. To discover our purpose in our loves we must turn to God's Word, not the world's wisdom. We must build our life on eternal truths, no pop psychology, success-motivation or inspirational stories. The bible says, "Its in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eyes on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working in everything and everyone." Ephesians 1:11