Hope Even When You Are In The Pit

Each time I read the story of Joseph in the Old Testament I am amazed at his resilience and ability to keep pressing on.

If ever there were a man who had a right to throw in the towel, it was him.

Joseph never did give up, and countless people were blessed because of his choice to continue moving forward.

If you haven't read the story, Joseph was one of many sons, and his older brothers felt Joseph was their Dad's favorite. This led to bitterness in the older brother's hearts.

Up to this point, that probably sounds familiar to many. What the brothers did because of their bitterness however, would likely be viewed by most, as a bit harsh.

Joseph's brothers planned to throw their brother in a pit to die. Yet, one brother showed compassion, feeling that was too much, so he convinced the other brothers to instead, sell their brother into slavery.

I am not sure if that could be labeled as compassion, but I guess slavery is better than death, barely.

Joseph goes from being a part of a blessed and successful family, to property of someone else, with no rights and no future.

Joseph is then purchased to work in a high ranking man's home. Instead of sulking in his slavery, Joseph excels in his new environment, and gains favor with his owner.

Unfortunately, Joseph's master had a wife who was twisted. She tried to lure Joseph into having an affair with her. Joseph refused, so she lied and said Joseph tried to attack her.

Now Joseph is thrown in prison.

Joseph goes from being a favored son, to thrown into a pit, to sold into slavery, to working his way up to a trusted and favored servant, and now he is throw into prison.

I have walked through some adversity in my life, but nothing like this.

Joseph was a good man. He was a hard worker, intelligent, and successful. What he got in return, was judgement, accusation, and hate.

I think for most of us, at some point in time, we have walked through a season of persecution, attack, or some other form of difficulty.

This is especially difficult when we feel like we are doing all we can to make good choices, treat people well, and work hard.

It's unfair, and it hurts.

My challenge to you, is to consider this; what you are walking through today, is preparing you for a greater thing tomorrow.

Trouble and attack from others is not a marker of your worth, or whether or not God is pleased with you.

Your troubles and difficulties today are preparing you for whatever good work God has for you down the road.

Joseph's story ends with him being the second most powerful man in the known world. God uses Joseph to create a plan to save thousands and thousands of people from starvation during a time of famine.

I don't know how your story, or my story will end; but I do know this, if we continue to trust God and move forward, God can do miraculous things through us.

We need to choose to keep moving forward, but moreover, we need to keep our perspective on the long term, and the bigger picture.

If this is a season where you are in the pit, in a prison, or living with persecution and accusation, let me encourage you.

Your pain has a purpose, and God has a plan to use your persecution!

Don't give up, and you will see an even greater reward than you can hope or imagine.

I am praying for you.

Stop Thinking That

How many of you remember Thumper's line from the movie Bambi?

"If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all."

Our parents, our teachers, our friends have often used this phrase to help us grow. Trouble is, for many of us, living out this phrase is the closest to growth we may ever achieve.

We can think all sorts of ugly things, but as long as we don't say it, we are good.

Please hear me when I say, do not settle for this type of good.

In Philippians 4:8 it says, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

It matters what we say, but we shouldn't focus only on the words we vocalize.

Rather, we need to focus on the source of where those words came from.

We shouldn't just try and change what comes out of our mouth. The answer is to allow God to change what is in our heart, the source.

Yet for many of us, the best we have hoped for, is a measure of success in not letting our ugly thoughts slip out.

God has promised us more than that.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ."

In some translations it says, "... take every thought captive, and make it obey Christ."

We need to be assessing and looking for change in our thoughts, not just our words.

When an ugly thought comes up, we shouldn't simply say, "I better not say that."

Rather, we should respond with, "God change my way of thinking, so that type of thought is no longer in me."

It takes more work to allow God to make these types of changes in us, but the end result is long lasting, instead of momentary.

When God changes the way we think, it is a long term change. When we keep an ugly thought from slipping out, that only saves us in that one moment.

Let's choose to focus on allowing God to change our thoughts, and we will find our mouths require much less attention.

In The Storm

Have you ever walked through a season when it seems like you are going from one storm to another?

No sooner does one storm pass, that another equally violent storm arrives. It arrives before you even have an opportunity to recover from the last one.

The expression, "When it rains, it pours." is quite appropriate for moments like these.

I have had numerous conversations with people who say, "I thought once you became a Christian, there weren't supposed to be any more troubles?" or they ask, "What am I doing wrong? I must be doing something to make God angry, because life has been so hard!"

My heart hurts for people in that place, because I too have wrestled with those same thoughts.

Yet, if we spend a little time reading God's Word, we find that there is no such promise, of perfect circumstance, or struggle-free living.

In Matthew 7:24-29 it says, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Jesus was such an awesome story teller. He explains through this story that, it isn't enough to merely hear what He is teaching; instead we need to hear what He says, and let His Words be the foundation we build our life on.

For instance, we read that Jesus says in John 15:12 "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." So when we find ourselves in a situation where we don't feel like showing love, we rely on our foundation, the words of Jesus. We then choose to follow Jesus' instructions, even if we don't feel like it.

It is a great story, that teaches an incredibly valuable point.

However, if you read through that passage in Matthew 7:24-29 again, you may find another important message as well.

Who was affected by the storm? The one who built their house on the rock, or the one who built their house on the sand?

The storm fell on both of them. The descriptive words are even the same, "... the winds blew and beat against that house..."

Ever feel like the winds of life are blowing against you, and beating you up?

You may even be feeling like that today. If so, please hear me when I say, you are not alone.

Storms fall on all of us.

The good news is, God has given us a way to make it through these storms.

If we allow Him to be our foundation, even the worst of storms, can not bring us down.

So let me encourage you, if you are walking through a season of stormy weather, spend less time trying to fight against the storm, and more time resting on your foundation.

By putting our focus on living out the things Jesus teaches, we can weather any storm.

I am praying for you friend!