Slapped Down Again

If I could only have one story to read out of the Old Testament, it would be the one of the life of Joseph.  It has spoken to me my whole life. So many lessons can be learned in this story of Joseph’s life!

Joseph was a guy who was continually slapped down and yet continually relied on God anyway. Consequently, God always pulled Joseph out of the sticky situation.  Was Joseph perfect? No. But he did rely on a perfect God.  

Joseph was thrown in an empty cistern by his jealous brothers, sold into slavery and carted off to a foreign land.  There, he served his master so well that he was given a great deal of liberty running the household.  Yet again, he is slapped down when the master’s wife falsely accused him of molesting her and Joseph is sent to rot in prison. There in prison he gained favor with the prison guard. He also correctly interpreted the dreams of fellow prisoners. Joseph knew, through one of those dreams, that a fellow prisoner was to be released so he tried his hand at getting himself out of prison by asking that guy to put in a good word for him once he was released. But that man, the chief cup bearer, forgot Joseph.  Joseph’s plan did not work the way he wanted. It was not God’s time for his rescue. 

When Joseph’s plan fell through, he must have been fed up, beat down and at rock bottom. Joseph spent two more years in prison. At that point, Joseph never imagined what God had in store for him. He didn’t know he was going to rule in Egypt. He didn’t know he was going to see his lost family again.  He didn’t know he would be put in a position to serve justice to his brothers. He didn’t know he was going to forgive his brothers instead of taking revenge.  He didn’t know he was going to be used to save many people from starvation. And all of this was God’s plan, not Joseph’s.  

My takeaway today is simple: I need to relax and trust God. I need to continue putting one foot in front of the other and trust God to provide a place for that foot to rest. I need to let go of my worry and plans to fix things. God has a bigger plan than I ever imagined.  

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV

[6] Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [7] And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Acting on Faith

My reading today is of Noah. I am an analyzer at heart and have so many unanswered questions regarding this ancient story. However, when I brush my doubts aside and manage to accept my lack of understanding, I see a world of application.  

Back in the day, Noah was the only one who found favor in the sight of God. What was it that set him apart in God’s eyes? Was it his belief that God existed that set him apart? Was it because he led a blameless life? Was it the fact that he had a relationship with God, as seen in his conversations with the Creator? I don’t think these were the factors that made the difference between Noah and all the other people of that day. And here is why. You see, I can believe I am a world renown baseball player, wear the uniform of a baseball player, talk like I am a world renown baseball player, but that doesn’t make it so. I must have action in my life that demonstrates my ability as a baseball player. Too often we believe our own publicity without any real evidence. This goes for our life in Christ also. We often have little physical evidence of our faith in God. 

Noah believed God, had conversations with God, but the clincher is that he acted on God’s commands.  He had follow-through.  He chose to act on his faith. If he had not acted on God’s word, he would have been at the bottom of an ocean of water with everyone else.  His action of faith is what mattered. Faith must be followed by action.  In that order. 

This is not to say we could earn our salvation by any act. God took care of that by sacrificing his Son to die on the cross and be resurrected. Without God’s act of grace, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NET[8] For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; [9] it is not from works, so that no one can boast.

No, it is not how we act that saves us, it is how we act in response to God’s gracious love. Do we accept it?  Do we believe it enough to act on it? God gave us choices. Our part is to act on those choices and to continue to act on this in our daily walk with Christ.  

Lord, may I not only love and listen to you, but may I act accordingly.