Friday the 23rd

Genesis 50: ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

 

This is what Joseph told his brothers when they all met up for the first time after His brothers had sold him off. You intended me harm, but God intended it for good.

 

A lot of things in our life are like that you know. We can’t see the good until we get closer to the end of the season. Joseph went through a lot….and I mean a lot, sold off by his own family, wrongfully accused, thrown in jail, but in the end God raised him up. God had a plan, and Joseph knew it, so throughout the entire season of pain, Joseph continued to give thanks to God. I know many of you are asking if God is so great then why did He allow Joseph to go through all of that pain. All I can say to that is that God is great, He is an awesome God…..we however are not! It takes time, and pressure for us to be shaped into the person God needs us to become. Have you ever helped your kids make cookies? When you roll out the dough, and you place that cookie cutter onto the dough, you have to press down. What happens if you do not apply enough pressure? Well the cookie does not come out right does it? The dough will not fill in all of the places around the mold, as a result, once the cookie is baked, you can’t really tell what it was supposed to be. The corners are missing, the middle is not filled in, it is just not right. However if you press down hard enough the dough will fill every corner, and once it is baked it comes out just the way it is supposed to look. Well that is how it is with us. We are the dough, and God has to press down pretty hard sometimes to get the mold filled like He needs it to be. SO during the seasons of trial, when life is hard and it seems like the entire world is pressing down on you, give thanks! It might not be fun, and it might be painful, but know this, God is shaping you into something that He needs. HE does not want you to be a hunk of dough, He has a specific mold just for you that needs to be filled. It will take some effort on your part to help get all of the places filled in, and that might be tiring, it might be relentless sometimes, but know that in the end, after that season of shaping, God will raise you up. He will unlock the full potential of His love and grace, and then you will realize that all that is behind you has been for the good. Even those that might try and harm you, in the end, God will use it for the good. SO do not buckle and give up when you draw the short stick, or someone sells you down the river. Give thanks and hang on! God has great things in store, he just has to get the mold filled!

 

God Bless, and have a great weekend!!

Brian