Good morning,
Joseph, in the Old Testament, is often referred to as being the most Christ-like person in the Old Testament. As we journey with Jesus our Lord to Jerusalem, and to the Cross we look at Jesus, as He was on the Cross, saying Father forgive them, for they know not what do".
Even a casual reader will find the story of Joseph compelling. It is full of love, hope, dreams (literally), betrayal, mental and physical suffering, and, ultimately, triumph over some of the worst adversities that could befall an innocent person. It took years for the story to unfold, years that were marked by success and failure, hope and despair. He is a role model for faith, tenacity, devotion, purity, patience, and trust. Scripture says, "He [i.e., God] sent a man before them--Joseph--who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him" (Ps. 105:17-19 NKJV). Was he ever tested! Some of us can relate very well with Joseph’s tests. A few of us will relate to Joseph’s ultimate victory over his adversities.
Was Joseph tested beyond recovery? Was he tested beyond repair? Was he tested beyond hope of their ever being any change in his circumstances? If it ever became necessary to forgive, was he tested beyond the ability to forgive? Was he tested beyond the ability to "forget those things that were behind," to put it all safely, securely, away without it ever bothering him daily with thoughts of regret, or even revenge? Was he tested beyond being able to sleep at night, to toss and turn as his mind raced with thoughts of failure and feelings of hopelessness? He may have felt all these things at one time or another. Ultimately, however, he turned the corner, and came to a place where he would say, "forgetting those things which are in the past, I reach with excitement for the things that are before me." How is that possible? What was the turning point in Joseph’s life?
"And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore him. Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: 'For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.' And the name of the second he called Ephraim: 'For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.'"
(Genesis 41:50-52 NKJV).
God gave Joseph two living testimonies in the form of two fine sons. Joseph recognized that both of these boys were God’s provision to help him get on with his life. These boys were a key for finding the joy of victory in forgetting his past.
God can, or He may have, give us a "Manasseh" and an "Ephraim" to bless our lives. In other words, God can give some form of blessing that will cause us to get on with our lives and put misery behind us. It is for the Holy Spirit to make forgiveness real in our lives and in our faith. For those who may have despaired, who may be held as a hostage to something in the past, who feel that they have failed in some area, God has a "Manasseh" and an "Ephraim" for you. You can both forget the past misery, despair, disappointment, hurts, and heartaches and enjoy the freedom that each brings. At the same time you can say, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." Use your "Manesseh" and your "Ephraim" to unlock the prison of your past hurts and disappointments.
Robert Louis Stevenson said, "Make up your mind to be happy - learn to find pleasure in simple things." He further said, "Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish enmities and grudges" and "Don’t hold postmortems or spend time brooding over sorrows and mistakes . . . Don’t be the one who never gets over things."
God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit are available resources to anyone who, "with purpose of heart" (see Acts 11:23), will seek the joy and freedom of "forgetting those things which are past." The key to it all is found in one sentence from Isaiah 1:19 where the Holy Spirit says, "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land" (NKJV).
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dooif2-yAoI
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment