I was just reading Genesis 47 and it really spoke to me. Verses 1-6 are talking about how Joseph's faithfulness affected his entire family. When he was in the pit and prison , Joseph was wondering about his future, but instead of despairing about it, he faithfully obeyed God and did exactly what was right. This is where we see one of the most exciting results of faithfulness. We may not always see the effects of our faith, but we can be sure that God will honor our faithfulness to him. In verses 29-31 it was talking about how Jacob had Joseph promise to bury him in his homeland. Few things were written in this culture, so a person's word carried as much force as a written contract does today. A lot of people today seem to find it pretty easy to say "oh, I didn't mean that." God's people, however, are to speak the truth and live the truth. Let your words be as binding as a written contract. Now reflecting on what verses 1-6 are saying, it's important to remain faithful to God even in times of trouble, because in the end, God has an even bigger and better thing planned for us and all of our lives. We are to be good, strong role models for not just our family, but for everybody around us, because if one person acts the wrong way, then chances are somebody else will follow their foot steps and we want to prevent that from happening. So, the best option is to be wise and be true to yourselves but most importantly to God. We are God's children and we all need to follow in god's foot steps. Although it won't always be easy, but when it's the end, it will all be worth it. You see, none of us belong to this world, we belong to God and his son Jesus. When judgement day comes, we'll be glad that we did right and ended up in heaven with God and Jesus. If you feel the world is against you, it's not and that's the honest truth. A lot of the time we don't see the reasons why we go through certain things, but eventually it will all make sense to us. It's literally a spiritual battle living here on earth that's a place full of hate and rebellion. So, let your yes be yes and your no be no. Let nobody move you, stand firm, be brave, remain strong, and continue being persistent with God. God is always willing to hear us and talk to us and give us the best advice that he can. He will also guide us in the correct direction, it is our choice to remain in the right direction and if we do remain in the right direction, then all will be good and well worth all of the pain and suffering we feel and deal with every single day of our lives. It's not always fun, but trust me we all should be living with no regrets. Live every single day as if it's your last day down here on earth, laugh often, love unconditionally, and always keep your head up and remain positive. Smile as much as you can because something as small as a smile can make somebody's day an even better day than it has been. The littlest act of kindness makes everything a little bit better. Our lives are worth living, so turn that grin upside down and make this world a better place. You see, if everybody thought like we christians do, then this world would be a much easier and happier place to live in. What's the point in having faith if none of us had any suffering to go through? These minor set backs are just opportunities to something even better. These are the small stepping stones to an even better life. Nobody knows you as well as God does, so they have no right to pass all of these judgements on you. You should let nobody tell you different, it's just not worth all this time and frustration towards nothing. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed then that's all you need. God will take care of the rest. Put all your trust in God, he will never let you down. He will pick you up when you fall down, he will uphold your life in his right hand, he will always protect you and keep you safe, he will let you know that he loves you (even though a lot of the time it doesn't feel like God loves, but he does). He makes you go through certain things in order to make your relationship with him and anybody else that may come your way a much stronger and closer one. He hates seeing us all suffer, but we need to in order to change our lives forever. In the past year, God has changed my life drastically and I hope that he does the same for you. Well, God Bless all and Goodnight.
Beautifully done Emily.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pastor Mike!
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