SATURDAY 4TH AUG., 2018

WORD FOCUS: FROM PRISON TO PALACE
TEXT: Genesis 39:20-21 “And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison….”

When Potiphar’s wife cried rape, her husband believed her and had Joseph thrown into prison. Some of us would have said, ‘It’s not fair. I did the right thing. Maybe I should have had some fun, kept my job, and even gotten a promotion.’ Not Joseph! At that point in his life there was no better place for him to be, because he was exactly where God wanted him. It was in prison that he met the royal butler, who in turn introduced him to Pharaoh, who eventually placed him on the throne. Sometimes God takes us to the bottom in order to take us to the top. The hard part is remembering that when you hit the bottom it’s not the end of the trip. The Bible says of Joseph: ‘Until his word…came true… the word of the Lord tried…him’ (Psalm 105:19).

Pharaoh was about to have a dream nobody in his kingdom could interpret except Joseph, and as a result Joseph was about to go from a zero to a hero, from prison stripes to Pharaoh’s second in command. No one can perform that kind of miracle but God. If most of us were in jail we’d settle for early release, a suit of clothes, and whatever means or huge amount of money to get back home. Of a truth, God had something much better in mind for Joseph, and He has for you too! He knows where He’s taking you from. He knows the lessons you need to learn along the way so that when you get there you can do the job. So look for and allow God’s hand in your situation today. He knows the end from the beginning and the beginning to the end. He is never late. All things which include all people, experiences, circumstances; past, present and future work together for good to them that love God. It is a picture of a team working together bound by a common cause as in (Mk. 16:20). God plus every circumstances; He is the active partner while all things of life are the vehicles He uses to accomplish the best for us. In closing therefore, we must be thankful for them.

MEDITATION: Rom. 8:18, 26-28

STUDY THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
JUDGES 16/ACTS 20/JER.30/MARK 5

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