Daily Devotional

God’s sovereign rule cuts through all circumstances, sin and disasters.
 
In Genesis 37-45 Joseph’s life illustrates this beautifully. Swirling throughout the life of Joseph are all the emotions of mankind: love, hate, jealousy, grief, abuse, anger, betrayal, deceit, lust, fear, despair, and forgiveness.

Joseph’s brothers hated him.  They put action to their hate:
Genesis 37:28 “Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they (Joseph’s brothers) pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Then they brought Joseph into Egypt.”

God’s sovereignty is the crowning jewel of the life story of Joseph. When Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers…  Instead of spewing bitterness towards his brothers, Joseph declared God’s master plan. There is no room for bitterness when God’s purpose is accomplished.
 
Genesis 45:4-8“Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine, has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

We live in a crazy, sin-filled world.  No matter what happens around us or to us, God’s master plan wins!

FOR PARENTS:

• I urge you to read piece by piece the story of Joseph to your kids.  Ask questions like: How did they feel? Why did this happen? How did this person or persons change? Who is really in charge of the future?
• Pull up on-line pictures of Egypt’s glory for your kids to see.  Help them grasp the wealth of Egypt in the past.
• Talk with your kids about the fact that God has already won over sin through the death of Jesus on the Cross and his resurrection from the dead.
• Remind your kids that one day we will be in Heaven, where there will be no sin!

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
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