Genesis
39:23 says “…., because
the Lord was
with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.”
But just above this verse; v20 says 'Joseph was put in prison’?! So that means ,there, in the prison, he had success?! Success and prison!?
But just above this verse; v20 says 'Joseph was put in prison’?! So that means ,there, in the prison, he had success?! Success and prison!?
Now we don’t
associate success with prison. How can a person be successful if he lands up in a punishment facility. Success and prison is a contradiction!
Similarily Matthew 5:1-12 talks about ‘The
Beatitudes’ which is derived from the latin word ‘beatus’ meaning ‘blessed’.This passage is filled with contradictory ideas: blessed are all those who mourn, blessed are all those who are
persecuted or insulted ! How can you rejoice and be glad about persecutions and
insults !(Matthew 5:12)
God says in Luke 6:38,Matthew 6:1-34,proverbs
11:24-25, Acts 20:35,etc inorder to
increase our receive ,we should give! We should tithe! We should not store
anything but help and share with others. Again, how can we increase anything if
we don’t store ! King Solomon,the wisest man who ever lived says in (Proverbs
11:24-25) giving freely=gaining more! Richness
by giving?
These are some of the many verses that clearly states that God’s economy functions differently than ours. His plans and ways are different than ours.He thinks differently knowing everything from start to finish.
He could
have easily stopped a lot of things from happening in Joseph’s life and I am sure he could have stopped a lot of
things from happening in mine and your lives too but then Joseph had to go through the pit
to reach the palace!
At times
we might not understand the reason behind the ’pit situations’ in our lives but we have
to trust Him with those situations!
God knows our past,present and future! So when he makes decisions and plans for
us, he takes into account all the three: our past, our present and our future; plans for not
just our temporary tent but for our eternal abode too! He has already carved
a beautiful future for us but he has left the choice to us. We surely might be
in our pits or prisons but we can reach our palace only if we choose God’s path. But we can be absolutely confident of HE being with us every step of the way,showing His favor , His agape love and kindness and
giving us success but HIS definition of success! (genesis 39:2 and 21)
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