(Gen. 39:1-2) “And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” No matter what the particular circumstance is that we find ourselves in, we can be sure as Joseph was, that “The Lord will not leave us nor forsake us” ( Heb. 13:5). 1) Circumstances change quickly. One day Joseph was happy and free and the next day he was physically taken away from the only family he knew, betrayed by his brothers, kidnapped, sold into slavery, and enslaved in a far-away place. Oh, how quickly life can change with the next phone call, piece of mail, visit to the doctor, ride in the car, or even at work with the loss of a job. Circumstances change quickly in life but thank God as Christians we know that God has allowed the circumstance for His purpose, and His glory. For (Rom. 8:28) says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” 2) Character is strengthened through adversity. You don’t read of Joseph complaining in this story, or even fighting back, but rather we see Joseph submitting to the will of God and those he served, and because he did “The Lord was with Joseph.” Joseph saw God’s blessing because his faith endured each test. Joseph learned that adversity was not meant to destroy but rather build our faith!
( Gen 41:41-43) “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt... A nd he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.” When Joseph was introduced to us in chp.37, he was a young inexperienced 17 year old boy, and yet 13 years later God raised him up to rule the nation of Egypt. So, what made him different ? The Answer : “ Time,” and his faith in God ! You see time is a wonderful teacher; 1) Time strengthens endurance . Endurance and faith can only be strengthened over time. Like exercise, we start out not able to do much but over time we find that we can do more. You see, God allows us to go through the ups and downs of life, to help us gain not only spiritual maturity, but also spiritual abilities. Spiritual endurance therefore enables us to handle life’s trials better. 2) Time strengthens patience . Although Joseph, ...
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