(Gen 41:41-43) “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt... And 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, consistently did right, God allowed much discouragement and disappointment, but in every situation, he learned to wait on God. Joseph learned over time that God was in control even in the bad times, working all things out for good. 3) Time strengthens our trust in God. The only way for God to bring us to the place of usefulness, is through the furnace of adversity. Like forging steel, unless God heats up our lives a bit, He cannot adequately apply the blow of faith’s hammer that uniquely shapes our trust in Him. Joseph is no different than any other child of God, as He built trust in him, He will build it in you
(Romans 3:24-26) “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood , to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past , through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness : that he might be just , and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” In the above verse there are a number of words that teach us about the permanence of salvation that is found in Jesus Christ. 1) “ Justified Freely” When someone trusts in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, according to the above verse they are “justified,” meaning that they have been declared innocent of the crime of sin. Not that they never will or have sinned but that now they are considered “just,” or not found guilty. You see in Salvation, Jesus takes the sin of man upon himself and then declares the sinner free from the condemnation of sin, and by the word “freely,” God
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