Paul was in prison when he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always." AROUND him was the cruelty of men, but WITHIN him was the Kingdom of God. How is such joy possible? Paul gives us the key: "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18). Child of God, there are things we see that the world doesn't.
Paul was saying, "You can lock me up, but you can't keep me in. Outside these bars Caesar rules, but in here Jesus is Lord, and when my assignment is complete, I'm out of here. Go ahead, take your best shot. Beat me, imprison me, lie on me, false accuse me, behead me, but one second after the axe falls I'll be more alive than I am now."
There's nothing you can do to a man like that.
He's beyond your reach.
He's beyond your reach.
Paul was saying, "This is the best it will ever be for you, but you ought to see where I'm going!"
"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Corinthians 5:1).
That's a God-altered perspective!
When you praise God, not because of what you FEEL, but because of what you KNOW, you'll have joy that transcends anything that comes against you!
Sometimes you don't FEEL like praising God. However, we don't live by FEELINGS...we live by FAITH.
- You won't always FEEL like loving people.
- You won't always FEEL like forgiving people.
- You won't always FEEL like praising God.
I think of JOSEPH (one of my hero's) and the great injustice that was done to him. He chose to FORGIVE a great WRONG...and likewise we are to do the same. Is it easy? NO! But if God has forgiven us...we have the responsibility to forgive others too.
- His brothers had DRIVEN him AWAY; he calls them to come near. (Genesis 45:4)
- His brothers had LEFT him without comfort or home; he encourages his brothers and comforts them. (Genesis 45:5)
- His brothers had been willing to ALLOW HIM TO DIE of starvation and thirst in a pit; he gave them provision for their trip home to Canaan. (Genesis 45:21)
- His brothers SENT HIM AWAY on the back of a mangy camel; he sends them home on fine Egyptian carts. (Genesis 45:21)
- His brothers had RIPPED THE COAT of many colors off his back; he gives them the expensive garments of Egypt. (Genesis 45:22)
- His brothers SOLD HIM FOR SILVER; Joseph gives them silver for their trip. (Genesis 45:22)
For Joseph to do this...is a picture of GRACE.
Have you ever been hurt by someone?
Have you ever been offended?
Have there been times when people have wronged you?
What do you do when that happens in your life?
We have the example of Joseph. He forgave his brothers. We also have the example of Jesus. When He was hanging on the cross, about to die for sin, as the religious leaders and the crowds passed by mocking Him, He prayed for their forgiveness.
When we are wronged, and it WILL happen, we are to forgive to the same extent that we have been forgiven. In fact, we are to go the extra mile in our forgiveness of others. That is not an easy requirement, but it is the will of God for our lives, and it is the only attitude that pleases God.
The key is to return "good for evil." (Romans 12:17-21; Matthew 5:44-48)
How could Joseph forgive his brothers like he did? Joseph could forgive because...
- He could see the hand of God in everything that happened to him.
- He knew that God was behind every disruption in his life.
- He knew that even his brothers sins against him were part of God's plan for his life.
If you and I are going to get past the hurts we experience, we must adopt the same attitude. If something takes place in your life or mine, it does so only because God gave it PERMISSION to occur. He is behind every single event that takes place, even the HURTS we experience.
If He has allowed it...then He will use it for my good and His glory in His time. My responsibility is to accept the things that come my way and trust Him to work out His will through it. If I can see His hand in the hurts I experience, it will make the hurt easier to bear.
