Discover His heart: He will not allow us to be tempted more than we can endure
As a rule, it’s helpful to maintain a measure of self-confidence as we move through life accomplishing God’s purpose for us otherwise we might not ever get out of bed. We can spot individuals with this admirable attribute from the way they walk and carry themselves, heads held high, shoulders back, confident smiles. This demeanor works well for those who have it, and most have learned to carry it with caution so that they don’t appear arrogant and self-absorbed. From scripture it seems that young Joseph was one of these confident individuals – favored, handsome, well-dressed – but unfortunately he had not learned how to carry it off successfully.
@ Genesis 37
“When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half-brothers…But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing. Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children…So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.” (2-4) Bad blood! Add to Joseph’s favor and confidence the fact that he was the family snitch, and we can understand the disapproval shown by his brothers.
“One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. ‘Listen to this dream,’ he said. ‘We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!’” (5-7) I’ve often wondered just exactly how clueless Joseph was to share his dream, or was he intentional in his revelation? Evidently, God saw some of the latter in Joseph and started to process this young man into a vessel worthy of the honor He would one day give him.
“When the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traders, came by, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. And the traders took him to Egypt… the Midianite traders arrived in Egypt, where they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.” (28,36) And this began the processing of Joseph, confident son of Jacob, now slave.
While we may think that Joseph received a little comeuppance, as they say, God was preparing this confident young man to save His people. The thing that put Joseph in this dire situation is the very thing that pulled Joseph through to the other side of his trial because fortunately, he was even more confident in the Lord than he was in himself. When Potiphar’s wife came after Joseph (39:6-23), he confidently declared, “How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” (9) God was not surprised by Joseph’s response.
God uses the strengths He has placed within us to accomplish His good when we surrender them to Him, acting out of humility rather than pride. Sometimes we are processed like Joseph in order to bring this about. This is not done to crush us or to destroy who we are, but to transform us into useful vessels of honor. “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (I Corinthians 10:13) In the process, we may not believe this, but it is true nonetheless – God is on our side, and just as He did with Joseph, He sees us as we will become.
Moving Forward: I’m grateful that He loves me enough to process and perfect me. Sometimes I’m a slow learner, but He’s a patient God.
Tomorrow @ Ruth
Phyllis Benigas 