Genesis chapter 45

7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
    8 So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.


Being a Christian doesn't mean that life will be a bed of roses. We won't necessarily have the BMW, the big house, the designer clothes, the high powered job and plenty of money in the bank. Yes, God may bless us with these things, but if we don't have them, it is not a sign that we don't have enough faith, or that God is not with us.

Sometimes, bad things happen, even to Christians. And here, Joseph is telling his brothers that even though they were the ones who sold him into slavery, God was using that to bring Joseph to Egypt to save the nation of Israel. Like it says in Romans 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Joseph was called to save the nation and God used his brothers' actions to bring this about.

God will use the actions of the wicked and change the intended result for the better. I mean, who would have thought that being sold into slavery would save your family from death many years later?

And what is even more interesting here I find, is that Joseph bears no grudge against either his brothers or God. It would be easy to remember what his brothers had done, to let a root of bitterness and anger develop and change him into a hard, cruel man, unforgiving uncaring. Then again, he could easily have blamed God for allowing all this to happen, for sending him into slavery. Just as we can allow bitterness to take root when we are hurt, to hold a grudge against those who have maligned us, and to blame God for not stepping in, for not protecting us from harm, from danger, from hurt.

It is how we deal with the challenges and obstacles we face that shows our faith, how much we believe and trust in God. Like the believers in a church in one country where Christians are persecuted, when two armed soldiers rushed in, waving their guns around and told them that anyone who was not prepared to die for their faith should leave. Several left and then the soldiers announced they too were believers, and had been looking for others to worship with but only wanted to worship with those who were prepared to die for their faith. The ones who had stayed in the church demonstrated by their actions that they believed in Jesus.

I have to wonder whether my actions demonstrate a belief in God, in Jesus , in the Holy Spirit. Would someone be able to look at me and know I am a Christian by my behaviour, or do I just act the same as everyone else? Would I be a Joseph, willing to forgive others and trust in God, or would I harbour grudges, be selfish and self centred and always looking out for myself?