Jesus Loves Me: That's All that Matters

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

God's love for us is inconditional. In fact, God loved us enough to send His Son for us even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).

God did not wait for us to get our act together, but sent Jesus so that He could reconcile us to Himself:

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:19)

Nothing can separate me from God's Love.

For the longest time, and even recently, I have realized still that I had placed conditions on God's love. If things were going well in my life, then I was assured that God was for me.

But if things were difficult, if I was going through trials, then I would waver. "Where is God in the midst of these hardships? Why am I going through all of this?"

God wants to break those doubts out of our lives. Also, He allows us to endure hardships to test and refine our faith (1 Peter 1:17).

God wants us to rest fully in Him, to labor, to make it a priority to enter His rest and receive from Him all things.

Consider what Joseph went through. God had given him two dreams, in which his brothers and even his parents would bow down to him. Yet he endured many trials before God finally accomplished all that He had dreamed, all that He had planned for Joseph.

So too God allows hardships to take place, so that we mature, we grow in grace, and receive more from Him:

"3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (Romans 5:3-5)

and

"But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." (James 1:4)

God's love is all that matters. Whatever you have thought or be thinking, whatever you have done or may done, nothing can separate you from the love of God:

"38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)

Whatever good or bad comes your way, know that God's love for you is there, is real, and is going nowhere!

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)

His love is unconditional, independent of your circumstances and certainties. Jesus loves you--that's all that matters!

God Transforms Evil for Our Good Masterfuly

"But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." (Genesis 50:20)

That word "meant" is chasab, and it means "reckon" or think.

It's first mention occurs in Genesis 15:6

God took Abraham's faith, and reckoned him as righteous!

This word chasab also appears here in Exodus:

Exodus 26:1 
HEB: כְּרֻבִ֛ים מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה חֹשֵׁ֖ב תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָֽם׃
NAS: the work of a skillful workman.
KJV: [with] cherubims of cunning work
INT: cherubim the work of a skillful shall make

Exodus 26:31 
HEB: מָשְׁזָ֑ר מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה חֹשֵׁ֛ב יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָ֖הּ
NAS: the work of a skillful workman.
KJV: linen of cunning work:
INT: twisted the work of a skillful shall be made cherubim

Exodus 28:6 
HEB: מָשְׁזָ֖ר מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה חֹשֵֽׁב׃ 
NAS: the work of the skillful workman.
KJV: linen, with cunning work.
INT: twisted the work of the skillful

Exodus 28:15 
HEB: מִשְׁפָּט֙ מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה חֹשֵׁ֔ב כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה אֵפֹ֖ד
NAS: the work of a skillful workman; like the work
KJV: of judgment with cunning work;
INT: of judgment the work of a skillful the work of the ephod

It speaks of the skillful work invested in the creation of  the Ark of the Covenant.

So, going back to Joseph, when his brothers feared that he would wreak vengeance on them because they had betrayed him and sold him into slavery, Joseph told his brothers:

"You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good."

That word "meant" is chasab, that God masterfully, skillfully turned the evil intended against him for his good.

We have this promise today because of Christ Jesus!

"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." (Romans 8:28)

Jesus took all the sins of the world, and gave us His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

God will take whatever bad the world throws at you, and make it work for your good.

Believe it!

Why Do We Face Trials? So That The World Can See His Spirit in Us

"And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" (Genesis 41:38)

Joseph went through untold, incredible trials.

His brothers betrayed him.

They sold him into slavery.

He was stripped naked and sold as a slave to Potiphar

Yet through all the trials, from the outset, the Lord was with Joseph, and everything he touched prospered. (Genesis 39:2)

Potiphar made Joseph lord of his house, so that Potiphar was only aware of the food in front of him. Then Potiphar's wife made perverse designs on Joseph. He righteously refused, and yet was punished as though he had done her wrong.

In the king's prison, Joseph continued to receive favor:

"But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison." (Genesis 39:21)

From the prison, he interpreted dreams, and the butler who was restored forgot to tell Pharoah and others about his trial.

Then came the moment, two years later, when the butler remembered Joseph, not just a dreamer now but an interpreter of dreams, and brought his fame to Pharoah's attention.

Pharoah summoned Joseph, who interpreted Pharoah's dreams and advised him about how to deal with the coming famine upon the earth.

And there, Pharoah then declared: "Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is."

Of himself, Joseph was nothing, and he even declared that he himself did not interpret dreams:

"And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." (Genesis 41:16)

Not just the answer ot the dreams, Joseph gave Pharoah an answer of Shalom, of consummate peace.

Joseph had experienced God's favor in spite of all the hardships, hardships which no one could have overcome on their own in their own efforts.

It was clear that God had been with Joseph, and this witness was unmistakable for Pharoah, that he could declare: "Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?"

Are you going through trials now? Are you facing challenges which are not of your making? Have you been wronged, and therefore you are suffering accordingly?

Realize that God is setting you up. He is positioning you so that the world will know that God is with you, that He is blessing you. In fact, you cannot help but be blessed and be a blessing, because Christ is in you, your hope of glory! (Colossians 1:27)

Don't feel lost or abandoned because of trials you face now. Now that He is working in you so that the world can see His spirit in you.

When Life Is Not Fair, Depend on God's Favor, Not Man's Fervor

"But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon ... Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him." (Genesis 40: 14-15, 23)

Joseph, the beloved, favored son of Jacob, whom God ordained to save many lives as the second-in-command with Pharoah later on in life, had endured untold privations in life.

1. His brothers betrayed him, selling him into slavery.

2. As the prized servant in Potiphar's house, his lecherous wife lied about him, claiming that he had attempted to rape her, when it was actually the other way around. Joseph ended up in prison, when he could have been executed -- most likely that did not happen, since Potiphar likely knew that his wife was lying.

3. There in a prison, Joseph helped not one but two prisoners to interpret their dreams, and yet for all that, the restored butler forgot about Joseph.

I read this interesting commentary about the above passage:

From Barnes' Notes on the Bible:

"I have not done aught." Joseph pleads innocence, and claims liberation, not as an unmerited favor, but as a right. "The pit." The pit without water seems to have been the primitive place of confinement for culprits.

Joseph wanted to claim by right his innocence and rely on his own pleading to get out of jail. "This is wrong. This is not fair! I should not be here!"

Yet at this point, God did not manuever to get Joseph out of the prison ... yet.

As beloved children of our father, we are called, invited, exhorted to grow in grace, in His "unmerited favor." Even when things are not fair, we need to keep depending on God's grace, not man's favor or fervor, including our own. We will find favor in the eyes of men because of God, not because of our efforts. It's as simple as that.

Following this even, we witness one more aspect of Joseph's training, growing in grace!

Indeed, the butler may have inadvertently forgotten Joseph and his plight, but we've read the book, and we know that God needed the time to elapse so that Joseph would be perfectly positioned.

Notice also that Joseph learned even more to depend on God's favor, enough that when he stood before Pharoah, he never pleaded his case or his cause, but simply interpreted the dream, and then said:

"Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years." (Genesis 41:33-34)

Joseph did not say "Pick me! Pick me!" He had gotten to the place of understanding how great is God's plan for all of us, and it's not just for ourselves!

Of course, Pharoah followed God's promptings, even if he did not believe in Him:

"And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou." (Genesis 41:38-40)

Notice that this heathen ruler could not help but see "Can we find such a one as this -- a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" Joseph's natural privations allowed for supernatural glory, that even the unbelieving ... would believe on Him!

We don't need man's fervor. Let's trust in God's favor, let's rest in the truth that He is very much working behind the scenes in our lives, even when we are victims of injustice, when we see our attempts fail to help ourselves out.

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity." (2 Peter 3:18)

The Holy Spirit is Guiding Us, Even When It Seems Like a Set-Up

Throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, God's people face unjust trials and convictions many times.

Yet the LORD leads all of them out of those dark times into greater light, glory, freedom, and blessing--not just for themselves, either, but for others, too.

With all of this in mind, I found this passage in Genesis 37:

12And his [Joseph] brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. 13And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. 14And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

Here, we have a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, sent by his Father to visit His Brethren, the Jewish people.

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John 1:11)

Now here's the part which stands out about the Holy Spirit:

15And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou? 

This "Certain man" is not named, just like the servant who found a bride for Isaac (Genesis 24), and just like the servant who attended to Joseph's commands when he stood in Pharoah's stead (Genesis 40)

16And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks. 17And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

Throughout the Old Testament, any reference to an unnamed servant is a type of the Holy Spirit. He helps the types who represent Jesus, and as an unnamed servant, he does not draw attention to himself:

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." (John 16:13)

So, here we have an unnamed person telling Joseph to find his brothers in a clear location.

This man guided Joseph to his bitter, envious brothers, who sold him into slavery, then lied to their father to make him believe that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

It would seem that the Holy Spirit, or in the case of the above account the unnamed man, lead Joseph into a trap.

In truth, we all know that this guidance, this direction led to Joseph's massive promotion and glory.

When Joseph later revealed himself to his brothers in Egypt, he comforted them:

"Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life." (Genesis 45:5)

and also

"And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance." (Genesis 45:7)

Even when the brothers once again attempt to deceive Joseph, fearing that he would turn on them after their father Jacob died, Joseph would say to them:

"19And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. 21Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them." (Genesis 50:19-21)

When the outcomes seem dire or doomed, and yet you were guided by the Holy Spirit and His peace (Colossians 3:15), just bear in mind that the Holy Spirit is indeed setting you up--setting you up to succeed!

No Matter What They Say, God's Grace Will Take You All the Way

"22And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper." (Genesis 39: 22-23)

Joseph, the blessed, beloved son of Jacob, had already been betrayed by his brothers.

Then his master's wife lied about him, claiming that he had tried to rape her, when in face she had tried to seduce him:

And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice:" (Genesis 39: 13-14)

Notice that she spoke to all the servants, not to her husband first. What's going on here?

Check out how she shares the same thing with her husband Potiphar:

And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. 17And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: 18And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out." (Genesis 39: 16-18)

So, why tell the other servants in the home about Joseph's alleged assault, then tell her husband?

She wanted to pressure her husband to dispatch Joseph. If Potiphar refused to, he would lose favor and respect in the eyes of the other servants.

But how did Potiphar ultimately respond?

"After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. 20And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison." (Genesis 39: 19-20)

Joseph promoted to Keeper of the King's Prison

So, Potphar got mad-- but he didn't get mad at Joseph.

Instead of having him executed, Potiphar placed Joseph in the king's prison. He received an interesting new location, didn't he? He was "imprisoned", but then promoted as chief overseer for all the prisoners!

2And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. 23The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper. (Genesis 39: 22-23)

Apparently, whatever Joseph was accused of--did not bother the keeper of the prison, did it?

Do not worry about people may say about you.

If you have God's favor, He will take you all the way!

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" (Ephesians 1:3)