Jason constantinoff
on March 19, 2024
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Heavenly Help for Human Hands
"And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad." (Genesis 40:6)
Have you ever thought how unlikely it was that Joseph would notice the sadness of his cellmates? He had plenty of problems himself, without taking on anyone else’s.
His brothers had sold him into slavery, and then his boss, Potiphar, had fired and imprisoned him on false charges he had heard from the lying lips of Mrs. Potiphar, who had a lustful look in her eye for young Joseph.
Yet, Joseph noticed and cared about the concerns of the king of Egypt's chief butler and baker who had been jailed because it seems as though they had "offended" that little snowflake of a king.
We read where both the butler and the baker had perplexing dreams on the same night. Upon seeing their sadness and distress, Joseph, who was well aware of his spiritual gift, offers to interpret their dreams, acknowledging that the power to do so was from God.
The butler dreams of a fruitful vine from which he squeezes grape juice into Pharaoh's cup. Joseph interprets this to mean the cupbearer will be restored to his position in three days and pleads with him to remember him when he is.
Enthused and maybe somewhat excited by that favorable interpretation, the baker shares his dream of three bread baskets being eaten by birds. Joseph tells him that in three days, he will be executed and eaten by birds.
Now I'm sure that interpretation didn't bring a smile to the baker's face, yet, on Pharaoh's birthday, both dreams come to pass. The cupbearer is restored, the baker is hanged. But despite Joseph's plea, the butler forgets about him once he's restored to his position.
You know, God's way out of a personal pit of discouragement is to think of and serve others. But the surest way to deepen those dark and dreary times is to dwell more about yourself.
Joseph is perhaps the best example in the Old Testament of a selfless, servant-spirited believer and it is no coincidence that, in every situation in which he found himself, he continually rose above his own trials and glorified God.
Hey, are you going through some difficult and drastic times right now? Maybe someone has wronged you, simply because you were doing right. Possibly someone has forgotten a helpful word you said to them or a kind deed you did for them. What has been your response to all that?
Do you think of others and how to help them out of their situation, or are you too busy thinking only about yourself and your own problems which can often become a huge dramatic scene for others to watch or read?
Friends, if we were to stop long enough and look around, we would find, like Joseph did, that there is a world of opportunities to encourage one another. For those are the open doors that God uses to lead us out of our darkness and despair and to help lighten someone else's load.
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Rachel
Amen
March 19, 2024
Rachel
❤️❤️❤️
March 19, 2024