Forever Faithful

My mom gave me a word of encouragement the other night that I thought would be helpful to others, as well. We've been going through a lot recently and she was telling me to remember Joseph (Jacob's son). She told me to think about how he must have felt sitting in that pit, knowing that God had told him things in a dream, yet not knowing how it would all come into play. Then I went back and read parts of the story. Do you realize that not only was Joseph highly favored, but that the Bible even says that the Lord was with him? It mentions it several times that God was there. Even though Joseph was wrongly accused and imprisoned, God was still there with him and He made sure that Joseph was okay. Not only that, but I think about how Joseph always gave God the glory. That is how I want to live. There was no doubt that Joseph followed God, Pharaoh knew it and every one who came in contact with Joseph knew it. The part that my mom knew I needed to hear was that, although Joseph was put in situations of despair, he held on to God's promises and knew that when God said something, He meant it. He had to know that God will never forsake his children and that though he couldn't see the end, if he put his trust in God, he would make it through.

I have a lot of things that I probably should be worrying about right now, and sometimes I fall into that trap and end up worrying about them; but I know that God has good things planned for me and that all things work out for the good of those who love Him. I know that God has promised to never leave nor forsake me. I know that He promised that we would face persecution and trials as a believer, but that I would not face them alone. I know that there is power in death and resurrection of His son and the blood shed for me. I know that He has given me strength and that I cannot attribute any of what has happened nor the fact that I am so joyful through struggles to anything but Christ. He is my strength.

To be salt and light in the world...

It saddens me sometimes how we, as Christians, act or come across to others... I say "we", myself included... As those held responsible to shine a light, the Light, we need to be aware that the world watches as we live out our days. 


“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
   ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." -Matthew 5:13-16


I am going to refrain from sharing the full story, for that is not the purpose of this post; but I will say that I hope and pray that, as believers, we will be examples for others to follow. Let us not look to anyone, but Jesus, to show us how to be that perfect example.