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With God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
Pastor Graham
The choices we make, make us! The story of Joseph will let us know why our choices even the little one that no one sees, determine who we’ll be and what who we end up becoming. Your choices are your destiny!
Genesis 39:1-15 (The story of Joseph)
There are many comparisons of Joseph to Jesus himself. In fact you may say that Joseph is the most Christ like man in the Old Testament. He is representative of the Lord himself. The character of his life is what sets this man apart. I’ve heard character described in many ways: Character is what you are in the dark, Character is who you are when no one is watching you. But I believe the best definition of Character is the sum total of the choices you make in life. The choices that make you, not the choices that you make. We can choose what we want to do, but we cannot choose the consequences of those choices. But ultimately, every decision we make in life impacts who we are—our character. Especially who we are before God.
Now have you ever noticed that is most often in the dark days, the difficult days that our faith is the strongest and our faith is developed the deepest. Life with all sunshine leaves a desert. And that’s why God allows sunshine and rain to form us and frame us in the image of Christ. That is the goal—not mere human character, but the character of God, the character of Christ in us. And therefore God tests us in order to prove us that he might prosper us. He is developing and preparing us for success in life. And he uses circumstances—not all of those circumstances are good—sometimes the circumstances in life are painful and hurtful. Such was the case of Joseph.
As you know Joseph was a dreamer… God planted in him some dreams. Not just day dreams, but God put in his heart that he will greatly use him and gave him a mental picture of the days that are to come. The providential hand of God began working in the life of young Joseph (just 17 years of age). And yet, because he was such a dreamer, because he was such favored by his father, he wore this magnificent robe. It was a symbol of the favor of this man upon his son. A mosaic kind of coat that speaks to me on the patch work of providence in our lives. God takes the many colors—seasons and situations in our lives and patches them together and forms them into something beautiful. I love the scripture which says: “He makes all this beautiful in his time.” So God proves his servant Joseph. And while he was loved and beloved of his father and God himself, he was despised by his brothers. On a certain day when Joseph confronted his brothers, they threw him into a pit and left him to die. Brother Judah said to his brothers: “What good will he do to us, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites.” They took his coat, dipped it in goat’s blood and went back to their father telling him that Joseph was dead.
Now Joseph who had the status of a beloved son was nothing but a lowly slave. But it was in the palace of a man by the name of Potiphar, that God tested Joseph with trials and temptations that ultimately proved the true mettle of this man.
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
Now Joseph was presented with a series of choices, tests, and temptations that would develop his character and prepare him for the future that God had promised. Sometimes in circumstance such as these, we pray to get out as soon as possible. “Lord I don’t want to be in this situation, Lord i’m at the edge here, I’m not going to make it another day, get me out of here!” We need to be praying in the middle of this situation no matter how grievous it may be, however terrible it may be: “Lord, give me strength not just to survive but to thrive in the middle of this. And Lord may I know your joy and may your hand be with me and never leave me that I may stand strong for you. This is how Joseph must have prayed because the first decision, the first choice he made is clear. He chose blessing over bitterness.
If there was ever a person who would choose bitterness given his circumstances in his life, it had to be this man. He was treated unfairly; he was treated unjustly, left from dad, and then was on the backs of camels in the desert into this foreign land all because he was victimized by the hatred and anger of his own brothers. But he chose blessing rather than bitterness, knowing that bitterness is a beast. Bitterness is an acid that would destroy its own container. Bitterness is anger turned inwards and the seething resentment that so many people feel today because of the circumstances of their lives, because of the conditions of their birth or because of the culture around them; many live with this loser’s limp, this victim mentality in life and therefore are defeated by this beast of bitterness in their lives. Giving up hope. Now the question is, are your grievances still alive? Or have you allowed the victim’s mentality to say you’re not smart enough, you’re not educated enough, you were born in the wrong place to the wrong family (now when I was younger, my parents used to say: “I picked you up from the rubbish dump!” oh that classic saying).
Are you still living with such a mentality when God says in Jesus Christ ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Can you live with the expectation knowing that if you’re the child of God, his hands are upon you just like the hand of God was on Joseph. Don’t you dare quit in resentment, in failure, and defeat. Some people say they are too old, too late to change things. Rather than dreaming again the dreams of God. There’s no reason for someone to quit if they fail because in a life with Christ, we have a hope and a future that is promised and God has ordained our steps and he is watching over us and walking with us every step of the way. So don’t you dare turn to bitterness in your brokenness! And why did Joseph do this, how could he do this? God guides us as he guided Joseph. Psalms 37:23 (NKJV) says: The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
You are here today and where you are in life—not by accident or by random chance. But in the purposes and plans of our Almighty God who guides our steps. From one of my favorite verses, (Psalms 3:5-6) Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Whatever the circumstances are in your life, trust God to carry your cares and worries. In Psalms 91 it says: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
Again in Jeremiah 29:11 He says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you. God guarded and graced Joseph. He may have lost his coat but he did not lose his character. The choices we make, make us.
it’s just a show
huiyu is discussing. 
Do I hear screams??!! 
Rachel Meredith Wong 
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