Saturday, March 29, 2014

Good Comes from Evil!

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After Jacob died, Joseph's brothers said to each other, “What if Joseph still hates us and wants to get even with us for all the cruel things we did to him?”

So they sent this message to Joseph:

Before our father died, he told us, “You did some cruel and terrible things to Joseph, but you must ask him to forgive you.”

Now we ask you to please forgive the terrible things we did. After all, we serve the same God that your father worshiped.

When Joseph heard this, he started crying.

Right then, Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to the ground in front of him and said, “We are your slaves.”

But Joseph told them, “Don't be afraid! I have no right to change what God has decided. You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for the best, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing.

Genesis 50:15-20

One of the most difficult things to grasp about God is that He even uses evil to bring good in this world! Joseph's brothers sold him as a slave, but God used that terrible sin to save the world from the famine that would come.

Has someone sinned against you? Maybe like Joseph it was someone in your own family. Perhaps you were a victim of "child abuse" or maybe you are a wife that has suffered from physical violence. Then, there is emotional abuse where you are ridiculed and are told that you are worthless and a "good for nothing" person. The new term for that is "bullying."

Instead of asking God: "Why did You let that happen to me?" Ask Him: "What good are You bringing forth from my suffering and abuse?" There is no bad thing that happens to a child of God that is not ultimately used for good. Jesus not only conquered Satan by providing for the forgiveness of sin, but also by using every evil deed and even thought to bring about Good in this world!

Does that mean that we should do something wrong so that God can work it for Good? Of course not! What it means is this: The ultimate victory over sin is that even the most evil act in all of history, which was killing Jesus Christ, was used by God for the salvation of all who would come to Jesus! Still today, Satan does something Bad and God uses it for Good! Wicked men with evil purposes are orchestrating world events that may indeed be the prophesied End Times before the return of Jesus!

So when you think of the evil that has been done to you, ask God to show you the good that has come or will come from it. Then you can be like Joseph who forgave his brothers for what they did to him.

"Lord Jesus, May I today begin to see the good that has come from all the things that I have suffered in this life. And by Your grace and power help me to love those who have hurt me even as You, Jesus love those who crucified You! And may You be praised forever. Amen."

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