Tuesday Thought
Quote of the Week
“God will never, never, never let us down if we have faith and put our trust in Him. He will always look after us.” – Mother Teresa
In the tough times God is faithful
Joseph in prison.
The Old Testament story of Joseph has fascinated me for a long time. One is because he is my namesake. The other is because I got to play him twice in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat when I was in high school. His story is really remarkable. Here’s a summary:
Joseph is one of the 12 sons of Jacob. His father gives him a many-colored coat (the Hebrew may actually mean “long-sleeved coat,” but who would write a musical about that?). Apparently, Joseph gets pretty full of himself and makes his brothers quite angry. They eventually leave him in a pit to die, but then they hear a group of traveling merchants coming by and instead decide to sell Joseph into slavery. Why not make a couple of bucks on this deal? Joseph is taken into Egypt, sold as a slave, and then framed for a crime. Being a slave he has little say, so he winds up in jail. While in jail, he interprets dreams, which is what got him in trouble with his brothers in the first place. Eventually he interprets the dreams of the Pharaoh and winds up the #2 man in the most powerful country in the world. Cool story. If you want to read it you need to start in Genesis 37 to 50, but you could stop probably some where in Genesis 47.
In chapter 39 we are told two times that God caused Joseph to prosper: “the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hands,” and “whatever he did the Lord made it prosper” (vs 3 & 23, NRSV). It is interesting to note that the first time we read that in verse 3 Joseph is a slave. The second time, verse 23, Joseph is in prison. Neither of those times would I feel prosperous. Yet, somehow Joseph is.
Joseph was a gifted manager. Everywhere he went, he was put in charge – as a slave, as a prisoner, and as Pharaoh right-hand man. But it wasn’t just him. It was God working through him, even when the situation didn’t seem like God was with him at all.
We need to be reminded of that too. Even when things aren’t going our way, God is right there with us. And when we are using our gifts to his glory his can make us prosper, even in the most difficult of circumstances. So whatever you are going through, imitate Joseph by following God.
Video of the Week
United Breaks Guitars
Here’s the story behind the video: A musician named Dave Carroll claims United Airlines damaged his Taylor guitar ($3500) during a flight. After more than 9 months of trying to get them to pay for damages he was told they would not. During his final conversation with a United Customer Relations Manager, he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create a music video for YouTube. The Manager responded: “Good luck with that one, pal.”
This is his response video which has received over 11 million hits. United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video. Naturally his response was: ”Good luck with that one, pal.” The good people at Taylor Guitars (I call them good because I too play a Taylor) sent him 2 new custom guitars in appreciation for mentioning them in his song.
I have heard through the grapevine that there are members of one of our small groups who might be playing a lot of Tiny Tower late into the night tonight. You see, they have decided to give up playing that game for Lent. Maybe they feel like it has taken over a chunk of their lives, and it is time. People give up a variety of things for Lent – foods, drinks, habits, etc. Others add something during the season of Lent – daily Bible reading, regular times of prayer, reading an inspiring book, etc. It’s a great time to deepen your relationship with Jesus.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Today is the day we celebrate LOVE.
