Day 14: Gen 37:23 - 40:22

It's hard to say whether or not I think it was necessarily God's will for so many bad things to happen to Joseph in the first part of his life, but I think to dwell on that matter is just a waste of time that many people fall into. Instead of worry about whether or not it was God's will for some unforeseen tragedy to happen in our lives, maybe we should put our focus more on what God can make happen as a result of that tragedy. I guarantee if Joseph would've gotten stuck in a rut worrying about, "Why would God let something like this happen to me?" he would've never gotten to place God wanted him to be.

The story of Judah and Tamar is a little difficult to understand and really get a good grasp on because of the fact that alot of it deals with the custom of the day, of which I have no clue. The one thing I can get from the story is this: dishonesty, though it may eventually make things turn out the way you wanted, is never in Gods will. Although it may solve problems now, it will always cause even more problems than before. Elementary ethics 101.

The biggest thread we can see in the story of Joseph is integrity. It didn't matter what was happening to him or around him he always carried himself will a level of integrity that couldn't help but propel him to the top of whatever situation he was in. Whether he was fighting off the lustful wife of his boss or interpreting dreams in prison, he did everything with integrity.

- Lord, help me to see past the bad things that have happened or are happening in my life right now and give me the vision to see how You will turn those situations around. And help me to live my life with the utmost levels of honesty and integrity. Though in our society, those two ideals have all but vanished, I know that you have called me to a life of honesty and integrity and if I will stay true to that, there's no telling what I'll be able to accomplish for You. -