“Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:19, 20)
Jigsaw puzzles are not my favorite things to work! For those who enjoy them, there is not a greedy bone in my body … you can have my share of working them. I like to see the finished picture but if a piece doesn’t fit where I think it should, I tend to force it there. My family is quick to remind me it isn’t supposed to be that hard, I just need to put the right piece in that place.
That being said, some days my life feels like a jigsaw puzzle. Can you relate? We battle with our priorities every day, and they can keep getting out of sequence. All the work we do to put a piece in the wrong place results in wasted time and effort. The out-of-place pieces will always generate confusion. I must learn that only the Lord can help me to place every piece in its rightful place.
This life is not all there is! There is something better waiting for those who choose to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” Trying to force a piece of life and its pursuits in the place that belongs only to the Lord will only prove to be frustrating and ultimately defeating!
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, NKJV). The “seeking first” is the concept of constantly seeking and putting God in His rightful place in the heart and life of each one of us.
Jesus, while preaching on the side of a mountain, compares what the world is concerned about with what His people should be caring about … the principles and characteristics that were to define His people.
Joseph’s life portrayed in the Book of Genesis is a true story of one who did keep his priorities straight! What a story of encouragement! What a wonderful story preserved by God to give each one of us the reassurance that God is on His throne and He is still and always will be … in charge!
Joseph trusted in God and put what was pleasing to Him as his first priority. That did not remove difficulties … it gave Joseph the peace the Lord has promised to those who put Him first!
We must seek to know His will and do the same.
Life is a journey and it will have hairpin curves … bumps … detours … sudden stops! We all have a past … and we all have our share of fears in this present world … and we should all have positive and upright prospects for our future!
May each of us choose to spend the remaining days of our lives putting the Lord first in every decision, others second, and self lastly (Matthew 22:37-39).
May each of us choose to spend the remaining days of our lives reassuring those around us, and living a life highlighted by “the peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
May each of us choose to spend every day striving to be right with God! Joseph did … and just look at what it did for him. He met with God’s favor and through him many others were blessed!
Bill Fairchild, Jr.
How is your daily Bible reading?
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