Joseph is one of my favorite Bible characters. I mention him often because there’s so much to learn from his life. Today’s passage is a good example, as it reveals two of his traits that we should emulate.
1. He demonstrated a servant spirit early in life. Genesis 37 describes the things that took place when Joseph was around 17 years old. In every exchange, the young man embodied respect and discipline; he never rebelled against those in authority over him. In fact, he continually went out of his way to serve others.
2. Joseph realized God was controlling his life. How else can you explain his relentless pursuit of excellence in every trial? No matter what happened to him, Joseph always remembered the divine visions he’d been given in his teen years (Gen. 37:1-6). He believed there was a plan for his life and felt convinced that somehow, sometime, God would reveal what it was.
Whether you are 17 or 77, the lessons of Joseph’s life are valuable. It is never too late to learn the art of service or to recognize that God’s plan is perfect. What’s more, it’s never too late to help someone else discover these things.
The scene of the cross is a paradox. It demonstrates the power of God in what appears to be the weakest moment in His Son’s life. With hands and feet nailed to rough wood, Jesus looked totally helpless. And He remained there while the crowd jeered, “If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:39-40).
Strength is not always revealed in a dramatic display; at times, it’s demonstrated in determined endurance. Jesus could have freed Himself with one spoken word, but love kept Him there on the cross. With mankind’s eternal destiny at stake, Christ hung on until our salvation was attained.
What’s more, the power of the cross didn’t end when Jesus died—His death opened the door of salvation to all people. Whoever trusts in Him by faith is forgiven for every sin and assured a place in heaven. And the power of the cross remains after salvation, transforming believers’ lives. Jesus sets us free and empowers us to live victoriously in His righteousness.
Have you let the cross do its work in your life? The Lord will not force it on you. Instead, He offers righteousness freely to all who believe in Him and walk in His ways.
If the heavenly Father is good and loving, why would He allow His Son to be crucified? From our perspective, there is nothing loving in this scene.
To grasp what happened at the cross, we must first understand that the Lord is righteous and just. He does what is right and never contradicts His Word. On the other hand, mankind is sinful and deserving of punishment. God couldn’t simply forgive us, because He would then cease to be just—and justice requires a penalty for sin. Either the Lord had to condemn us all to suffer His wrath, or He needed a plan that would satisfy His justice and allow His mercy.
Before the foundation of the world, the Lord had such a plan in place (Revelation 13:8). Jesus came to earth to be our sin bearer, and the Father placed our guilt and punishment on Him. Because the Savior’s payment satisfied justice, sinful man could be declared righteous.
When we trust in Christ and acknowledge that His payment was made on our behalf, we are forgiven of our sins and blessed with salvation. God’s perfect Son was the only One who qualified to be our substitute, and Jesus did it all willingly. Through an act that appeared cruel and hateful, God’s goodness and love was revealed to the world.
The book of Jonah doesn’t end the way we might expect. From the belly of a fish, Jonah recommitted himself to the Lord’s purpose. But later, he admitted he didn’t want the job—and the Lord chastised his selfishness. You see, Jonah was sent to the Ninevites, who were a threat to the Jewish people. The reluctant prophet was afraid that if these enemies repented, his merciful God would not destroy them. Jonah confessed he wanted to see the Ninevites wiped out: “Therefore in order to forestall [their salvation] I fled to Tarshish” (Jonah 4:2 NASB 1995).
Sometimes we resist God’s will because we dislike the probable outcome of obedience. Or like Jonah, we focus on our own desires and comfort and lose sight of what’s really important. But our feelings about what might happen are not a reason to resist God’s plan. If the Lord calls us to act, He will take care of the results. Our job is to obey.
What selfish desire is keeping you from obeying the Lord? Maybe you are too angry with your spouse to work on your marriage or too hurt to welcome back a repentant friend. But Christians are not to be ruled by feelings. Obedience is what’s required, and its blessings may surprise you.
We may be tempted to think that disobedience in a small matter really won’t affect us too much. Surely God isn’t going to be bothered by something so inconsequential, especially if our motives are good. But in reality, we never have good motives for any act of disobedience, and the consequences aren’t lessened by our attempt to diminish its size.
King Saul didn’t want to go to battle until Samuel was there to offer the burnt sacrifice. But when the prophet didn’t arrive on time and the army was beginning to desert, fear made Saul impatient. So he handled the offering himself, attempting to get God’s blessing by disobediently usurping the role of the priest. When confronted by Samuel, the king tried to justify his actions.
What Saul saw as a small, necessary disobedience, God viewed as a serious act of rebellion. As a result, Saul’s kingdom would end and the Lord would one day appoint someone else to Israel’s throne.
Are there any “small disobediences” in your life that you’re trying to justify? It could be something you’ve done or perhaps something you’ve refused to do. The only solution for any act of disobedience is to confess and repent.
