Joseph ChallengeНамуна

We have reached the end of the Joseph Challenge and what a sobering chapter to finish on.

God brought good out of all the trials that Joseph faced. He brought good out of the rejection and betrayal. He brought good out of Joseph’s imprisonment when he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s Wife…and He brought good out of the seven year famine.

This same God can bring good out of any situation, challenge, rejection or betrayal that you may face or are currently facing. All He requires is your love for Him and your love for others (Mark 12:30-31).

Joseph’s love for God was shown in his faithfulness to God’s standards despite the temptation to falter. Joseph’s love for others was displayed in his complete love and forgiveness towards his brothers. He showed genuine mercy and is a reflection of how God loves and accepts us even though we do not deserve them.

This is a charge for you to forgive and love others as God does, especially those that have offended you. The Lord’s Prayer which we ought to pray regularly, says, ‘forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.’ (Matthew 6:12, NLT) . The key word here is ‘forgiven’… (past tense), meaning that you ought to have already forgiven them prior to asking God for forgiveness.

Offering complete forgiveness feels weird. It is uncomfortable because it goes against the desires of the flesh. The flesh wants them to feel your pain, while the Spirit of God in you says, ‘love them even more’. As believers our only debt is love and our only competition is to outdo each other in love.

I’ll end with a quote from one of my favourite books, When broken chords sing; ‘Forgiveness is not an emotion. It is a decision. It is not about acting as if nothing happened. It’s about accepting what has happened and choosing to pardon the offender…’.

Final note: Any dream or vision given to you by God is important and must be fulfilled at all costs. It will get uncomfortable. You will be rejected, but you will be great. Joseph's life was spared for a purpose – his purpose was tied with the lives of others. In the same way, remember that your life is important. You are necessary. Your God-dream, God-vision, God-idea and purpose is what someone else needs.

Thank you for doing the #JosephChallenge!