Daily Devotions - Entries tagged "Acts 7:8-10"

MonMondaySepSeptember19th2011 Monday, September 19

Posted Monday, September 19 2011 @ 5 AM byKim Miller Tagged Acts 7:8-10 Suffering When the Bottom Drops Out 0 comments Add comment

On Sunday, Pastor Rob will continue his sermon series drawn from the content of his new book, When the Bottom Drops Out. During this series, he is sharing the lessons he and his family learned about God’s grace in the midst of profound disappointment. As we prepare our hearts for the next message in his series on God’s grace in the midst of disappointment, we will take a closer look this week at Joseph from the Old Testament, and how he models what living well in the light of adversity looks like.

We thank Kim Miller -- a senior editor at Tyndale House Publishers who worked with Pastor Rob on the editing of his book -- for preparing these devotional thoughts . Kim also attends Wheaton Bible Church, and leads a small group of sixth grade girls in Quest56.

Today we are reading and meditating on Acts 7:8–10, Stephen’s testimony before the Jewish high council after he’d been accused by lying witnesses of speaking against the Temple and the law of Moses. When asked if the charges against him were true, Stephen walked them through key events in Israel’s history to illustrate how the nation had a long history of resisting God and his servants.

Today’s reading, which comes from the New Living Translation, focuses on Joseph’s life:

8Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation. 9These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him 10and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.

In the early 1960s, the classic children’s book Fortunately hit the shelves. On the cover is an illustration of a little boy named Ned floating down from the sky in a bright white parachute. For decades kids have been delighted by this tale in which Ned, fortunately, is invited to a birthday party.

Unfortunately, the party is being held a thousand miles away. Fortunately, a friend loans him a plane so he can fly there. Unfortunately . . . well, you get the idea.

In the Old Testament, we meet Joseph, a man who might have been the model for Ned. Fortunately, Joseph was given a colorful coat because he was his father’s favorite. Unfortunately, his jealous brothers stripped him of that coat, threw him in a cistern, and then sold him to some nomadic traders.

Fortunately, God was with him and, as a result, his master, Potiphar, prospered and put him over everything in his household. Unfortunately, Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph of attempted rape and he was thrown in prison.

Fortunately, the warden was so impressed with Joseph that he put him in charge of all the other prisoners, which put him in position to correctly interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and baker. Unfortunately, the cupbearer forgot Joseph’s request that he tell Pharaoh about his plight. And so Joseph’s saga continues.

Sometimes Christians make the mistake of treating Joseph a little like the fictional Ned -- a memorable character for a kids’ story that ends on a happy note. Yet in his book, When the Bottom Drops Out, Pastor Rob urges us take a closer look at Joseph. The reason Joseph triumphed over enslavement, false accusations, and imprisonment wasn’t because of his good looks, winsome personality, or raw intelligence. Instead, the Lord entrusted him with increasing responsibility and wisdom because of the way Joseph viewed God in the midst of his many troubles.

For the rest of this week, we’ll consider three of God’s attributes that Joseph focused on -- even in the grimmest of circumstances. Because of his confidence in God, Joseph did nothing to dishonor the Lord and refused to give in to despair.

Unfortunately, like Joseph, we will encounter trials in this life, and we may be hurt by people who envy us, misuse us, or ignore us. Fortunately, we have a God who is close to the brokenhearted; who saves the crushed in spirit (see Psalm 34:18).

Father,
When I encounter trouble or pain today, help me to see that You are far bigger than anything I might face. And let me respond with compassion to those around me who are weighed down with difficulty.
Amen.