Joseph Christmas Mathew 1:20 Coloring Page Poster

 Matthew1:20 

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

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Simeon Blesses Jesus Coloring Pages Three to Choose From

Simeon Blessed Jesus

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From Childhood To Slavery

From Childhood to Slavery

Let’s go back into Joseph’s life as a child.  Joseph was a teenager when his baby brother was born   His mother died but everything Joseph learned from his mother would not be forgotten.  Joseph was taught a number of things. This was made evident when He was in bondage.  Joseph was the only  sibling that lost his mother.  None of the other women in Jacob’s life could ever replace Joseph’s mom.

  

Joseph was given extra love and attention.  A grieving teen needs special attention.  Joseph was taught the bible by both his mother and his father.  They taught Joseph to love God and they taught Joseph how to obey and respect.  There’s not one bad thing ever said in scripture about Joseph.  Joseph was sold into slavery and had to adapt to his life in Egypt.  

Joseph was very trustworthy, he was a hard worker, and he cared about people, he feared God. He respected those over him. He kept a good spirit about himself.  He was a great follower and because of that, he became a good leader.  Joseph was trusted because of his character.  Which was also seen through how he spoke to people.  Joseph was mistreated growing up by his brothers and through those problems, he had to learn to respond to them.  I believe Joseph’s mother and father taught him how to rise above his situation.  When I think of Joseph as a child that lost his mother.  I think of the poor injured lamb in the care of the shepherd.  Only it wasn’t a leg injury. It was a heart injury.  He needed extra special attention.  All the other sheep were okay.  

The day Joseph was taken into bonds and was herded off to Egypt with other slaves was the day Joseph grasped with all his heart everything he was ever taught.  Everything he was taught by his mother, everything ever taught to him by his father, and every bible scripture he ever read.  Prayer was more important than ever.  Prayers mingled in sweat and tears on a hard dry desert journey.  Joseph knew the life of a slave and the horrors of slavery.  

Susan Nikitenko

April 22, 2021 ©

Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At treasurebox18@yahoo.com - All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include the Site Name And Proper Credit Back To This Blog. Thank-You.

Joseph Was Thrown Into Prison

Joseph Was Thrown into Prison

It’s been sooooo long since I left you hanging. Did you forget about me?  You know, the story of  "Joseph being accused of something he did not do."  He was thrown into prison.  I’m sure he was in shock and crying out to God in his heart as he was grabbed quickly, pushed about, and roughly tossed into an unknown atmosphere.  It was probably darker than normal there.  The truth is Joseph was alone in life, he had no friends.  He didn’t have family members there for him.  He had no one praying for him through his tears and his grief.  He didn’t have anyone but God.  He talked to God through his problems.  His father wasn’t praying for his safety, his father thought he was dead.  I’m sure Joseph thought of his little brother and his dad each night before he went to sleep.  I mean that would be the human thing to do.  There are several things Joseph did while he was in prison. He did his very best work.  I’m sure he learned new things every day.  He met new people each day.  He did not have a bad attitude.  If he struggled in his heart with bitterness, he took it to God in prayer.  Who knows what happened to him while he was in prison?  The bible does not tell us every detail of his stay.  We know one thing though he was there a long, long time.  He was completely forgotten.

He obviously wanted out of prison, because He mentions it to two people.  Joseph was talented in a very unusual way.  Joseph’s talent was rejected by his family when he was young.  However, He was believed by people who he knew in Egypt.  Once again just like David, Joseph was accused, by his family of being, prideful.  Rejection and violence were part of their youth because they were judged harshly.  Did that mean God wasn’t blessing them?  On the contrary, they were the very ones that had a leadership purpose.  God was preparing Joseph for a life of a leader. 

 

Susan Nikitenko April 17^th, 2021 ©

God's been speaking to my heart about Joseph and what he might have gone through in prison.

I'm starting some more lessons about Joseph, starting tomorrow and the following weeks.   

Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At treasurebox18@yahoo.com - All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include the Site Name And Proper Credit Back To This Blog. Thank-You.

Second in Command - Josephs Greatest Temptation

Second In Command - Joseph's Greatest Temptation

Tween - Teen

Joseph was taught from youth to love God with all his heart.  He knew the pain of losing a parent to death.  He knew what it felt like to be hated.  He knew hurt that some people will never know but Joseph stayed faithful to God.  He still looked to God.

The bible does not tell us what Joseph went through while on the dusty trail to slavery.  It doesn't tell us if he felt fearful or if he spent nights in silent tears.  He doesn't tell us how painful it was to have to say goodbye in his heart to his dearly loved dad and brother but we know he did suffer because he was human.

His only true friend was God.  He manned up! so to speak (even though the Bible refers to him as a child.)  He put his confidence in God and He did things God's way.  He held on to every truth he ever knew.  He held tight to what he was taught.  Good thing he knew the word of God, or he would have never made it.  God was his best friend and that's the way it needs to be for you and me too.  Did Joseph have hurt in his heart?  Yes, he did, but yet He would become a (great) very important

man of God and is a picture ( an example ) of our Saviour. 
  
After a journey of hardship, he entered into a new awareness.  He entered into the halls of riches.  The riches of Egypt and also God's will for his life.  His dreams were becoming a reality.  He became the servant of a very rich man.  He would live and work in a royal existence.   God made everything he did to prosper.  He became a
slave to an officer of the Pharaoh.  His name was Potiphar.  Joseph served God and did his work as unto the Lord God.  He was favored and He was trusted.  He served Potipher with respect and honor.  He became so trusted that He was given charge over Potiphar's entire household.  The only thing Potiphar had to do was decide what he was having for dinner.  Potipher became richer and richer.  God blessed Potiphar's home for Joseph's sake.  Everything Joseph did was blessed and prospered.
He was the second in command.

Then came a day of trouble, a day of temptation.  Something difficult to deal with.
Something he did not expect.  Something that would change everything for him.
Potiphar's wife looked upon Joseph and became attracted to him.  She came on to him in a way unbecoming.  Joseph's life was suddenly in peril.  He immediately reacted with unbelief and searched for the next exit.  He ran for his life, being a slave his life
was in danger.  He escaped but his garment was left in her hand which she later used to
accuse him falsely. 


( Still Working Here)



 Psalms 119:11 
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, 
that I might not sin against thee.

Psalms 31:23
O love the LORD, all ye his saints: 
for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and
 plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.


Genisis 39 1-23

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.
 And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.
 But he refused and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand;
 There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because of thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
 And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
 And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.
 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.
 And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth,
 That she called unto the men of her house, and spake unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in an Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got him out.
 And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:
 And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.
And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled.
 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.
 The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.

Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At treasurebox18@yahoo.com - All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Proper Credit Back To This Blog. Thank-You.

Joseph 2nd In Command - Updates

All Scriptures from KJV1611

Joseph 2nd In Command
Pardon my mistakes my eyes have been bothering me.
Tween/ Teen

Envy

Genesis 37:3
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

Joseph has been the popcorn theme for fall for a few years. Once again I have thought about the life of Joseph for months and started understanding the tragedy Joseph had faced before He became a great leader in the second command.  Joseph was hated, hurt, halted, and humiliated.  His life had stopped as He knew it.  He was hurled into a deep pit of rejection.  He was despised by his half brothers.  Did they not think once that He was motherless, he didn't have a mother to weave him a coat.  He was the one who witnessed the death of his mother at Benjamin's birth.  So if His father gave him special attention and compassion, it was completely the right thing to do.  His half brothers had a mother who took care of them.  They didn't love Joseph.  Joseph knew what it was like to lose someone He loved and who loved him.  Many times I've heard teachers teach that Joseph was prideful and that His Father favoring him was wrong.  Another reason Joseph was hated is that he had dreams.  God gave him dreams of future happenings.  God gave something special to Joseph and he could not help that he had dreams.   He was excited to tell them about the dreams because they were from God.  Wouldn't you be excited if God gave you a special talent?  They hated him because of his dreams and his Father even questioned where his heart was. After much thought, I have come to the conclusion that He had to give Joseph special attention because He was motherless and His brothers loved each other more than they loved him.  He was the half brother born to Jacobs favored wife Rachel.  Joseph needed special care.  His father knew how to sew, how to dye and make fabric.  It was a very loving thoughtful thing for a father to do.  He knew he had no mother to make him one.  There was no proverbs mother there for him.  He certainly was not favored by the mother's there because they favored their sons over him.

Today we still have to be cautious of slave traders and those that would take our children for terrible purposes.  Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery but God was still there to protect Joseph's life.  I see...Joseph in my mind, laying his head upon a rock awake, in tears at the thought of the seething hatred of his brothers. He could not even say goodbye to his father or his baby brother.  I'm sure fear filled his heart as he wondered what was going to happen.  I'm sure Joseph cried out to God continually. You know what I think there are boys and girls of all ages, adults as well, living out this same tragedy this very day, somewhere around the world.  Maybe even going through more horrible things than Joseph ever went through.  I have been thinking about why children must be made aware of the dangers. Joseph is a way to teach them.  I see young people being pulled into terrible things on the internet and the changing of our vocabulary has dirtied their hearts and has pulled them into a life of bondage.  Many children's minds have been scarred and marred by wickedness.  Should they fear?  They should fear to drift from God.  The power of internet influence will kill the heart of any person who will not guard their heart and run to God for cover.

My husband's mother was taken captive as a young girl. She was taken from her family by the Nazi's and placed into a forced labor camp in World War 2.  Tragic, horrific things happened in the Nazi camps.  We know that these kinds of things still happen in various places in the world including our own country.

Joseph obviously was taught to praise and trust the Lord through grief.  Jacob taught him how to continue trusting the Lord even through the loss of his mother and being disliked by 10 of his brothers and their mothers.  The fact is that Joseph was able to still trust the Lord through tragedy. We need to learn and teach these things for ourselves and our children, even more as our world is quickly turning away from God almighty.  We must be faithful and diligent in teaching our children the valuable things Joseph was taught by Jacob.

Where ever we find ourselves in life we know God gives us courage and hope.  When we are trusting and believing God, He gives us the strength to overcome.  We can see this in the life of Joseph.  Joseph knew tears, Joseph knew fear, Joseph knew grief, Joseph knew disappointment, but God gave Him power, God gave him victory.  Why?  because Joseph believed God and trusted in Him with his whole heart.

One thing Joseph was taught in childhood was to work hard.  That was exactly what he did while in captivity.  He did his very best at what he did.  Not only was he giving his best, but he was also trustworthy.  He once again became favored with an authority in his life.  We should give our best in whatever we do.  It might not be the best of all, but it should be our best.  He was respectful to authority, he followed the rules, and he put God first in his life. 

Joseph followed God's Word first.  Just like Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel, who were taken into captivity as children during a time of war.  If they were told to do wrong they would appeal with respect, or they chose rather to die like they did in the bible account in the book of Daniel, but the Lord delivered them.  They prayed to the Lord each day and looked for the Lord for guidance. God was still working in the details of their lives.  Each one of those young boys grew up to be men of leadership.

Indeed, we should not love one child over another but Joseph did need special care at that particular time.  He was 17 years old and he had no mother.  He loved Joseph more but the only love Joseph got was from his dad and his baby brother.  No matter what was happening there was no justification for envy and murderous behavior.   They did not care if he died or not.  They didn't care what happened to him.  They were heartless.

The first murder in the world was because of envy. Cain killed Able.  Christ's crucifixion came about because of envy.  The spiritual leaders stirred up envy and strife and it led up to the crucifixion of Christ.
Mt 27:17-18 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?

 18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. ( They did what they did because they were envious.)

Recently I was teaching my grandchild who is getting used to having a little brother.  She is a toddler, a very smart toddler.  I was explaining to her if her brother gets a gift and she doesn't, she should be happy for him.  This is true for every person. We need to be happy for our brothers and sisters who are blessed in ways we may have not been.   We sometimes go through wrong emotions as people.  That is when we need to go to God and ask him to help us respond the right way.  When our hearts are right before God we can feel happy for those receiving a blessing when we are not.

(Here's a thought)

I guess Joseph could have been angry his mother died and they all had mothers and questioned God's love for him because they were blessed with mothers but his died. 

That fact is that Joseph's heart was right with God and He was not envious.
Sometimes we all are tempted to be envious and when we do we need to realize it's our hearts that need to get right.

Joseph knew these things as God prepared him for leadership in the Second Command.
God had a purpose for Joseph that He could not see.


God has a purpose for every Christian and we should not feel envious but rather know that God gives each person a different life and different circumstances. If we can not rejoice with those who rejoice
over God's blessings then we are the ones that need to get right.  Let us not forget to also weep with those who weep.  Just like the compassionate love of Jacob for his motherless child.

We need to be content with what the Lord gives us and the life he gives us and not be envious 
over others seemingly being blessed more than we are.

Father God,  help each of us to love one another and help us rejoice for others when they receive a blessing and we do not.  The fact is we already have many blessings from you Father. Just as all of Jacobs children did. Thank-you.  
Help each one here - to have hearts that are right before you.  Envying and strife are not from you.

Bind Satan and his influence to cause envy in the heart of our young people.  We must remember to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with them who weep.  

In Christ, I pray this Amen,

To Be Continued

Genesis 37: 2 -35

 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. 

We need to keep in mind that his father sent him to check on his brothers and most likely his -brothers were not doing what they were supposed to be doing, therefore it was a negative report

  

  Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.

And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.  

Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him; 

 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.  Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

Continued.

Joseph Always Gave His Best

All Scriptures from KJV1611

Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At treasurebox18@yahoo.com - All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Proper Credit Back To This Blog. Thank-You.

Joseph's Love

Joseph's Love

Even though Christmas is over and I'm putting up our Christmas decorations, Christmas seems to keep on happening.  We know that Christmas is about the Christ Child being born unto us, but if you think about it, Christmas really happens all year long.  When a person becomes a Christian something happens, He becomes born again.  The Christ of Christmas is born in His heart.

 The Spirit of Christmas lives in our hearts.  I'm not talking about Jolly Oh St. Nik - but Christ becomes alive in our hearts and we become children of God. The day star arises in our heart.  The light of the world lives within us.

Even though the Christmas lights are being put away in a box.  The trees , the garlands the bulbs and bells are being gathered and stored.  God's glory continues to shine.

Today I was reminded of God's mercy and how He willingly came to earth to be our Saviour, our comforter, our dearest of friends.  We are loved and accepted because of His merciful love towards us.

Joseph came to my mind today, I thought of how He must have felt hearing that Mary was pregnant with a child.  His love was tested.  His faith was tested.  He was then faced with a question.  Should I tell all or show mercy?  Would He keep it private or cause her shame and even death?  Would it be considered a lie if He held back that information or would it be merciful?

There's a verse that has often come to my mind when making hard decisions.

Proverbs 10:12 ¶ Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

That's exactly what Jesus did for us.

Joseph questioned whether or not Mary was lying to Him.  He was a godly man or God would not had chose Him to be the earthly father of Jesus.  He was a praying man and open to God's will.  God sent an angel to tell Him not to fear but to take Mary for his wife.

Matthew 1:20

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

If we want a picture of love and how we should treat other people I think of Joseph.

He really loved Mary and sought to put her away privately.  She would have been stoned to death otherwise.

But he believed and He willingly became the earthly protector of God Almighty's only begotten Son.

He could have become angry and carried gossip all over town and watched her die while being stoned, but He talked to God.

That is when God sent him the answer He needed.

Devotional: Susan Nikitenko

James 5:20

Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Susan Nikitenko January 06, 2018

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Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At treasurebox18@yahoo.com - All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Proper Credit Back To This Blog. Thank-You.

Responding To Problems - Popcorn Theme -

Responding To Problems

 I know that everything that happens in life has a reason, but it's up to us in how we respond.  There are things in life that happen that are very hard to get past.  I think of Joseph who went through a number of things that would be very hard to get over easily.   It must of been very hard being rejected by his brothers, who had shown no mercy at his cries when he cried from a pit in which they had thrown him.  Worst of all they took him and sold him into slavery and had not one drop of mercy as he looked back in tears.

I know it must of been very hard for Joseph to get past being accused of something he didn't do.  Especially because the accusation against him would harm his testimony as a Godly man.  Then to be thrown into prison for years and seemingly forgotten.  How he must of been tempted to become bitter at his situation. He must of spent many hours praying and wondering in his heart why.   Still he trusted and stayed faithful to God.

Then came the day  he became the "savior of the known world." God had blessed him with the unusual ability to know things through the interpretation of dreams.  He was blessed with the gift

even as a child.  The gift was one of the reasons his brothers hated him. His family did not believe him but the talent that God had given him would be used to save many people from starvation.  God had a greater purpose.

Now this story I'm about to tell  you may not seem to be as hard a thing to go through as what Joseph did,  but I know it is something  kids can learn from today.  When I was around seven or eight years old. I was an A student in my music class.  The school was having a Christmas program and I was in the bell choir.  I was all excited about it and ready to give it my all.  We stood up to perform our song and it was perfect as far as I can remember, but to my surprise, not a good surprise at all,  The boy behind me decided he wanted to move my chair from behind me.  The teacher motioned for us to all be seated and what happened?  I fell flat on my behind and bells were ringing everywhere.  Kids were angry at me for messing up the whole thing.  They stood there laughing and some were mad.   The teacher pulled me aside and guess what,  She informed me my grade would be lowered  by one letter because of what someone else did to me.  Now I don't  remember what happened afterwards,  I'm sure I  was very heart broken, but I do know this.  When you get punished for something that someone else does  to you it's not something that you get over easily.  

Through life we go through things sometimes so that later on we can help others who may be going through tough times.  We may have even been unjustly treated just as Joseph.    God has given us the story of Joseph as an example how to react to life's problems. In the story of Joseph,  He becomes a very powerful man over all of Egypt.  He even had the power to put people into prison, but Joseph also knew to show mercy as he was lead by God.  Joseph was a powerful man but He also was a very humble man because of everything God allowed him to go through.  He was able to react to those who treated him unjustly with love and forgiveness, but he also used caution in his choices.  He was prepared by His problems for a greater purpose.

     Thanksgiving is a time set aside each year to remind us to be thankful and to give thanks to God for His provision, health, and the blessings of our loved ones and friends.

      In the biblical story of Joseph as a Egyptian prisoner, had foretold through the interpretation of the Kings dreams that there would be a great famine that would bring hunger to many peoples.  Through this interpretation they knew that there would be a season of plenty, seven years of plenty and also then, seven years of famine.  Joseph gave the suggestion to gather and to store for the seven years of plenty to be able to provide food for the hungry, during the famine years.  Joseph became an Egyptian leader and planned for the provision of the hungry.  Genensis 41:56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians;

  The hungry heard that Egypt had stored food in order to feed thousands including those who traveled from their homes to feed their families.  God had used Joseph to feed thousands of hungry Egyptian families.  In Joseph's youth his brothers thought little of him, thought he was prideful and favored,( his father's pet.)  In their jealousy they sought to destroy their own brother.  They sold him into slavery  and lied to their father.  Joseph's  father grieved Joseph's death until it made him old.  He believed a lie for many years.

    God had a plan to use Joseph to save thousands of families from hunger.  He became a great leader even after many accusations against him.  He was accused of sexual misconduct against Pharaoh's wife.

    She was offended by his rejection of her advances towards him and used his own clothing as her evidence.   Joseph was convicted of a crime he did not commit.  After years in prison for something He did not do, God continued to use him and prepared him for leadership.  

   The biblical account of Joseph is a perfect example of undeserved rejection and hardship.  Joseph was being prepared for something greater.  He continued to trust God through his greatest testing's of faith.  He remained faithful and God used him in a mighty way. 

  

    The reason I've written of this biblical account is because of God's provision.  One of the greatest parts of the account of Joseph was when He and His brothers were reunited  through forgiveness.  God brought him and his family back together after many years of grief and sorrow.  Joseph's father rejoiced in the Lord to know that his son Joseph was alive.

   Joseph had realized that God had a purpose for everything that had happened to him.  His brothers were able to forgive themselves for what they had done as youths and made peace with God.

   When problems com along in your life, remember Joseph and learn from his choices.  God has a purpose for you and if you stay faithful he will bring you to that purpose and your eyes will be opened to the why, just as Joseph learned why.


Genesis 50:20

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Genesis 45:6-8

 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.  And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Children's Devotion:

Susan Y  Nikitenko November 17th, 2013