A very blustery day today.  Bit chilly but much more challenging for me now that the pollen is coming out.  I like Spring, but it is the worse time for my allergies which will continue to follow me the rest of Spring and Summer.

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.

While it took me a while to see the truth of Joseph’s statement to his brothers, I have come to that conclusion, also – now, to be honest there are times I express a desire for God’s help in extricating me from situations out of fear or frustrations but, as I look back at my life I see many times that things happened to me, and later I either benefited from the experience, or was protected from something much worse.

Sometimes it is a small thing, like something holding me up as I want to get somewhere at a specific time.  I have learned that often it is for my own safety, an accident happened at the location I would have been going by or to.  But because I was later than I wanted, I missed it.

Other times it is much larger, where I have been personally attacked but in the process of living for Him and using the Holy Spirit’s guidance I have overcome the derision.  In the end I was successful and it became obvious that the person was not truthful in their assaults.  It made me stronger and better able to address problems in the future.

There are many examples in the Bible about how God allowed things to happen to His chosen and as they went through many trials and tribulations they grew stronger and more dependent on Him.  Thus when He was ready to use them, they were ready and willing to be used.

But, the most obvious example and the one that we can embrace is Christ’s death on the Cross.  Without that death, without Jesus being willing to give His life for us – even though it meant humiliation, the feeling of abandoned by His followers and even God Himself, despite the pain He endured, out of His death we are saved!

Romans 5:15-16  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

¹⁶ And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

Christ came from heaven where He was loved and worshipped to an earth where He had to work for a living – and then preach the salvation of God where the end result was giving His life for us.  Out of that terrible night’s tortures came the means of our salvation and path to the everlasting and eternal life with Him.

Later, Art :-)