Jayamsih..! Welcome to today’s devotion!
Sovereign Suffering
- 2 Timothy 2:12
Do we accuse others, which, for God, is simply the absolute sovereignty of His plan? If we are preoccupied with our judgments of what we perceive to be the faults of others, then we will never be able to identify with their needs. It was God’s sovereign will that Joseph be sold by his brothers in Genesis 37. Many people look at that situation and without fully accepting God’s sovereignty, we cannot enter into the purpose of the plan, which is to reveal God’s heart in compassion and love. How many people are filled with blaming their brothers for their apparent misbehavior, and are never familiar with providing for their needs?
Until a person can get to know another person, he cannot help. Thousands cannot be identified with others, because they cannot see God’s sovereignty in that plan. Joseph realized that what looked like a curse was only the beginning of a blessing to come. He included himself in the one truth that all things are from God and all things work together for good. (Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 5:18)
While he suffered in Egypt, he was raised. As a man suffers in humility, so he is empowered to rule by love. The measure in which he is persecuted is the measure of his rights. You rule effectively only then, because you have suffered completely, that too in the mind of Christ.
Today’s reading passage: 2 Kings 8-10