Sometimes the thing we most want God to change is not the thing we most need Him to change. In Mark 2, a house in Capernaum was so crowded that four men carrying their paralyzed friend could not get through the door. Rather than give up, they climbed onto the roof,...
We spend a lot of our lives searching for things we think will satisfy us. We tell ourselves that if we can just reach the next goal, solve the next problem, earn a little more, gain someone's approval, or finally get life arranged the way we want it, then we will be...
It is possible to know a great deal about God without truly knowing God. That may be one of the most uncomfortable lessons in the story of Nicodemus. He wasn't an atheist or a skeptic standing outside the faith. He was a Pharisee, a respected religious leader who knew...
There are chapters of our lives that simply do not make sense while we are living them. Joseph certainly had some. The pit did not make sense. Being sold into slavery did not make sense. The false accusation did not make sense. Prison did not make sense. Being...
Some hurts are easier to forgive than others. A careless word or misunderstanding may pass quickly. But what about the wounds caused by people who knew exactly what they were doing? Joseph knew that kind of hurt. His own brothers had hated him, thrown him into a pit,...
We live in a world that often measures success by what we gain. A better position. More influence. Greater recognition. More opportunities. But God often measures success by what we do with what He places in our hands. In Genesis 41, Joseph’s life changed...
Joseph woke up as a prisoner but before the day was over, he would stand before Pharaoh. For years, Joseph had waited. He had been betrayed, falsely accused, forgotten, and confined. There was no indication when he woke up that morning that this day would be any...
Waiting has never been one of my strengths. Like most people, I enjoy seeing progress. I like when prayers are answered quickly, problems are resolved, and doors open without long delays. Yet as I look back over my life, I’ve come to realize that some of God’s...
I think that one of the greatest misconceptions in the Christian life is the idea that obedience always leads to immediate blessing. Sometimes we assume that if we are faithful to God, everything else will naturally fall into place. Joseph's story reminds us that...
We live in a time when character often seems to be in short supply. Every week brings another story of a leader who compromised, a public figure whose private life was exposed, or someone who sacrificed integrity for pleasure, power, or personal gain. Our culture has...