Beyond the Broadcast: Straight Talk to the Timid and Reluctant
Following Christ ought to come with a warning label: Christianity is a battleground, not a playground.
Following Christ ought to come with a warning label: Christianity is a battleground, not a playground.
Though seasoned in walking with God, Jacob remained a victim of his own carnal clumsiness. Instead of seeing the Lord’s hand of protection on his sons’ lives, he became paralyzed by fear, worry, and resentment. Jacob relied on himself rather than on God’s strength. And his reluctance to trust God almost led to disaster. Sometimes we tend to be just like Jacob—expecting the worst rather than trusting God’s best.
After seven years of blessing and abundance, the famine was in full bloom. People from the surrounding lands came to Egypt for grain—including Joseph’s brothers. Upon recognizing the men who threw him into a pit and sold him as a slave, Joseph faced a difficult decision. Would he be the type of person who remembers what he ought to forget and forgets what he ought to remember? Are you?
Living in a fallen world of people where we all sin and have been sinned against means we all need forgiveness and to grant forgiveness.
God is never obligated to give us health and wealth, but the story of Joseph is an example of a man who was rewarded for his righteousness and kept his integrity intact. From him we can learn a lesson in how to respond to those who prosper and those who suffer.
Instead he suggests asking ourselves a question when something negative happens: What does this experience make possible?
In life, testing is more often than not “par for the course.” But sometimes God rescues us from our plight, bringing us into new circumstances. For 13 years Joseph had been a slave in Egypt. And all the while, His plans for Joseph were in motion, leading Joseph to the cusp of his release from prison and an unexpected blessing. Through Joseph’s example, we should be encouraged to trust God—even in difficult times of waiting.
Rhome shares a perspective of gratitude as he accepts the life God has given him and his family. Blessings still abound and, as He did for Joseph, God is growing him through ongoing events.
Rhome shares how things unfolded at the birth of his second daughter, when they learned she has Down Syndrome. He describes what she's like now, as a 21-month-old gift from God.
The pain of unjust suffering—one of the most severe trials we can experience—tests our faith like nothing else. In our world today, we can’t escape it. As difficult as injustice is to endure, the greater challenge is facing it with an attitude that preserves faith. For the most part, we can’t control what happens to us today or tomorrow, whether fair or foul. But we can choose our attitude.