Hey God! Surprise!

In listening to a message yesterday the main topic was about Joesph and Forgiveness.  Now if anything could go wrong in a persons life it had to be Joesph.  In Genesis Joesph had dreams about ruling over his brothers and family to which his brothers came to hate him.  So they plotted to kill him but sold him as a slave into Egypt.  Then he was falsely charged with rape and jailed for 22 years.  During that time he still interpreted dreams for a baker, candlestick maker, and the Pharaoh which put him in into the Vice President position of the whole world.  It had been about 30-40 years when his first dream came true because Egypt had food and Israel was starving.  It was his brothers that came to beg for food.

 Yet do you think God was surprised when Joesph was sold into slavery, when he was wrongly thrown into jail?

If God was like us, he'd say, "On no, I had these great plans but now Joesph is heading to slavery.  What am I going to do?"  Or "He has been charged with rape and did nothing but run away.  Now what am I going to do?"  Instead God took the situation that took place on earth and made it into something that built Him up to be more than the God of Creation.

Joseph could have remained angry at his brothers and would have been justified to just send them back to their land.  Instead he forgave them, clothed them, and brought the entire Israel nation to Egypt to survive.  God's plan for the Israel nation to survive and thrive could not have happened unless Joesph had been sold into slavery and gone through what he endured.

Yet in our lives we often get angry at our experiences and blame God for family troubles, incest, job loss, and a number of other events that take place in our lives.  Instead we need to turn MORE to God and forgive those people.  Funny thing is that people who hurt us go on like nothing happened.  It is us who harbor the hurt and anger which in many cases will go beyond the grave of the other person.  So forgive yourself and then you can forgive others.  It is then that God can do something with your life.

Now the Pastor who was preaching this sermon chose early in his life a direction that included drugs, alcohol, sex, drug dealer, and pimp.  It was on a bed in a hospital that he recalled something that he was taught at an early age about the love of God.  His life had been hard and he had endured the childhood agonies we would never wish upon anyone including our family.  Yet God's plan had always been in place for this young man.  God was not surprised but overjoyed.

In giving his life to the Lord unconditionally, he was healed with no drug withdrawals and began a hunger for the best relationship possible with the creator of the Universe.  During this month of Pastor Appreciation I am proud to call this man my pastor and friend.

Chris Stephens walks the walk and talks the talk whereby he was dealt some bad hands like Joesph and yet the Lord continues to raise up his words, experiences  and life to drive people like me to improve my relationship with the Lord.

So today Chris,  thank you for being the man God made you so people like me can continue to learn how to give our lives away.

Oh ya,  God was not surprised 35 years ago in a hospital bed in Chattanooga so He will never be surprised at you and what you are capable of in your life.