Moving forward by Faith is a call to a life of selfless service. Faith is obeying when God calls to move on in service, but the world sees no reason to be committed to the cause.
This is because our lives are not about us. God has a master plan, and we fulfil little portion of that great plan. The eventual goal of that plan is that the nations are saved to the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. In Gen 45:5b, Joseph put it this way… it was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.
It’s remarkable to note that Joseph was thrown in the pit by his brothers, but the heavens recorded that his forward journey to preserve millions of lives had just begun. He was sold into slavery, but the heavens still recorded that he was advancing closer to God’s great plan. Joseph was betrayed and thrown into prison, but through the privilege of scriptures we now understand that it was God sending him ahead. Every time Joseph encountered a terrible challenge it seemed like life was getting tougher for him but he was actually moving closer and closer to his promised land. Through that tumultuous time, Joseph just kept serving obediently and selflessly throughout the process. In all of this, we see that his single-minded obedience was a key reflection of his faith in God’s promise which was revealed in his dreams. He advanced in life by serving his way forward:
Gen 39:4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him…
Gen 40:4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them…
In both scriptures above, it’s amazing to see that the bitterness of being sold to slavery wasn’t great enough to influence Joseph’s call to service when Potiphar purchased him from the Ishmaelites. While faithfully serving Potiphar, the bitterness of betrayal also did not stop him from serving Pharaoh’s Baker and Butler faithfully as he was charged. He served every man that was in his care with all his heart, soul and mind. Joseph understood the place of single-minded obedience in the call to service, and regardless of what the enemies threw his way, God used them all to take him closer to his glorious destiny. As we Enter 2020 with a renewed focus to serve our way to progression in life, May the Lord grant us a heart for single-minded obedience to him. Amen.
