Perspective: Wk3 - MON
Freedom
Genesis 39:20-23
Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Like fingernails on a chalkboard, the writer of Genesis drops the line, “Yahweh gave Joseph success in whatever he did.” It takes an unusual perspective to stir the ingredients of slavery, false accusation, and a life sentence and call it victory. This raises a question. Is it possible that the evidence of the outer world gives very little clue to what is happening in the inner world?
Galatians 5 tells us that when the Holy Spirit inhabits our lives, whatever else is going on around us, we begin to experience the growth of specific benefits. “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) Notice that while the impact of this fruit can often be witnessed from a distance, it grows from deep inside. For instance, love makes an impact on our relationships, yet it grows in the secret of our inner world. No one can force you to love. You have to choose to allow it to grow. These fruits germinate from an attitude of willingness, an openness to orient oneself to an internal compass unaffected by things like false accusation or imprisonment.
Adopting an attitude of joy, peace, and gratitude when things are falling apart around us is truly remarkable. But make no mistake, it is a real option for your life, no matter what is happening to you. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." Notably, he wrote this after losing his parents, his brother, and his wife in the Nazi concentration camps.
Perhaps the greatest miracle of God's presence is His power to fill us with hope when things look hopeless, love amid abuse, peace in troubled times, and joy in all circumstances. Now that is success.
Genesis 39:20-23
Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Like fingernails on a chalkboard, the writer of Genesis drops the line, “Yahweh gave Joseph success in whatever he did.” It takes an unusual perspective to stir the ingredients of slavery, false accusation, and a life sentence and call it victory. This raises a question. Is it possible that the evidence of the outer world gives very little clue to what is happening in the inner world?
Galatians 5 tells us that when the Holy Spirit inhabits our lives, whatever else is going on around us, we begin to experience the growth of specific benefits. “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) Notice that while the impact of this fruit can often be witnessed from a distance, it grows from deep inside. For instance, love makes an impact on our relationships, yet it grows in the secret of our inner world. No one can force you to love. You have to choose to allow it to grow. These fruits germinate from an attitude of willingness, an openness to orient oneself to an internal compass unaffected by things like false accusation or imprisonment.
Adopting an attitude of joy, peace, and gratitude when things are falling apart around us is truly remarkable. But make no mistake, it is a real option for your life, no matter what is happening to you. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." Notably, he wrote this after losing his parents, his brother, and his wife in the Nazi concentration camps.
Perhaps the greatest miracle of God's presence is His power to fill us with hope when things look hopeless, love amid abuse, peace in troubled times, and joy in all circumstances. Now that is success.
- What is your favorite fruit? What do you like most about it?
- Which of the fruits of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 do you find most elusive, most difficult to attain?
- What is currently threatening your joy? What would you like to say to Jesus about that?
No Comments