Quick devotions - struggles that lead to blessing

Quick devotions, struggles that lead to blessing: Joseph's brothers hated him because their father "loved Joseph more than all his other sons". Joseph also had dreams in which his brothers prostrated themselves before him, and he had told them about those dreams (see Genesis 37: 1-11).

Scripture Reading - Genesis 37: 12-28 “Come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. . . . "- Genesis 37:20

The brothers hated Joseph so much that they wanted to kill him. One day the opportunity came as Joseph went into the fields where his brothers were grazing their flocks. The brothers took Joseph and threw him into a pit.

Instead of killing him, Joseph's brothers sold him as a slave to some itinerant merchants, who took him to Egypt. Imagine Joseph as a slave being dragged around the market. Imagine the hardships he had to endure as a slave in Egypt. What kind of pain would fill his heart?

Quick devotions, struggles that lead to blessing: prayer

Looking at the rest of Joseph's life, we can see that "the Lord was with him" and "made him successful in all that he did" (Genesis 39: 3, 23; chap. 40-50). Through that path of difficulty Joseph eventually became second in command over Egypt. God used Joseph to save people from a terrible famine, including his entire family and people from all surrounding nations.

Jesus came to suffer and to die for us, and through that path of many difficulties he rose victorious over death and ascended to heaven, where he now rules over all the earth. His path through suffering led to blessings for all of us!

Prayer: Lord, when we face suffering, help us focus on the blessings we have in Jesus and endure. In his name we pray. Amen.