“Today is the only day in which we have any power.”
GENESIS 44-45
27“Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 29If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’30“So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, 31sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. 32Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’33“Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”(44:27-33)
JOURNAL
What an ending to a great story.
Judah is willing to take the place of Benjamin. Joseph had created a test for his brothers, and they passed it in the most undeniable way possible. Judah doesn’t just offer himself, he insists on it. He demands to take Benjamin’s place. In that moment Joseph knew something had changed. The hearts of his brothers were not the same hearts that threw him into a pit. Their motives were different now. They had been transformed.
And Joseph also could finally see something else. This path was necessary. It was not the way he imagined it would unfold, not even close. But if it hadn’t happened this way, they all would have died from starvation and God’s promise to Jacob would have been shattered. The pain wasn’t random. It was part of the rescue.
Then in Matthew, Jesus is hit with the grief of John’s beheading. He withdraws to mourn, and even there the crowds follow Him. He is overwhelmed, yet He still has compassion. He heals the sick, and that same day He feeds them all from a few baskets of fish. What a day. To think that it began in grief and ended in triumph.
That is such a reminder for me.
By waking up this morning, God has authorized and approved of my place, right here, right now. This moment is not an accident. This day is not a burden to survive. It is an opportunity to act, to get better, to become better, and to do it while seeking and trusting God. Joseph did this every day after he was sold into slavery. I know he had down moments. How could he not? Locked in prison, forgotten, and probably convinced at times that he was as far away from God’s vision as a person could be. And yet fourteen years later, he was closer than he could have ever imagined.
That is the message of God for me.
I believe when we seek Him, He gives us visions of the future and the life we are meant to live. But He also gives us comfort no matter where we are in that story. Even when we are stuck in circumstances that seem impossible, He still gives us purpose and motivation to give our best, seek Him, and win the moments right in front of us.
I also see something else clearly today.
Surrendering tomorrow to God and focusing on creating today does wonders for me mentally and emotionally. It lowers stress. It sharpens my focus. It quiets anxiety. It releases joy because I’m anchored in what I can actually do right now. I’m no longer living in the fog of what might happen. I’m living in the reality of what God has placed in my hands today.
And what’s amazing is that this is scientific and spiritual at the same time. It’s how God designed the mind. It’s how He designed the heart. Which is one of the many reasons the Bible proves true to me. When Scripture tells me not to worry about tomorrow, it isn’t just a spiritual principle. It is a pathway to peace, emotional clarity, and strength.
When I look at Jesus and Joseph, the lesson is crystal clear. Give my best today and trust God to bless it. That is truly the best way for me to obey and honor Him. In doing that, I experience His presence, His passion, and His purpose.
What an ending to a great story.
Judah is willing to take the place of Benjamin. Joseph had created a test for his brothers, and they passed it in the most undeniable way possible. Judah doesn’t just offer himself, he insists on it. He demands to take Benjamin’s place. In that moment Joseph knew something had changed. The hearts of his brothers were not the same hearts that threw him into a pit. Their motives were different now. They had been transformed.
And Joseph also could finally see something else. This path was necessary. It was not the way he imagined it would unfold, not even close. But if it hadn’t happened this way, they all would have died from starvation and God’s promise to Jacob would have been shattered. The pain wasn’t random. It was part of the rescue.
Then in Matthew, Jesus is hit with the grief of John’s beheading. He withdraws to mourn, and even there the crowds follow Him. He is overwhelmed, yet He still has compassion. He heals the sick, and that same day He feeds them all from a few baskets of fish. What a day. To think that it began in grief and ended in triumph.
That is such a reminder for me.
By waking up this morning, God has authorized and approved of my place, right here, right now. This moment is not an accident. This day is not a burden to survive. It is an opportunity to act, to get better, to become better, and to do it while seeking and trusting God. Joseph did this every day after he was sold into slavery. I know he had down moments. How could he not? Locked in prison, forgotten, and probably convinced at times that he was as far away from God’s vision as a person could be. And yet fourteen years later, he was closer than he could have ever imagined.
That is the message of God for me.
I believe when we seek Him, He gives us visions of the future and the life we are meant to live. But He also gives us comfort no matter where we are in that story. Even when we are stuck in circumstances that seem impossible, He still gives us purpose and motivation to give our best, seek Him, and win the moments right in front of us.
I also see something else clearly today.
Surrendering tomorrow to God and focusing on creating today does wonders for me mentally and emotionally. It lowers stress. It sharpens my focus. It quiets anxiety. It releases joy because I’m anchored in what I can actually do right now. I’m no longer living in the fog of what might happen. I’m living in the reality of what God has placed in my hands today.
And what’s amazing is that this is scientific and spiritual at the same time. It’s how God designed the mind. It’s how He designed the heart. Which is one of the many reasons the Bible proves true to me. When Scripture tells me not to worry about tomorrow, it isn’t just a spiritual principle. It is a pathway to peace, emotional clarity, and strength.
When I look at Jesus and Joseph, the lesson is crystal clear. Give my best today and trust God to bless it. That is truly the best way for me to obey and honor Him. In doing that, I experience His presence, His passion, and His purpose.
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