“But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery, and our ancestors ran out of food. Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons – our ancestors – to buy some. The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh.” (Acts 7:11-13 NLT)
Can you imagine the shock, yet delight, when Joseph revealed who he was to his brothers? Surely, when they realized who he’d become they feared for their lives, but when they realized Joseph wasn’t angry with them, but loved them and wanted to help them, surely their hearts were warmed and strengthened.
Do we not realize there are people in our spheres of influence who see us simply as their relative, friend, co-worker, classmate, or neighbor. They don’t have a clue who our “Father” is – Owner, Sustainer, Ruler of the world and all that’s in it! Think how delighted, thrilled, and grateful when they realize they can know Him too! He’s not simply our personal Savior; He’s Lord of lords and King of kings!
Perhaps we too quickly forget who we are, what our true identity is as God’s child. Too often we get lost in the shadows of our sin, shame, and ongoing battle with temptation. Yes, of course, those things are real, and we must deal with them, but we can’t lose sight of our true identity in Christ. It’s in that context we must not only identify the things we were and those things with which we do daily battle, but who we are in this moment!
When we confess our sin and seek Christ alone by faith alone to become for us what we could never in eternity ever become for ourselves – our Savior and Lord – we gain a new identity that redefines, not only who we are, but what we can now become!
Joseph was a slave when he entered Egypt. That was not only the circumstance in which he was trapped, it was who he was in the sight of his captors – until it wasn’t! Over time and through several very disheartening events in Joseph’s life, God was forming, training, and equipping him to assume his new identity, an identity that would not only be evident to him, but to everyone in Egypt and beyond.
If you are a child of God, you have been saved and set apart for sacred duty in no less glorious fashion as He set Joseph apart. And no, you may not become second in command to an Emperor, but you are second in command to the Commander- in-Chief of the Universe! Pharoah was a wimp in comparison with our Savior and God and the mission to which He calls us is certainly no less important than that to which He called Joseph.
In much the same way as God took Joseph through a series of “trainings,” He grooms us through the circumstances of our lives. Nothing happens in our lives by accident, so we must be attentive to what the Lord desires to teach us in every circumstance – those we deem good and those that are not so good. Being a slave, then being locked up in prison for something he didn’t do wasn’t high on his list of “good” things that happened to him.
But just as surely as God used those negative circumstances in Joseph’s life, He can and will use them in our lives to groom and prepare us for allowing us to use our new identity in Him to introduce those in our spheres of influence to Him. Sometimes those negative circumstances are the very things with which others can most readily identify.
God is great and good and will use our new identity in Christ Jesus our Lord to turn those in our spheres of influence to Him.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 