Be Faithful to God

Today I read Genesis 38:3-39:23 and Matthew 20:4-32. My favorite verses are:

Genesis 39:3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

We see that the Lord was with Joseph and made him fruitful even as a slave. God blessed Joseph, but that did not mean that he “lived happily ever after”. Life is not a fairy tale; there are problems to be overcome, but being faithful to God through the difficult times as well as the good times is commendable. That is the kind of life that Joseph lived, and in the end he was given power and riches and an abundant life. But he went through estrangement from his family, slavery, and imprisonment on his way to that outcome. The outcome of an abundant life takes on eternal significance in the light of what Jesus, the Son of man, did for us. He gave His life to ransom our souls; he bought our freedom from the slavery of sin. He lived humbly as a minister, or servant, to others; then He died a sacrificial death on the cross. Now all who accept His gift of salvation know that in spite of hardships faced in this life, the inevitable outcome is victory over death—eternal life in heaven with our Savior, Jesus Christ.