“SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS!”
© 1998 Patricia L. Carpenter
God had ‘tested sorely’ Joseph’s patience (see Ps.105:18) in
‘allowing’ him to be put into prison for something he didn’t do &
being ‘hurt in his feet’ by the stocks & his neck put in an iron bar.
YET ~ Joseph became as strong in ‘character’ as the irons they
had placed him in. He acquired: endurance, patience, strength &
a tenacity he would need ‘later on’ in his life there in Egypt.
God did NOT ‘waste’ Joseph’s time (see I Cor.15:58 TLB) there in prison, but ‘prepared’ him to be what he needed to be
~ ‘strong & brave’ for the task ahead of him!
We, too, will be ABLE to ‘go through’ the ‘dark places’ of
our pathway that leads HOME, because ‘GOD is taking us’ &
allowing us to suffer in order for us to ‘endure to the end’!
For when problems & tests & trials come before us, we won’t
‘run away’ nor turn left or right, but will follow ~ straight
ahead ~ toward ‘The Light’ that’s leading the way.
If we ‘fear’ The Light (JESUS), we won’t follow Him, but as
we learn to KNOW & LOVE Him, we aren’t afraid any more &
will ‘gladly’ & whole-heartedly ‘FOLLOW Him’!
Just as the Church of Laodicea needed ‘discipline &
punishment’ to shake them out of their lethargy, so we need
to ‘go through’ some things in life to ‘strengthen’ our Love for
the Lord & make us OVERCOMERS to the end (see
I Jn.5:5 [NIV] & Rom.5:3-5 [TLB] ).
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