Perseverance

"So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharoah and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharoah said to his servants, 'Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?' Then Pharoah said to Joseph, 'Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.' (Genesis 41:37-40)

I found two incredible points in these verses that coincide. One is when Pharoah says of Joseph that he is "...a man in whom is the Spirit of God..." If you are a Christian, what kind of life are you living right now? Can others see Christ in you? Imagine the humility, sincerity, and wisdom of Joseph. Pharoah saw straight through to his heart like an open book. Have you ever even lived a day that you can say you didn't have anything to hide? You were so living for Christ that people could see straight to your soul? This is the kind of life Joseph lived in entirety. That is why he was chosen by God to become so great. The next thing I noticed was that Pharoah set Joseph in charge of the entire kingdom. He would be as powerful as Pharoah, only without the title. Wow. This young man had gone from being betrayed by his brothers and spending years in prison to becoming governor of Egypt. Joseph's story is one of the greatest testaments to God's awesome power that exists in all the bible. He took a young shepherd boy and made him into the ruler of Egypt. It seems pretty clear cut and simple when you say just that, but there was so much more involved in this story. Joseph lived his entire life in pursuit of God. Before even Christ had come to earth, Joseph was in favor in God's eyes. Imagine you were sold by your brothers into slavery. Then you were thrown in jail because you wouldn't succumb to your master's wife's seductions. Would you still be able to trust in God and persevere? I doubt most of us would have lasted beyond the last sight of our brothers. Yet, even in prison, Joseph was a servant for God. Everyone who knew him trusted him so much that they left everything under his authority. That's true perseverance. When everything in your life seems to fall apart again and again, but you still lay it at His feet and trust Him, you can say that you have persevered. It is this perseverance we must strive for in life. It is what we do as we strive to be more like Christ and wait for the coming of our Savior. If you think you've got it rough and you don't feel like God deserves your praise anymore, look at the story of Joseph. Nothing else needs to be said.