January 28, 2012 … Faithfulness Rewarded by God

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Genesis, Chapters 46-47 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Genesis 47: 1-6: … [God Honors Faithfulness] ... 1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.” 2 He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?” “Your servants are shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” 4 They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.” 5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6 and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.”

My Journal for Today: There are times in the lives of faithful Christians when we’re not given clear-cut and visibly obvious rewards from God for our faithfulness.. However, after so many years when it must’ve seemed to Joseph like God was silent or absent, in today’s focus passage we read of Joseph seeing clearly God’s reward for his humble faithfulness.

And as I have read through Joseph’s story of his family reunion and his family being allowed to settle in Egypt, which was a total breech of culture (i.e., shepherds living in the land of Pharaoh), Joseph and Jacob had to have seen that God was rewarding Joseph for his past life of faithfulness; and I thought of this being illustrative of the truth in the New Testament chapter on the “hall of faith,” … Hebrews, chapter 11. In verses 1 and 6 of that chapter, it says, … 1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. … 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek him.

And that pretty well describes the life of Joseph, doesn’t it? All those years he languished in slavery and in prison; but finally, we read today of his humble faithfulness being rewarded by God; and Jacob and his family got a glimpse of glory in their lives, … the glory which awaits the faithful believer who diligently seeks a relationship with His God.

That was most certainly Joseph; but are we being humble and faithful followers of God? Joseph was a clear Bible picture of Christlike faithfulness? And meditating on Joseph’s life today … in this quiet moment with my Lord and Savior … I’m praying that I can live a life as a faithful follower of the One Who died so that I could follow Him into eternity as an heir of salvation. And I’m so thankful that God has given me such a picture of Joseph … a life of faithfulness which He, God, so clearly rewarded.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to faithfully follow You, knowing that my reward is eternity and a reunion with the family of God. Amen