My Dear Friends in the Faith:
It was a warm summer day with a gentle breeze blowing just enough to dry the sweat on your brow. I had a long day set but I had promised a very dear friend of mine that I would do a house blessing for them. I pulled into the driveway of freshly poured concrete. I knocked on the door and with an attitude of exuberant joy she opened it and screamed "Pastor, this is my new house!!!" Her family was seated all over the place just chilling like they were sitting in the Hilton Edgewater Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii.
The young lady showed me around her home and it was nice! Granite counter tops, crown moldings, Jacuzzi tub, leather furniture, flat screen televisions, island in the kitchen, two and a half baths, two car garage, and a beautiful back yard. It was NICE! We moved graciously through the house to the family room for the prayer when I noticed a photo on the coffee table of a handsome gentleman. I asked her was that her fiancée and she replied with a holy happiness in her voice, "No, that's my ex. I kept a nice picture of him because he was the one that did the most damage. He really tried to hurt me."
Have you ever had someone in your life do their best to destroy you? Have you ever been lied on, talked about or mistreated? Have you ever had a jealous co-worker work towards a demotion for you instead of a promotion that you really deserved? Have you ever encountered the hurt of having someone in your family do their best to hurt your image or cause chaos in your life? If you have answered yes to any of these questions this devotional is really for you! You know the hurt of having someone try to hurt you and so does Joseph. He had people try to destroy him (family unfortunately) but it turned out great. Here's what the Bible says, "And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them" (Gen. 50:19-21).
So here's our devotional question for today, why should we be thankful for the people who have tried to hurt us and cause damage in our lives?
First of all, when others try to hurt you it’s when you really discover that God is there to help you. Listen there are some wonderful people in this world who will bless you, love you exhort you and help you. But, there are some mean, evil, crazy, possessed people who will try everything that is within their power to damage you. By now you have encountered some of both of them. But, always remember this when you think about hurtful people in your life, God allowed you to meet them so that when they hurt you He could heal you! Joseph's family did him wrong. He ends up in a pit in Egypt where he has no one to depend on but the Lord. And it is then that he gets, gains and retains his greatest discovery. You can't trust people but you can trust God! When others have tried to hurt you Jesus will be there to help you every single time!
Secondly, when others bruise you, is when you can discover just how much God can really use you. Remember this, "the Lord works in some mysterious ways." Never ever move your enemies out of your life. They are the root of the tree that bears the fruit of your blessings. They are the bank that has to hold your benefits. They are the waiters at the table that God will prepare just for you to receive His provisions from. In short, never move evil people out of your life! They are there for a purpose. Believe this or not, it was God's intent to bless Joseph the entire time. In fact, if you recall the story, God gave him a vision when he was a boy of him being great and his family paying homage to him. It was a portrait of his destiny that would be blessed by God. However, what God did not show him was the journey he would have to take to get there. It would be filled with hurt, deceit, evil plots to destroy him, prison cells and dungeons. But, this is where His real blessing was! Joseph was bruised but he was also greatly used. Many of you reading this devotional have been bruised relationally but you have also been blessed spiritually. Hear this, the reason why you have both is because you cannot have one without the other! If you show me your bruises I will also show you your blessings. Yes you have been bruised by people but God has received the glory from your life because you are being used by Him!!!
Lastly, when others have put you down, God has been there to pick you up and promote you. When ever God allows evil people in your life remember this, it spells one thing and one thing only, PROMOTION!!! Joseph seems to live on the corner Let Down Drive and Put Down Place. He is let down by his family. He is put down by Potiphar's wife. He is down in the pit. But, he is now a candidate for a pick up and promotion from the Lord. After he is let down his gift makes room for him and he ends up being promoted to the second greatest man in Egypt. You see, he went from the pit to the palace. And it was all a part of God's plan for his life. Famine strikes the land and those same brothers that sold him, those same brothers that bruised him, and those same brothers that tried to hurt him have to come back to him for help! But Joseph is so blessed that he tells them it is all right! You see, you meant it for my bad! But, God meant it for my good. Retranslation. You put me down, but God lifted me up! You demoted me, but the God of glory promoted me! When hurtful people wound you pick your head up and smile because that's not the end of the story. God knows your address and your promotion is on the way!
As I concluded the prayer for the house blessing my mind went back to this sister's comment about the handsome young man in the photo on the coffee table. In fact, her comment ran pass me like Reggie Bush on the back side of a slow defense. I said the prayer and as people were starting to mingle I pulled this sister to the side for an instant replay. She then explained to me that the brother in the photo hurt her so badly that she had thoughts of suicide. But, when he stopped loving her is when she discovered a love that had been there all along. It was the love of God! And that's when she started to live again. She gave her life to Jesus Christ and received a new love. She went back to school and earned a new degree. She took her new degree and got a new job as an RN. And, after she watched God bless her with a new job she got a new house. She told me with excitement, "You see Pastor if he would not have hurt me I would have never known that God could heal me. So I keep his picture near and when I think of him I say to myself, thanks for trying to hurt me!"
If this works for her it can work for you too! When you see or think of people that have tried their best to hurt you smile and simply say, "thanks for trying to hurt me!"
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
It was a warm summer day with a gentle breeze blowing just enough to dry the sweat on your brow. I had a long day set but I had promised a very dear friend of mine that I would do a house blessing for them. I pulled into the driveway of freshly poured concrete. I knocked on the door and with an attitude of exuberant joy she opened it and screamed "Pastor, this is my new house!!!" Her family was seated all over the place just chilling like they were sitting in the Hilton Edgewater Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii.
The young lady showed me around her home and it was nice! Granite counter tops, crown moldings, Jacuzzi tub, leather furniture, flat screen televisions, island in the kitchen, two and a half baths, two car garage, and a beautiful back yard. It was NICE! We moved graciously through the house to the family room for the prayer when I noticed a photo on the coffee table of a handsome gentleman. I asked her was that her fiancée and she replied with a holy happiness in her voice, "No, that's my ex. I kept a nice picture of him because he was the one that did the most damage. He really tried to hurt me."
Have you ever had someone in your life do their best to destroy you? Have you ever been lied on, talked about or mistreated? Have you ever had a jealous co-worker work towards a demotion for you instead of a promotion that you really deserved? Have you ever encountered the hurt of having someone in your family do their best to hurt your image or cause chaos in your life? If you have answered yes to any of these questions this devotional is really for you! You know the hurt of having someone try to hurt you and so does Joseph. He had people try to destroy him (family unfortunately) but it turned out great. Here's what the Bible says, "And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them" (Gen. 50:19-21).
So here's our devotional question for today, why should we be thankful for the people who have tried to hurt us and cause damage in our lives?
First of all, when others try to hurt you it’s when you really discover that God is there to help you. Listen there are some wonderful people in this world who will bless you, love you exhort you and help you. But, there are some mean, evil, crazy, possessed people who will try everything that is within their power to damage you. By now you have encountered some of both of them. But, always remember this when you think about hurtful people in your life, God allowed you to meet them so that when they hurt you He could heal you! Joseph's family did him wrong. He ends up in a pit in Egypt where he has no one to depend on but the Lord. And it is then that he gets, gains and retains his greatest discovery. You can't trust people but you can trust God! When others have tried to hurt you Jesus will be there to help you every single time!
Secondly, when others bruise you, is when you can discover just how much God can really use you. Remember this, "the Lord works in some mysterious ways." Never ever move your enemies out of your life. They are the root of the tree that bears the fruit of your blessings. They are the bank that has to hold your benefits. They are the waiters at the table that God will prepare just for you to receive His provisions from. In short, never move evil people out of your life! They are there for a purpose. Believe this or not, it was God's intent to bless Joseph the entire time. In fact, if you recall the story, God gave him a vision when he was a boy of him being great and his family paying homage to him. It was a portrait of his destiny that would be blessed by God. However, what God did not show him was the journey he would have to take to get there. It would be filled with hurt, deceit, evil plots to destroy him, prison cells and dungeons. But, this is where His real blessing was! Joseph was bruised but he was also greatly used. Many of you reading this devotional have been bruised relationally but you have also been blessed spiritually. Hear this, the reason why you have both is because you cannot have one without the other! If you show me your bruises I will also show you your blessings. Yes you have been bruised by people but God has received the glory from your life because you are being used by Him!!!
Lastly, when others have put you down, God has been there to pick you up and promote you. When ever God allows evil people in your life remember this, it spells one thing and one thing only, PROMOTION!!! Joseph seems to live on the corner Let Down Drive and Put Down Place. He is let down by his family. He is put down by Potiphar's wife. He is down in the pit. But, he is now a candidate for a pick up and promotion from the Lord. After he is let down his gift makes room for him and he ends up being promoted to the second greatest man in Egypt. You see, he went from the pit to the palace. And it was all a part of God's plan for his life. Famine strikes the land and those same brothers that sold him, those same brothers that bruised him, and those same brothers that tried to hurt him have to come back to him for help! But Joseph is so blessed that he tells them it is all right! You see, you meant it for my bad! But, God meant it for my good. Retranslation. You put me down, but God lifted me up! You demoted me, but the God of glory promoted me! When hurtful people wound you pick your head up and smile because that's not the end of the story. God knows your address and your promotion is on the way!
As I concluded the prayer for the house blessing my mind went back to this sister's comment about the handsome young man in the photo on the coffee table. In fact, her comment ran pass me like Reggie Bush on the back side of a slow defense. I said the prayer and as people were starting to mingle I pulled this sister to the side for an instant replay. She then explained to me that the brother in the photo hurt her so badly that she had thoughts of suicide. But, when he stopped loving her is when she discovered a love that had been there all along. It was the love of God! And that's when she started to live again. She gave her life to Jesus Christ and received a new love. She went back to school and earned a new degree. She took her new degree and got a new job as an RN. And, after she watched God bless her with a new job she got a new house. She told me with excitement, "You see Pastor if he would not have hurt me I would have never known that God could heal me. So I keep his picture near and when I think of him I say to myself, thanks for trying to hurt me!"
If this works for her it can work for you too! When you see or think of people that have tried their best to hurt you smile and simply say, "thanks for trying to hurt me!"
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
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