癤풱unday, February 15th, 2004
Scripture Reading: Romans 8:28

In All Things God Works for the Good

Today let me share the message titled,
"In All Things God Works for the Good".
From the viewpoint of humanity,
Christianity is very paradoxical.
In other words, from man's viewpoint,
Christianity looks like a failure,
but in reality it is a success;
a misfortune, but happiness; grief, but joy;
bad news, but good news; and impossible,
but possible. If we have clear dreams
and put our faith in God, He works
and performs the creative, tremendous
miracle of the great reversal, or
the turnaround. It is revealed well
in the life of Joseph, the 11th son
of Jacob. Joseph was a man of dreams
and faith. He was the 11th of Jacob's
12 sons, and Rachel's first child.
Jacob loved Joseph more than his
other sons and considered him
as his successor. For only an heir was
to be dressed in an ornamented robe,
and not to work with the other brothers.
Jacob made a richly ornamented robe
for Joseph, and didn't make him work
with his brothers. When his brothers
saw that his father loved him more
than any of them, they hated him.
Then, one night Joseph had a dream.
In the dream he went to harvest
in the field with his brothers, and he
saw his sheaf of grain standing upright
and his brothers' standing around his.
Then, his brothers' sheaves bowed
down to his. After he woke up, he was
very happy. While eating breakfast
with his family, he said to them,
"Brothers, brothers! Listen to this dream
I had. We were binding sheaves of grain
out in the field when suddenly my sheaf
rose and stood upright, while your
sheaves gathered around mine and
bowed down to it." At that, his brothers
threw away their spoons, and said,
"What? Our father treated you so well
that he put a richly ornamented robe
on you. So, now do you intend
to reign over us? You turn us off."
Yet, Joseph didn't let this bother him.
Then, Joseph had another dream.
In the dream, he saw the sun, the moon,
and eleven stars in the sky bowing
down to him. The next morning
during breakfast, he said, "Listen to me,
brothers. I had another dream, and this
time the sun, the moon, and eleven
stars were bowing down to me."
Then, the brothers began to argue
with him violently. They got up,
and shouted at Joseph, "Are you going
to rule us? You are crazy, aren't you?
Do you think that we will bow down
to you? We'll have to wait and see."
The brothers were so angry that
their father rebuked Joseph, and said,
"What is this dream you had? You said
that the sun, the moon, and eleven stars
bowed down to you. You mean that
your father, your mother, and your
brothers will bow down to you?
You are a bad boy! Stop dreaming
these dreams." However, his father
kept thinking about the matter.
After that, Joseph's brothers were jealous
of him. Yet, through that dream, he got
a great vision and faith arose in his heart.
Joseph's brothers were indifferent
to faith in God. They enjoyed pasturing
and hunting, and they didn't like
to think about God or believe in Him.
However, Joseph feared God in his heart,
and these two dreams made
an impression on him. Through those
dreams he could have strong faith
in his heart, as the Bible says,
"Faith is being sure of what we
hope for, and certain of what we do
not see." So, he could have great
hope for the future that was not seen.
Romans 8:24-25 says, "But hope that is
seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for
what he already has? But if we hope
for what we do not yet have,
we wait for it patiently." He heartily
waited for his dream to come true,
and had strong confidence in it.
God works through those who have
dreams and faith. How does an eagle fly?
It flies with its two wings. How can
we rise up high? With dreams and faith,
we can go up to the throne in heaven.
Although the wind blows, unless a ship
puts up a sail, the ship will not move,
but if it spreads a sail and receives
the wind, it will move very fast.
If a ship wants to be energized
by the wind, it should hoist its sail
up high. Likewise, in order to receive
the wind of the Holy Spirit, we have
to put up a sail of dreams and faith.
Unless we have dreams and faith
in our hearts, the Holy Spirit won't
be able to work in us. "People without
hope will perish," says the Scripture.
Dreams will give us courage and faith.
Those who have dreams can overcome
any harm, false accusation, trial,
or hardship by the power of God.
A dreamer looks ridiculous to people.
However, dreams and faith have strong
power to change our lives tremendously.
If a husband says to his wife, "You are
a dreamer.", it is a great compliment.
If a wife says to her husband, "You have
a dream.", she gives him great praise.
Although it seems that people aren't
much different, it's what they have in
their hearts that will change their future.
What is in their hearts? People look
handsome and beautiful on the outside
because they're dressed well and make
themselves up, but it's what is in them
that is important. Those who have
dreams and faith in their hearts will
receive the wind of the Holy Spirit
and advance forward. However,
if someone looks wonderful, but has
no dreams or faith, he has no future.
A young cartoonist asked many newspaper
offices to publish his cartoon series,
but they refused. One news reporter
criticized him very terribly saying,
"You are not good at drawing cartoons.
You will never be paid for that type
of cartoon. However, the cartoonist had
a dream and faith that he would become
a great artist. He was so poor that he
lived in a very old barn. He slept and
ate there, and one day, while he was
eating bread, its crumbs fell on the floor.
A mouse appeared, lifted up its leg,
acted cute, and ate the crumbs.
Weeping, he continued eating bread,
and throwing crumbs to the mouse.
Then, thinking of the mouses cute
actions, he said, "Mouse, mouse,
there are many poor people like us
in the world. If I draw your cute image
in a cartoon for them, they'll be
comforted." Getting a good idea from
a mouse, he began to draw cartoons.
His cartoons were so popular that they
were made as animations, which played
throughout America and the world.
The title of the animation was
"Mickey Mouse." The cartoonist was
Walt Disney. Even though he was
weeping and eating bread in a barn,
he didn't give up on his dream
or his faith in having an opportunity
to change the world some day.
At last, he had such a chance because
of a mouse that came to get crumbs.
He became a world famous cartoonist
and animation director; also a billionaire.
In 1955, he constructed Disneyland,
a park of dreams and fantasy
and a worldwide special attraction.
Look! Since he had a dream and faith,
things turned around for him. It was
the same with Jacob's precious son,
Joseph. Since he had a dream and faith
in his heart, he was different from
his brothers. They hated Joseph,
and intended to kill him, but because
of his dream and faith in his heart,
the Spirit of God was with him and
worked for him. One day his father called
him, and said, "Joseph, your brothers
are grazing my flocks in the field.
Please, take the food I made out to them,
and see if all is well with them, and
bring word back to me." Joseph said,
"Yes, I'll go." Wearing an ornamented robe,
he went out with food to his brothers
in the field. He looked for his brothers,
and found them. Genesis 37:18-20 says,
"They saw him in the distance, and
before he reached them, they plotted
to kill him. Here comes that dreamer!
they said to each other." They said,
"Here comes that dreamer!" They
laughed at him, but it really meant,
"The man of God comes!" If you are
a dreamer, God is with you. If you say,
"My wife is a dreamer." that means,
"God is with my wife." If you say,
"My husband is a dreamer." that means,
"God is with my husband." If you say,
"My children have dreams." That means,
"God is with my children." Why?
If we put up the sail of a dream,
the wind of the Holy Spirit will blow.
Although the brothers laughed at Joseph,
saying, "Here comes a dreamer." he was
with God. The Scripture says, "Come
now, let's kill him and throw him
into one of these cisterns and say that
a ferocious animal devoured him. Then
we'll see what comes of his dreams."
Look, they said, "let's kill the dreamer,
and throw him into the cistern. Then
we'll see what comes of his dreams."
They challenged his dream. If a man
wrestles with a dream, he'll be defeated.
Why? A dream belongs to the fourth
dimension, and the wisdom, knowledge,
efforts, and ways of a man belong
to the third dimension. Man can't
defeat a dream that's in the heart.
Joseph's brothers intended to kill him
and wanted to see what would come
of his dream, but their plot was used
to make a way for Joseph to advance
in accordance with God's will.
When Joseph came to his brothers,
they stripped him of his ornamented robe,
and threw him into the cistern, where
there was no water. This wasn't just
by chance. A long time ago, God made
this cistern without water. Joseph was
in a deep, dark cistern, but since
there was no water, he didn't drown.
His brothers ate food, laughing
and saying, "He will not drown
because there is no water in the cistern,
but if we leave, he will yell and scream
out there alone, until he finally dies.
His dream and faith will be buried
with him. He was proud of his dream,
but it will amount to nothing."
Even though they laughed at Joseph,
God was with him in the cistern
because of his dream and the faith
in his heart. Right at that time,
the Midianite merchants came by.
They were on their way to Egypt
with spices, balm, and myrrh that they
had bought in Gilead. Joseph's brothers
said, "What will we gain if we kill
our brother? Come, let's sell him for
20 shekels of silver, with which we can
enjoy delicious food." They agreed.
His brothers pulled Joseph up out of
the cistern, and said, "It is lucky that
there is no water. If not, he would have
drowned and we wouldn't be able to
sell him." They sold him for 20 shekels
of silver to the Ishmaelites, by whom
Joseph was taken to Egypt, weeping
and weeping. His brothers said,
"You, dreamer, good-bye! Don't come
back to us again." However, his brothers
were used for the dream. It was a great
tragedy, but since God was with him,
even the tragedy was used by God
to fulfill His plan. "In all things
God works for the good of those who
love him, who have been called according
to his purpose." Tragedy, comedy, grief,
pleasure, and failure will be changed
in order for God's will to be fulfilled.
For God works through dreams and faith.
Potiphar went out to the market to get
a slave. He saw a Hebrew man who
was young, handsome, and healthy,
and bought the man for a lot of money.
He took the slave to his home. Since
this slave was lowest in ranking among
the other slaves, he was disregarded
and mistreated by them. In the old days,
the life of a slave was more awful
than that of a beast. It didn't matter
even if a slave was beaten and killed.
Joseph served the senior slaves, but
God was with him, and gave him
success in everything he did. Since God
was with Joseph, he was prosperous
in his slavery. Potiphar saw that God
gave Joseph success in everything, and
he promoted him. So, he put Joseph
in charge of his household. It was
very rare for a slave to be in charge
of the household of his master.
However, Joseph was put in change
of his master's household including
the other slaves. Genesis 39:4-5 says,
"Joseph found favour in his eyes
and became his attendant. Potiphar
put him in charge of his household,
and he entrusted to his care everything
he owned. From the time he put him
in charge of his household and of all
that he owned, the LORD blessed
the household of the Egyptian because
of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD
was on everything Potiphar had,
both in the house and in the field."
If we have dreams and faith,
whatever we do, God is with us.
Although Joseph was a slave, God made
him an outstanding one. So, Potiphar
loved Joseph very much, because God
gave him success in everything he did,
and Potiphar became rich thanks to him.
Moreover, Potiphar's wife loved Joseph,
too. She gave him good clothes and food.
She often expressed her love to him.
After her husband went out, she often
called Joseph in and ordered him to do
many kinds of housework so that he
could be with her. So, Joseph was very
careful. Yet, Potiphar's wife did favors
for Joseph, and often lured him, saying,
"Shall we make love? Life is so short
that you and I must pass away.
You don't need to be so upright.
Please, enjoy yourself with me."
In Genesis 39:9-10, we can see
Joseph persuading the wife very well.
"No-one is greater in this house than
I am. My master has withheld nothing
from me except you, because you are
his wife. How then could I do such
a wicked thing and sin against God?
And though she spoke to Joseph
day after day, he refused to go to bed
with her or even to be with her."
Every day she asked Joseph so strongly
to make love with her that he was
puzzled. As soon as the servants went
out to the field and her husband left
for work, she shouted, "Joseph! Where
are you? Come in quickly." She called
him in, and ordered him to move her
furniture here and there and to do
a lot of household chores, so that he
could be very near to her. Joseph was
very careful and distressed in his heart.
Then, one day, the wife called him,
and he went to her. Suddenly, she ran
to him and hugged him. No one was
there in the house. She said, "Shall we
go to bed? Why are you so stubborn?
No one is here. No one will see us.
Please, make love with me." Joseph said,
"No, I can't sin against God. I must not
sin against your husband before God."
She caught him by his cloak, but he
refused and ran out of the house,
leaving his cloak in her hand.
Then, she got so indignant with him
that she shouted, "Help me! Help me!
This Hebrew slave came in here
to sleep with me, but I screamed.
When he heard me scream for help,
he left his cloak beside me and ran out
of the house." All the slaves and her
husband ran into the house, and Joseph
was brought in, but he said nothing.
There was no one who saw what
happened; no witnesses. Holding Joseph's
cloak, the wife was shouting and crying.
Joseph couldn't make an excuse.
Even if he had made an excuse,
no one would have believed him.혻
His cloak was in the hand of Potiphar's
wife, and she said, "Look at his cloak!
It is torn apart, for I shouted, and he
ran away." Joseph was condemned
without saying a word. The slaves
said, "Joseph was in charge of all of
our master, but he was a terrible man."
The master also must have done
something cruel to him. It didn't matter
if a slave was killed. Joseph must have
been beaten terribly and bloody.
He was put in prison, the place where
the king's prisoners were confined.
It was almost impossible to get out
of that prison. The prisoners were
supposed to die there, so Joseph must
have been in despair. However, even
in that tragic situation, Joseph had
a dream and faith in God and He made
it for good. Imagine! It was the worst
circumstance that man had ever had.
He was falsely accused by Potiphar's
wife, but he didn't make any excuse.
He was put in prison where he wouldn't
be able to get out. What a pity!
Nevertheless, Joseph didn't give up hope.
If he did, he might have committed
suicide. Recently, a politician and
a rich businessman killed themselves
because they were in severe despair.
Joseph could have committed suicide.
He left his father at 17, was sold into
slavery, lived as a slave for 10 years,
was falsely accused, and put in prison,
of which he wouldn't get out. He must
have been in despair. Yet, Joseph was
a man with a dream and faith. Even
though his circumstance was terrible
and dark, he kept that dream and
faith in his heart. Do you know how
important a dream is? There is a book
titled, "Man's Search for Meaning"
written by Dr. Victor Frankle. He is
a well known psychiatrist in Austria.
He was captured by Hitler, put into
a prison camp, and managed to survive.
In his book, he said that when 6 million
Jews were in the concentration camps
under Nazis rule, those who gave up
hope grew very weak both physically
and mentally and died. However, those
who kept their hope survived. He also
said that not only he, but also those
who encouraged their fellow prisoners
maintained health in their bodies and
minds, and even survived through
extremely cruel torture. Hope is such
an amazing thing. If a man has a dream
and faith, neither fate nor circumstances
will frustrate him. Joseph was in
the darkest time of his life. Since
he was confined in the king's palace,
he had no future. No one came, called,
or made an excuse for him, and he
seemed to be abandoned forever.
Potiphar's wife thought, "Joseph, you
refused to accept my love. You"ll
be there in that prison until you die.
I have gotten my revenge on you."
How awful it was! However, I truly
want to tell you. No matter how dark
your circumstances may be, if God is
with you, He will be a light and life
to you. Your circumstances depend on
your faith in God. Genesis 39:21-23 says,
"The LORD was with him; he showed
him kindness and granted him favour
in the eyes of the prison warden.
So the warden put Joseph in charge
of all those held in the prison, and he
was made responsible for all that was
done there. The warden paid no attention
to anything under Joseph's care, because
the LORD was with Joseph and gave
him success in whatever he did."
Even in the prison, God gave him
success. So Joseph was successful
in everything he did. He managed
the prisoners very well. Since God
was with him, he was put in charge
of all those held in the prison, and he
was made responsible for all that was
done there. By the way, strangely,
some time later two of the king's
officials from the palace came in,
the cupbearer and the baker. They were
imprisoned because they had offended
their master, the king of Egypt.
You may think that those jobs are not
important. Not at all. The cupbearer was
loved by the king very much because
he poured wine into the king's cup.
He became a friend of the king's,
often talking with and counseling him.
As for the baker, since he baked bread
for the king, his job was very important.
The king let only the most faithful
man make food for him. That's why
the baker was also trusted very much
by the king. For some reason, they were
put in prison and assigned to Joseph:
he attended them. One day while Joseph
came to them, he saw that they were
dejected, and asked, "Why are your
faces so sad today?" They answered,
"We both had dreams, but there is
no one to interpret them." Then Joseph
said to them, "Do not interpretations
belong to God? Tell me your dreams."
So, the chief cupbearer told Joseph
his dream, "In my dream I saw a vine
in front of me, and on the vine were
three branches, which had lots of grapes.
I took the grapes, squeezed them
into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup
in his hand." Joseph said, "It will be
the Pharaoh's birthday three days
from now, when you'll be restored
to your position. You will be a chief
cupbearer as you used to be." Then,
the chief baker said, 'I too had a dream."
Joseph asked, "What is it?" The baker
told his dream, "On my head were
three baskets of all kinds of baked goods
for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating
them out of the basket on my head."
Joseph said, "Three baskets are three
days. Within three days Pharaoh will
behead you and hang you on a tree.
And the birds will eat away your flesh."
Then, three days later, as Joseph
interpreted their dreams, the cupbearer
was restored to his position, and
returned to the palace. The chief baker
was hanged. However, when the chief
cupbearer was leaving, Joseph told him,
"When all goes well with you,
remember me, and mention me
to Pharaoh. For I was forcibly carried
off from the land of the Hebrews,
and even here I have done nothing
to deserve being put in a dungeon.
So please, do not forget to tell Pharaoh
to get me out of this prison. The chief
cupbearer said, "Don't worry. Who am I?
I'm the chief cupbearer. I'll tell Pharaoh
to set you free from the prison."
So, Joseph anticipated a good news.
However. there was no news
after one day, two days, three days,
one month, two months, three months,
or even one year. If we trust people,
we may be disappointed like this.
It would have been better for him
to keep his dream and faith in God.
After one year went by, he was
very sad. The next year, there was
also no news even as spring, summer,
fall, and winter passed by. God does not
want us to trust anyone else but Him.
If Joseph had gotten out of the prison,
he would have said that he was set
free owing to the chief cupbearer.
He would not have considered God.
That's why God let Joseph stay
in the prison for three years, so that
he would be broken and humble;
depending on the world, but trusting
only in God. Even in the darkest time,
if we do not look at the circumstances,
but only to God with a dream and faith,
He will work for us. In 1991, a big fire
broke out in a village of artists
located in East Bay, California, U.S.A.
The fire burned the works of about
100 artists and sculptors at once.
A sculptor named Hunger lost all 200
works that he had made with devotion
for 15 years, and an artist named
Preberry lost all his art instruments.
Many of the artists were in despair and
gave up painting, saying, "We have
no hope." However, Hunger made some
new works out of burned wood and metal.
Preberry offered the other artists
some rare dye that he made from
burned materials. Then, the people
of the village were revived and created
artistic works once again. One year later
they held an art exhibition with burned
works, and impressed the whole world.
Look! All their works were burned, and
the artists were in despair, but only one
of them, Hunger, didn't give up hope.
He made new and rare works from
burned things, and held a fire art
exhibition for the first time ever.
It attracted the attention of the whole
world. He became more famous than
before, and made more marvelous works.
Despair will become the foundation
of hope to those who have dreams
and faith. In the darkest night, those
who have dreams and faith will be
able to create a new, bright light.
While Joseph was in the most
desperate prison for three years,
his dream and faith in God became
stronger. He gave up relying on man.
He abandoned his trust in the chief
cupbearer. Finally, the providence of God
was revealed. When the time came,
Pharaoh had a dream one night.
In the dream, he was standing
by the Nile, when seven sleek, fat
cows came up, and they grazed
among the reeds. After them, seven
other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up.
The cows that were ugly and gaunt
ate up the seven sleek, fat cows,
and they were still ugly and gaunt.
Then, Pharaoh woke up. He fell
asleep again and had a second dream.
In that dream, he was standing by
the Nile again. Seven heads of grain,
healthy and good, were growing
on a single stalk. After them, seven
other heads of grain sprouted-thin
and scorched by the east wind.
The thin heads of grain swallowed
up the seven healthy, full heads.
Then Pharaoh woke up. In the morning
his mind was troubled, so he sent
for all the magicians and wise men
of Egypt. He told them his dreams,
but no one could interpret them for him.
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh,
"I know a man who can interpret
your dreams!" Pharaoh asked, "How do
you know?" The cupbearer answered,
"Pharaoh was once angry with his
servants, and he imprisoned me and
the chief baker. There in the prison
a young Hebrew interpreted our dreams,
and it really happened as he said."
Pharaoh said, "Bring him here quickly."
When Joseph was in the prison, chariots
with soldiers suddenly came to him.
The prison gate was opened, and
a barber came to him, shaved him,
and put a silver robe on him.
What fortune for him! He was very
surprised. How come? They said,
"You just follow us to the palace."
When he had shaved and changed
his clothes, he looked so handsome.
He went to Pharaoh and was told about
the dreams by him. Then Joseph said
to Pharaoh, "Interpretations belong to God.
Your dreams are one and the same.
God has revealed to Pharaoh what he
is about to do. The seven good cows
are seven rich years, and the seven lean,
ugly cows are seven poor years.
For seven years your country will have
an abundant harvest, but the next seven
years you will have severe famine
throughout Egypt, and it will perish.
The seven good heads of grain are
seven years of plenty, and the seven
worthless heads of grain are seven years
of famine. "Lord, look for a discerning
and wise man and put him in charge
of the land of Egypt. Let him take
a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during
the seven years of abundance, store up
the grain, and distribute it to your
people during the seven years of famine,
so that the country may not be ruined
by the famine." Pharaoh was surprised,
and asked them, "Can we find anyone
like this man, one in whom is the spirit
of God? You shall be in charge of my
palace. Store up the grain during
the abundant years and feed our people
with the grain during the years of famine.
I hereby put you in charge of
the whole land." All the other ministers
agreed. Then Pharaoh took his signet
ring from his finger and put it
on Joseph's finger, and a gold chain
around his neck. He had him ride
in a chariot as his second-in-command,
and men shouted before him, "Make way!
All of the people must bow down
to Joseph!" Thus he put him in charge
of the whole land of Egypt. The fate
of Joseph was changed in a moment.
Joseph was amazed, and he thought,
"All that I went through seemed like
a misfortune but it has turned out
to be glorious. It was God's providence
that my brothers sold me, and that I was
brought to Egypt, worked as a slave
for ten years, was falsely accused
by Potiphar's wife, was put in prison,
and now I am a prime minister!"
He remembered one by one, all
the things that he had experienced.
He truly realized the Word, "In all
things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been
called according to his purpose."
Joseph came out dressed in the robes
of fine linen that Pharaoh gave him,
and all the officials bowed down to him.
When he got on a chariot as Pharaoh's
second-in-command, even Potiphar,
the chief guard, bowed down to him.
His fate was changed. He had been
a slave before, but now he was a master.
In history, there must have been only
one man, Joseph, who became a prime
minister as a slave. For seven years
after Joseph became a prime minister,
the country had an abundance, and he
gathered all the grain in the barns of
the palace. The next seven years, there
was a severe famine throughout the land.
People harvested nothing because of
the famine. Then, Joseph gave the grain
to the people, gave Pharaoh the money
that the people paid, and was so happy.
In the land of Canaan, there was also
such a severe famine that Joseph's
brothers had trouble living. They heard
that Egypt had abundant grain, and
came to buy food. They bowed to Joseph.
A long time ago, they said to Joseph,
"We will see what comes of your dream?"
Now, they bowed down to Joseph
as he said. They didn't recognize him.
They never thought that Joseph who they
had sold would become a prime minister.
Joseph, seeing his brothers bowing
down to him, remembered his dream,
and knew that God had fulfilled it.
All the grief, misfortune, despair,
and trouble that he had for 13 years
disappeared in a moment. Joseph's
brothers were afraid when his father
passed away. They said, "While our
father was alive, Joseph did not take
revenge on us. Yet, now that our father
died, he will get revenge on us."
They feared Joseph, so they said to
him in Genesis 50:15-20, "When Joseph's
brothers saw that their father was dead,
they said, What if Joseph holds a grudge
against us and pays us back for all
the wrongs we did to him? So they
sent word to Joseph, saying, Your father
left these instructions before he died:
'This is what you are to say to Joseph:
I ask you to forgive your brothers
the sins and the wrongs they committed
in treating you so badly.' Now please
forgive the sins of the servants of
the God of your father. When their
message came to him, Joseph wept."
Joseph was a warm-hearted man.
When Joseph read the words, his brothers
had written, he had pity on them,
and wept. He might have hated them
for harming him, but he wept, hearing
their words. The Scripture said,
"Joseph wept." "His brothers then came
and threw themselves down before him.
We are your slaves, they said.
But Joseph said to them, Don't be afraid.
Am I in the place of God? You intended
to harm me, but God intended it
for good to accomplish what is now
being done, the saving of many lives."
Joseph didn't resent his brothers,
nor threaten them, but he said, "You
intended to harm me, but God intended
it for good to accomplish what is now
being done, the saving of many lives."
Joseph had a dream and faith in his
heart. Through his dream and faith,
God turned all evil into good, and He
put Joseph in a position to save Egypt
and all the Middle Eastern countries.
Shall we read Romans 8:28 together?
"And we know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love
him, who have been called according
to his purpose." We can see this well
in the resume of President Lincoln.
He was the 16th president of America,
and has been respected in the history
of the U.S.A. However, in 1831,
he began a business and failed.
In 1832, he ran for state representative,
and lost the election. In 1833, he failed
in his business again. In 1834, fortunately
he was elected state representative.
In 1836, he fainted because of a nervous
breakdown. In 1838, he ran for the chief
of the state representatives, and failed.
In 1840, he ran for the election committee,
and lost the election. In 1843, he ran
for federal senator, and failed.
In 1846, fortunately he was elected
federal representative. In 1848, he ran
for a federal representative position again,
but failed. In 1856, he ran for vice
president, and failed. In 1858, he ran
for federal senator, and failed.
In the long run, in 1860, he was
elected president of the U.S.A.!
One day a newspaper reporter asked
President Lincoln, "What is the secret of
your great success and respected life?"
For a few minutes he was quiet, and
said, "It is simple. I failed many times,
and went through many troubles.
All those failures made me what I am
now." He added, "When I was young,
I learned lessons in the Bible from
my mother. She showed me a good
scripture in Romans 8:28, "And we
know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love him,
who have been called according to
his purpose." Whenever I failed in
my life, and had trouble, I recalled these
words, and kept a dream and faith alive
in my mind. As a result, today I have
become the president of America.
He believed that failure, despair,
frustration, and defeat would be made
into something good, and it made him
the president. It is the same for us today.
Unless we lose our dream and faith
in Jesus who was crucified, and risen
from the dead, we will fear no evil even
in the valley of the shadow of death,
for the Lord will rescue us with His rod,
and protect us with His staff.
He'll also make us prosperous
in everything with good health,
and give us abundance in life.


Dear God our Father who has great love!
While living on this earth, we go through
failure, despair, frustration, defeat, and
depression. However, if we have dreams
and faith in the Lord, we believe that
You will make everything turn out
for the good. Dear God, You have all
the authority over heaven and earth.
You reign over all our lives, and perform
the miracle of the great reversal.
Dear God, our Father, please help us
to remember Joseph and not to shrink
back easily. Please, let us lift up
our eyes to Christ, and keep
dreams and faith in our hearts.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.