HOW WELL DO YOU NOTICE
When Joseph came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected. He asked Pharaoh's officials who were with him in confinement in his master's house, "Why are your faces so sad today?"
Genesis 40:6-7
Do you know the story of Joseph in the book of Genesis? It is an awesome story of God's sovereignty and Joseph's integrity and unwavering faith.
Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. As a slave, he was falsely accused of the crime of attempted rape. The truth was his master’s wife had a thing for Joseph. When he rebuffed her advances, she vindictively told her husband that Joseph tried to rape her. As a result of those false charges, he went from a slave to a prisoner. Could life get any worse? Through it all, he continued to trust God and serve Him, even though it was HARD to do in that dirty, smelly, slimy pit known as an Egyptian prison.
One day, some special inmates arrived: Pharaoh's butler and baker. They had made Pharaoh mad and had been thrown in the prison for some lengthy “time out.” One day, Joseph—who had been made the #1 trustee—noticed that something was wrong with these two men. Their faces were sad.
The fact that he noticed their countenance struck me as I read the story. Here is Joseph—a man who has been cheated, mistreated, used, and abused—yet he did not pout, sulk, and wallow in self-pity and bitterness. He trusted God and served others. He didn't focus on himself, but he focused on others. He noticed that the two new guys were especially sad one day. He really looked at people and noticed them.
CONVICTING
As I read that, I thought about all the times I get so caught up in my own world and my own to-do list that I miss the faces of people all around me. How many are struggling with guilt, pain, loss, fear or doubt? How many people are sad and desperately need a hug, a touch, a word from the Lord to remind them that He knows and cares?
Perhaps you are like me and easily get caught up in your own responsibilities, pressures, and personal/family problems, that you forget you are here to be a blessing to others and "bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2).
Would you ask the Lord to make you extra sensitive and observant to the people you encounter each day? Would you make it your practice to look into faces and see into their eyes the pain they may be enduring? The old adage is surely true: people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Let’s practice caring for people as we notice them, speak to them, and encourage them in the Lord.
God wants to use little ol' you and little ol' me to be Jesus with skin to a lost and hurting world. Will you take the challenge to be just that?
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 182 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.
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