Daily Devotions
When Life Isn’t Fair
Title: When Life Isn’t Fair
His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.
Genesis 39:3-4
Life is full of injustice:
An accountant faithfully reports earnings for his corporation and gets fired for not being a "team player."
A teenager turns in a cheater to the teacher and becomes the object of ridicule.
An elder handles a delicate situation with careful attention to God's Word and then hears grumbling from the majority.
A wife bites her lip when her husband is criticized and then her husband's chief critic falsely accuses her of spreading rumors.
What should we do when treated unjustly? Look to Joseph. He was sold as a slave by his brothers (37:28), wrongfully accused of molesting his master's wife (39:18), and was then forgotten in prison by Pharaoh's butler whom he helped (40:23). He was twice thrown into a pit (37:24; 40:15), his coat taken two times as well (37:23; 39:13).
But Joseph trusted in the Lord, and God made him overseer of a house (39:4), a jail (39:22), and a nation (41:40). He even was given a special coat by Pharaoh to replace the two he lost (41:42). Joseph never forgot God, and God never forgot Joseph.
Whatever the injustice we're enduring, Joseph would tell us to commit our way to God. He would say: "Be patient"; "Wait on the Lord"; "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good"; "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." (James 5:7; Psalm 37:9; Romans 12:21; James 4:10)
God we know you are with us and will bless us if we will only put our trust in you. Help us to respond today to our enemies in a Christ-like way.
