The value of divine favor ! (2)

Tuesday January 4, 2022

The value of divine favor ! (2)

“The grace of the Lord our God be upon us ! Strengthen the work of our hands ! Yes, strengthen the work of our hands !” Psalm 90. 17

To see divine favor in a man's life, we need only look at the life of Joseph. “Israel (Jacob) more than all his other sons because he had had it in his old age, and he made him a habit of many colors. His brothers noticed that their father loved him more than all of them and began to hate him. They were unable to speak to him without aggressiveness. Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers, who hated him even more” (Genesis 37. 3-5). Notice two details in this story :

1- Divine favor is a free gift, not a reward meant to prove that you are worth more than another person. Never apologize for enjoying divine favor, but don't wear it proudly on the lapel of your jacket as a medal or badge of superiority. Paul said : "What have you got that you haven't received ?" (1 Corinthians 4. 7). The answer is simple : everything you have comes from Him ! Keep this in mind and adopt a permanent attitude of gratitude.

2- Living accompanied by divine favor requires a lot of wisdom. Joseph's brothers cried out : “Here is the man with dreams ! Let's take the opportunity to kill him. We will throw his corpse into a cistern and say that a ferocious beast has devoured him. We will then see if his dreams come true” (Genesis 37. 19-20). Sharing your vision with people who cannot appreciate its strength and impact is arguably a big mistake. Openly they will pretend to share your joy, but deep down they will be jealous of you and bitter to see you succeed. The prodigal son's brother had no problem with the idea that his younger brother was starving to death near a pig trough in a foreign land. What he couldn't bear was seeing the lavish celebrations organized for his homecoming. King Saul expressed his joy after David had defeated and killed Goliath. But what he could not bear was to hear the women of the people then exclaim : "Saul has smitten his 1000, and David his 10,000" (1 Samuel 18. 7). On this subject, Jesus did not mince His words : “Do not throw your pearls in front of the pigs, lest they trample on them and turn around to tear you up” (Matthew 7. 6). So be wise, only open your mouth when absolutely necessary, and at all times try to please God. You will then enjoy divine favor !

Source (His Word for Today)