A Lesson from the Life of Joseph

Joseph was a man who suffered years of adversity and suffering through no fault or wrongdoing of his own. He was hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, and imprisoned, though he had done nothing to deserve any of these things. As we study the life of Joseph, we will see that all of this suffering came about in his life, as it did in the life of our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ, “by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23).

Joseph remained faithful to God through all of the hardships he endured, even though he could have had no idea at the time why God had allowed these things to happen to him, or what good could possibly come from any of them. We will see that through all of the unjust sufferings Joseph endured, God was working in his life to prepare him and to bring him to the place where he would do the work that He had determined Joseph would do in His service, work which would bear fruit to His glory.

The ways that God has worked in the lives of His servants to accomplish His will through them are all recorded in the Scriptures for our instruction and edification, so that we as His people might have insight into some of the ways in which He may work in our lives as well, as He accomplishes His will for each of us. And His will for each of us is that we will bear fruit to His glory, fruit that will last (John 15:16).