What do Joseph, Jonah, Paul, Naomi, David, and Job have in common? Besides all of these folks’ lives being recorded for us in Scripture, they also all suffered serious trials for God’s good purposes. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. Jonah got a sunburn (it was worse than it sounds!). Paul was shipwrecked, bitten by a viper, stoned, beaten. David was chased by a spear-chuckin’ king for years. Job lost all of his wealth and all of his children. Naomi lost her husband and two sons from famine. Amazing things resulted from many of these situations. Joseph saved God’s people from famine when he rose from a slave to second in command in Egypt. Paul planted who knows how many churches and saved countless people after evangelizing the entire known world in the first century. Naomi’s lineage eventually brings us Jesus the Savior. Job’s sufferings shamed satan by showcasing why a man would worship God despit...
Reflections on a life lived for King Jesus.