"You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20).

There will be times in the Christian's life when the world, and even the church, shall treat you with contempt. They will dislike you, and their heart's desire will be one that wants you out of the way.

Can you imagine Joseph's heart, when his family came against him with such hostility. Though they threw him in a pit, and that was bad, his heart must have felt like it was in an even deeper and darker pit.

How do we make it through when others, especially family, disown us with self-righteous condemnation?
To be honest, some don't make it through.
And if we do make it through, we may have some sins we need to deal with as we endure our trial. Bitterness, self-pity, and even resentment, may have to be repented of.
But I believe if we keep our sin before the Lord, and trust His Sprirt to help us love our persecutors, then we will withstand our hardship, no matter how severe.

And we also need to know this most impotantly: God is sovereign in this trial.


"Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face." - William Cowper


And as great an example as Joesph is for us, there is another One who is the ultimate example.
Christ our Lord was crucified by those who were jealous and hated Him. He was treated with disdain, and yet His Father meant this for good.
Peter tells us: " --Him [Jesus], being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknoledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, for it was not posssible that He should be held by it." Acts 2:23-24

It's because of the Lord God, and His sovereignty over our very souls, that we shall persevere. As Joseph did.

We need to remember, that though we will be treated badly at times: If God is for us, then who can, really, be against us?
And also, If God is against you, then who can be for you?
Think about it.