Daily Reading
Daily Thought
Israel, the great nation of God, would come through the line of Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons and a daughter by four women. Two were wives, two weren’t. Why would God use such a convoluted, sin-filled line to bring forth his people?
We are sinners, simple as that. When God uses us to accomplish his plan, sin tags along. We don’t have to search; sin doesn’t hide. Jacob’s wives invited him to sleep with their maidservants, and Jacob said, “Okay.” What a mess!
We do bad things and bad things happen to us, and God shapes it into his design. Joseph said to his brothers who sold him into slavery, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). God used the actions of the sons of Jacob to refine them so that they would learn love and trust through the consequences of their own hate and betrayal. God is sovereign, but that doesn’t mean he makes everything happen. For instance, God didn’t make the sons of Jacob sin. Sovereignty is much bigger than that. It means that God is in charge of this world, and he takes everything that happens, good and bad, and uses it to carry out his plan–and his plan is good for those who love him.
Often we let the bad things we do define us–“I’m a bad person”–but God can reshape the bad you have done into a work of his glory. God’s goodness is more powerful than your sin. Let God define you.
Daily Prayer
Father God, thank You for Your mercy. Your son made a trade: He took my sin and gave me His righteousness. What amazing grace! You have made me a new person in Jesus Christ. My old self, delighted with sin, is dead. I am born again, born from heaven, a new person who now delights in You.
God, I hunger and thirst for righteousness. May I be filled and overflowing. May I live a good and godly life that lights the world around me so that people see You and delight in You. And when I don’t follow You, use what I do wrong to turn me right. Thank You for welcoming me even in my sins, but not leaving me there.
Amen
Daily Question
When have you seen God work out a bad situation into something good?
