![]() ![]() The story of the beggar Lazarus and the rich man ( Luke 16:19-31) is illustrative of Proverbs 14:19. Proverbs 14:19 – “The evil bow before the good and the wicked at the gates of the righteous. The world does not play fair however, God has assured His people there is coming a day of judgment when justice will be served. It is a universal fact-without law and justice, the wicked lie, cheat and scheme to further their interest. ![]() Of course, “fairness”, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder! In other words, it is subjective. Click here for reprint information.“But that’s not fair!” How many times have you made that protest or heard someone else say the same? It is a harsh reality and, if you are a victim, a tough lesson to learn- Life is not fair! ![]() All rights reserved.Ĭopyright © 2012 by Christianity Today/. Adapted with permission from " Life Isn't Fair" at. John Schwarz is the author of A Handbook of the Christian Faith (Baker, 2004). If this is true, some ask, "Why isn't God more evident in our lives?" Perhaps, like Joseph, we have to struggle and persevere and continue to believe in order to realize the great blessings God has in store for us. What we know-what the Bible teaches and promises-is that God loves us and wants the best for us, even when he seems hidden and removed. ![]() We might think life isn't fair, as Joseph must have thought when he was in chains or under arrest, but that's because we miss the big picture. God was watching over Joseph, even in jail and he watches over us, even when he feels far away. God used Joseph to keep the promise that Abraham's descendants would be a blessing "to all peoples on earth" ( Genesis 12:3). We read in Genesis that Joseph's brothers feared his revenge for selling him into slavery, but he said to them, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" ( Genesis 50:20). But God was present with a plan and purpose for Joseph's life. Would anything good ever happen to Joseph? Finally, he interpreted the pharaoh's dream and became the second most important man in Egypt.įor some 20 years, God seemed far from Joseph. Where was God? Wasn't Joseph the great-grandson of Abraham, father of Israel, called by God to bring blessings to all people? In prison, Joseph successfully interpreted the cupbearer's dreams, and then was forgotten by the very man he helped. But the lies of Potiphar's wife sent him to jail. His brothers! He landed in the Egyptian Potiphar's household, where his master entrusted him to manage the entire estate. His jealous brothers sold him into slavery. What about Joseph? He was his father's pride and joy, the first son born to Jacob's favorite wife. Some of us invested in the wrong companies and lost the wealth we spent a lifetime earning. Just when we felt some job security, the economy changed. Just when we achieved a measure of professional success, cancer and other illnesses arose. Some dropped out of school, while others made bad decisions, often to our embarrassment. Our children didn't turn out like we dreamed. We married and raised families, but marriages can grow cold, followed by separation, and in some cases, divorce. We studied hard, but didn't get the jobs we wanted. When we were young we didn't get everything we thought we deserved. ![]()
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