If you are Biblically literate, then I am sure you know the story of Joseph and how he ended up as a slave in Egypt after his jealous brothers sold him. The finality of the story is Joseph forgiving them and saying this to them:
I did not make a mistake. I put Joseph’s words with a cross background because Jesus could have said the same thing and it would have been true. The people who crucified Him (all of us, because we would have most likely been in that mob and because we are ALL sinners), meant Him harm. Harm being a euphemism for death. They wanted to kill him and get Him off the earth and out of the way of their plans to keep on sinning.
But God and Jesus had other plans. When He was resurrected, He showed everyone that they had actually helped God carry out His plan of redemption through their evil obsession with killing Him.
How many times have others offended me or harmed me? How many times has God turned it around for me for good? Too many times to count, but I am sorry to say that, unlike Jesus and Joseph, I did not recognize what they did as something that God could use for my good. Today’s devotional opened my eyes to a new perspective about people who are against me. What do you think? Is this true for you, too? No matter what, God’s plans will not be thwarted. He works for our good and continues to work out His purpose for our lives.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 
Amen, I’m with you!
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As a child, I grew up with an extremely abusive father and an emotionally neglectful mother, who was a good mother, other than that. I took a lot of beatings. The man I married, I did not know at the time, was addicted to sexual immorality, so that has had many challenges in our 52 years of marriage. I was very sincere about my faith in the Lord early on and took his word seriously when so many others did not, or they were more casual about it, so I faced a lot of persecutions, false accusations, and mistreatments from other Christians, some of them pastors, and from some family members, because of my walk of faith. So I have had 75 years of hardships and mistreatments at the hands of others. All that was to prepare me for the ministry the Lord had for me of writing down what he teaches me from his word each day and posting these writings on the internet to share with the people of the world. Had I not gone through the things I have gone through in my life, I would not have been prepared for what the Lord has taken me through these past 20 years since I have been writing on the internet. I would not have had the strength to stand, for certain. But God is my strength, and he gets me through every trial, one day, and one situation at a time. Glory to God.
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