If you are going to be a God-follower, you
must learn to see the big picture of what He wants to accomplish in your life and
not get upset by what you’re going through right now. Life can be compared to a jigsaw puzzle.
The puzzle has a picture on the box of what it will look like after all the pieces
are in place. But when you open the box, all you can see is a bunch of funny-shaped
pieces that seem impossible to connect. As you get started, some pieces will make you puzzled. They
look unnecessary, but they are all essential to form the final picture. It
takes patience to trust God to make the pieces fit correctly, but once they are
all in place, you will understand why they were necessary. It’s not obvious when
you’re going through difficult situations, but later you’ll see how God used
them as a part of His plan.
God gave Joseph in the Old Testament a couple
of dreams of the future to show him what the final jigsaw picture would look
like (Gen. 37:5-11). He would one day be a world ruler and save Israel during a
severe famine. Joseph had to keep the completed picture in mind as he
experienced some terrible trials. One piece of the puzzle was being thrown
into a pit in the wilderness. Another piece was being sold into slavery.
Another piece was being falsely accused and thrown into prison. But if you left
out any of those pieces of the puzzle, the final good outcome would not have occurred.
When
someone throws you in a pit, sells you into slavery, or falsely accuses you,
remember that God didn’t cause those things, but He will overrule them and use them
for His purposes (read about the Chess Game in my February 1 Devotional). This
is why you must not become bitter at the people who mistreat you, but by faith keep a good attitude, knowing that God has the final say on
everything. He will make the final picture of your life look amazing,
just like He did with Joseph. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com
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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net Twitter: @Kent Crockett
