God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised. (Gen. 50:24)
Most of the people I greatly admire in my life are those who do not see themselves as significant or special. Many of the individuals I call “heroes” or “mentors” are people of great humility and who live their lives selflessly.
Today’s verse includes some of Joseph’s last recorded words in the Scriptures before he passed away. They are words of confidence, humility, and a concern for others. Joseph spoke to the people of Israel and assured them that he was not anything special, but that God wanted to come to their aid as well. People hearing his words may have been led to believe that their lives weren’t significant or that God played favorites with Joseph by using him in powerful ways. But Joseph did not see his life as an exception; he saw it as the potential for all people who live in faithfulness and submission to God.
It is far too easy to see our lives as mundane, insignificant, or even worthless. However, we do have significance and purpose, not because of how great we are, but because of how great God is. The things God did through the heroes in the Scriptures, he can do through us. The things he has done and is doing in the lives of those we admire, he wants to do through us.
What God can do through others, let him do through you.
Joel J. Gorveatte deeply loves Jesus, his wife, and the church. He serves as the worship and next steps pastor at Journey [Wesleyan] Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
© 2021 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
