Philippians 2: 8-11; Gen 39-41
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
If you have ever read the stories of many successful men, you’ll most likely find out they all had very humble beginnings. Most of them started out poor, living a lowly life of hardship filled with many challenges. As a matter of fact, the basic things of life (common to kids their age) was but a dream to them at the time.
Humble beginnings have a way of preparing one for a bright and prosperous future. The Bible says that after Jesus had suffered, God exalted Him and gave Him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and confess that He is Lord. Notice that the exaltation did not come until Jesus had endured the cross!
In the case of Joseph, though he did not experience severe hardship/poverty in his early years, he inherited them along the way because God had great plans for his future. His problems took a downward plunge when he was accused by Potiphar’s wife, and ended up behind bars, in fact in a dungeon! Joseph learnt humility and forgiveness (among other lessons) in the place of his suffering – these virtues served him well in his land of promotion/success.
Don’t despise the days of your suffering because the very things plaguing your life today are the tools necessary for your glorious destiny. God is a master planner; and there are no mistakes with Him – He is using those challenges to shape your future, and it will all make sense (just like in the case of Joseph) at the end. Those stumbling blocks will become your stepping stones to victory!