Are you and I ‘children of the promise’? We are all sinners – God hates sin, he cannot tolerate it, so we all stand condemned. This is the dilemma that God himself addressed in the person of Jesus. If we trust in what Jesus has done on the cross, if we respond to His mercy and grace, then the sin that makes us hateful to God is replaced by the perfection of Jesus that God loves. God has given us the gift of free will so that each of us can choose whether to accept the greater gift of salvation.
Paul reminds us of the limited ability of the human mind to grasp all that is in the mind of God. Both our Old Testament chapters highlight the challenges that faith in God can receive. Joseph was in a mess that was going from bad to worse but, unknown to him, he was God’s plan for saving the rest of his family {God’s people}. Doing the right thing and being blessed in other ways does not mean that God stops us from having troubles {e.g. Joseph’s unjust condemnation & punishment}. But we ARE children of the promise.
(member of the prayer ministry team)