I was planning on getting back to word studies this week, but I want to share one more "Mystery" with you instead! This one is from Day 343 and is called "The End Of The Story":
"What is it," asked the teacher, "that makes a story good or bad, happy or sad? What if I told you the story of a man hated by his own family, sold into slavery, taken to a foreign land, thrown into prison for a crime he didn't commit, and forgotten by man and, it seems, by God. What kind of story would you say it is?"
"A sad story. A story of injustice and oppression ... a tragedy."
"But the story is from the Book of Genesis. And the man is Joseph. And he will end up being released from prison, given a position of great honor, saving Egypt from famine, and being reconciled to his family. Now would you still say the story is sad and tragic?"
"No. I would say the story is one of triumph."
"And you would be right," he said. "The parts of a story are not all of equal weight. A happy story with a tragic end is not a happy story, but a tragic one. A tragic story with a triumphant ending is not a tragic story, but a triumphant one. You can never judge a story by its beginning or middle, or by its parts before its ending. It is the ending of the story that determines everything that went before it. Always remember that. The nature of the story is determined by its end ... so too the story of your life. You can never judge your story by your current circumstances or problems. And as long as you're on earth, you haven't seen the end of the story."
"So then one can never know what kind of story you're in."
"Not so," said the teacher. "If you're a child of God, the end of the story is revealed."
"Which is ... "
"Victory, restoration, triumph, blessing, joy and glory. And it is that end that makes your life a good story, a wonderful story. Therefore, when you look at your life, see everything in the light of that ending ... every problem, every defeat, every sorrow, every failure, every evil ... they're only the components of a story of triumph and glory. Fix your eyes on the end of the story. And press on to the end. For it is that end that makes your story and your life ... a great one."
The Mission: No matter what you're going through today or in your life, believe, look to, and live in confidence to the end of the story.
I LOVE this message! Some of the greatest victories, and some of the greatest accomplishments, have come up out of failure and disappointment! Many people give up and quit when the going gets tough, and they never see the victory. I KNOW that you and your family are NOT the quitting types! As you continue to be diligent in getting to know JESUS more, I believe that HE will continue to show Himself strong in your lives, making for more triumphant victory dances! Here is Hillsong with "This Is How We Overcome":
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
