Proverbs 24:16
A little boy was leading his sister up a steep mountain path. She was behind him grumbling and griping and complaining and finally, she said to him, “This isn’t a path. This is nothing but rocks and bumps.” And that’s when he turned and said, “If you want to reach the top – if you want to reach your goals, bumps are what you climb on.”
I believe we’ve all discovered that life is a series of rough rocks, and uneven terrain, with many bumps. Life is seldom easy. It’s the bumpy reality of life that causes some to quit, and others to climb.
On a previous occasion, I’ve shared with you the true account of a great man who overcame many bumps along the years of his life. At 7 years of age, he and his family were forced out of their home, because of a legal technicality. At 9 years of age, when he was just a young, shy boy, his mother died. When he was 22, he was fired from his job as a store clerk. He wanted to go to law school, but his application was denied.. At 23, he went into debt to start a business, only to have his partner die 3 years later, leaving him with a huge debt. His sweetheart then suffered a tragic death. At 24 years of age, he fell in love with another young woman, and they dated for four years. Then, when he was 28 he asked her to marry him, and she turned him down. By the time he was 37, he ran for congress twice and failed. Finally he was elected on the third time. Two years later, he ran for congress again, and lost. He then had a nervous breakdown. When he was 41 years old, his four year old son died. At 45, he ran for Senate and he lost. A couple of years later, he ran for Vice-President and lost. At 49, he ran for Senate again, and lost again. Finally, at age 57, he was elected President of the United States, and to most history experts was the greatest President our country ever had. Abraham Lincoln.
If Abraham Lincoln were here today, he’d tell you that life is full of bumps and rocks. But he is also a testimony of one who climbed on those bumps. And it was the character that he developed on those bumps that enabled him to have a strong backbone to accomplish great things. He had plenty of reasons to give up. But he didn’t. He could have used these circumstances as stumbling blocks, but instead he chose to view them as stepping stones to rise higher than he’d ever been before.
I ask you today, “How do you respond to the bumps you encounter along the path of your life?”
Every one of us has desires to do great things in life and to do great things for God. But we also have stories of how circumstances and people have gotten in our way. “I’d have been right up there if something hadn’t gone wrong.” “I would have already done so many things for God, if somebody hadn’t blocked me.”
Bumps are what you climb on.
When you encounter bumps, you can either fall to the pits, or you can rise to a pinnacle. But the choice is yours.
Joseph had more than his share of bumps. Maybe you’ve had more than your share of bumps. But Joseph, rather than complaining about the bumps, made a decision to climb on them. And so can we.
Joseph was a dreamer. He was a visionary. He desired to do great things for God, and he believed that God would use him mightily.
1) The first bump Joseph had to climb on was the bump of a flawed family. Joseph didn’t come from a picture perfect home. It wasn’t like an Ozzie & Harriette household. He had 11 brothers and one sister, and his dad had two wives and two concubines. It was plain to see that he lived in a dysfunctional family. Because Joseph was a visionary, his brothers were envious and jealous of him. They literally sold him - as a slave – and told their dad that he had died. Scripture says that his brothers hated him. Their family tree had some crooked branches.
Genesis 37:5 says, "Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more." His brothers hated him.
The truth is that even though we may come from a flawed family, we can have a fruitful future. We don’t have to let the problems of our past dictate the promises of the future. What the enemy attempts to destroy, the Lord steps in to turn things around.
2) Another bump Joseph had to climb was the bump of a separation. Genesis 37:26 "Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let's sell him to the Ismaelites . . . "
Can you imagine how Joseph felt as he was carried off by the band of gypsies into a foreign land, away from the ones he loved. The bump of separation left him all alone. It was a big bump.
It was 1871, and Horatio G. Spafford lived his life to serve the Lord. Some months prior to the Chicago Fire of 1871, Spafford had invested heavily in real estate on the shore of Lake Michigan, and his holdings were wiped out by this disaster. Just before this, he had experienced the death of his son. Desiring rest for his wife and four daughters as well as wishing to join D.L. Moody in one of his campaigns in Great Britain, Spafford planned a European trip for his family in 1873. In November of that year, due to unexpected last minute business developments, he had to remain in Chicago; but he sent his wife and four daughters on ahead as scheduled on the boat. He expected to follow in a few days. On November 22, the ship was struck by an English vessel, and sank in 12 minutes. Several days later, the survivors were finally landed in Wales and Mrs. Spafford cables her husband with the message, "Saved alone." Shortly afterward, Spafford left by ship to join his bereaved wife. It is speculated that on the sea near the area where it was thought his four daughters had drowned, Spafford penned the words to describe his personal grief - and these words would later become one of the most hymns of all time. "When peace like a river attendeth my way, and sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul."
And in the midst of this series of tragedies, he wrote the lyrics to describe his unending faith in the Lord. "And Lord hast the day when my faith shall be sight; the clouds be rolled back as a scroll. The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend; even so, it is well with my soul."
The enemy threw at Mr. Spafford, a stumbling block. Instead Mr. Spafford used it as a stepping stone to rise to a new level of faith.
3) Another bump he faced was the bump of temptation. After finding favor with his boss Potipher, it was Potipher’s wife who seduced him. Genesis 39:11-12, One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me." But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
The devil is sly. And he will not hesitate to tempt you in various ways. He knows our weakpoints and he will attack those weak points. But whenever we are tempted, we must remember what God’s word says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
4) Then he faced the bump of disappointment. After he ran from Potipher’s wife, she turned the story around, and Joseph was thrown into prison, although he was innocent. Instead of being rewarded for his purity, he was being punished for false accusations. Genesis 39:20 Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.
I’ve been at this bump before. Disappointment hits me. I’ve gotten discouraged because people have failed me. But then, I get encouraged by God’s Word, because I know that Jesus never fails.
I’ve gotten discouraged because the devil seems to never give up. But then, I get encouraged by God’s Word, because it says “Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.”
There are times that I’ve wanted to walk away from the ministry. But then, I get encouraged by God’s Word, because in the end, I know that God has the final Word.
5) Then he faced the bump of delay. Genesis 39:20b & 21. But while Joseph was there in prison, the Lord was with him.
There he was, sitting in prison – forgotten by man. But yet, he was not forgotten by God. Have you ever felt like asking God, “Lord, have you forgotten me?”
Theologians believe that Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold by his family. It is believed that he was 30 years old when he was promoted by Potipher. If these figures are correct or even somewhat accurate, that means that it took about 13 years for the full measure of God’s blessing to come into fruition.
I’m sure that thoughts ran across his mind as to why things were moving so slowly. I’m sure that there were moments that Joseph questioned God. He was human – just like you and I.
The bump of delay happens when you’re going through a crisis, and nothing is happening. It seems as though God is not moving. It’s like you are going nowhere fast. Why the test of suspension? Why the delays in life? If we were to take a look at the lives of many saints in the Word of God, you would see that many of them went through the bump of delay.
Abraham was given a promise that he would be a father. And not only a father to a son, but that he would be a father to a mighty nation. But from the time that God gave Abraham the promise to the time Isaac was born was about 25 years. 25 years . . . . and we complain to God when He doesn’t answer our prayers in 25 days.
Moses knew that he was to be the deliverer of Israel. The Israelites were under the bondage of Egypt, and God called Moses to lead them out. Moses knew that he was God’s man for the hour – he just had the wrong hour. He ended up spending 40 years on the back side of the desert. 40 years . . . . of suspension.
David was anointed to be the king, when he was a teenager. It was Samuel who came to Jesse’s house to anoint the future king, and all the brothers lined up, and as Samuel went through all of Jesse’s sons, he thought for sure it would be one of the older boys. But no, while man looks at the outside, God looks at the heart. But it wasn’t until 10 to 15 years later that David actually became king. The test of suspension – David knew that he had a special calling upon his life, but God knew exactly how to prepare him.
Even Paul, who was struck down by a ray of light, and God supernaturally called him to do the work of the ministry faced the bump of delay. Many people think that Paul’s ministry began right after that incident. But no, it wasn’t until 13 years later that Paul began to minister.
Those who have done great things for God have all encountered major bumps along their way. Bump after bumps. Test after test. But they hung on.
Climbing lessons:
1) If your family tree has crooked branches, your future can still be fruitful.
Though you may the victim of things that have happened in your past, you don’t have to be a prisoner of your past.
Anthony Campolo writes: Does the past really determine what we are and who we are? Are we simply products of our environments and conditioning? I think not. Furthermore, I think it’s important to recognize that the gospel does not affirm such a notion. The Bible does not teach that the past determines what we are. As a matter of fact, the Bible teaches something that is radically different. According to the Scriptures, the future holds the key to who we are and what we are in the present. The future, not the past, is the most important dimension of the human personality. The believer of the Bible does not remain content by asking “Where did I come from?” For the Christian, the more important question is. “Where am I going?”
Your past may have had an influence on your life today, but it should not determine where you are going. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, behold, the new has come.”
Your future determines who you are in Christ. Joseph had every reason to live his life as a failure, but he did not. And neither should you.
2) Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional.
Joseph could not control his circumstances, but he could control his response. You cannot control the actions of other people, but you have full control of your re-actions. Joseph could have picked up the bitterness of his older brothers, but he didn’t. He wasn’t sure of exactly of where he was going, but he had a glorious dream of a destination . . . and so do we.
My friend, God has a dream of who He wants you to be, and a glorious destination that awaits you down the road. And even today, if you say, “I don’t really have dream – I don’t really have a vision of what God has for me.” Then, I tell you, pick up the New Testament and read of the many great and glorious things God has prepared for those who believe.
3) When the devil throws you a stumbling block, you can turn it into a stepping stone. God wants you to rise higher than you've ever been before.
Joseph had the right attitude in the end. God had raised him up. God gave Joseph a place of prominance. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph is quoted as saying, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
The choice is yours. Make the right one.
Pastor Randy