8.Pre – Devotion

Sometimes, we hear about “rags to riches” stories on the news or in movies. Someone has nothing and then—somehow—has everything. We also hear about the opposite: someone has everything—money, fame, friends—and loses it all.

Joseph’s life was more of a riches to rags to riches to rags to riches story. Joseph was his dad’s favorite, but that made his brothers jealous. The next thing he knows, he’s sold as a slave and taken far from home. After a while, things were pretty good for Joseph, as he had lots of power and trust from his master. But then he’s thrown in jail, even though he did nothing wrong. After a while, he became a leader in Egypt.

And that’s just the basics of his life! There’s much, much more.

Do you have ups and downs in your life? Are there times when things are great? Are there other times when things are terrible?

Throughout all of Joseph’s life, God took care of him. In good times and bad, God had a plan. No matter what, God loved Joseph and was working all things for good. Joseph’s story ended with forgiveness and many other blessings. God also used Joseph to bring about His plans and prophecies of the coming Savior. The people in Joseph’s family—the people of Israel—would have many more ups and downs. We will have ups and downs too. Like Joseph, we know that God promises to be with us. We know that God always loves us and does what is best for us. The best news of all is that we have a Savior—Jesus—who promises to come back and make all things new. There won’t be any downs after that!

1. Think of an “up” and a “down” for today. How was God with you through both?
2. Sometimes, people think that believers should only have “ups” in life. God doesn’t promise this. What does He promise?
3. What kinds of “downs” did Jesus go through for your sake?

Let’s pray: