literature
JOSEPH:
A MAN OF INTEGRITY AND FORGIVENESS
T
his book is part of a series written by American author Charles Swindoll about great characters of the Bible. Its pages show the essence and example of a man who was raised from slavery by God to be a role model of faith.
unfair treatment from his family. His brothers hated him, wanted to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead. Next, his circumstances were unexpectedly restricted. HE became a slave in a land where he didn’t even know the language. One minute he was a seventeen-year-old boy with his whole life before him, and the next he was totally at the mercy of (actually property of) some stranger.
This happened to me back in 1980. I decided early in the summer to read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation before the end of that year. I hadn’t finished even the first book of the Scripture before I met a biblical character whose life caused me to shake my head in amazement time after time. Regardless of how he was treated, in spite of unfair and erroneous accusations, even though he was rejected, abandoned, abused, maligned, and forgotten, he refused to become resentful or bear grudge or succumb to bitterness. To be completely truthful with you, he seemed too good to be real. Third book of a series written by Christian author Charles Swindoll about great characters of the Bible, “Joseph: A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness” reveals the heart and mind of a man forged in the furnace of rejection, abandonment, deprivation and false accusations. He soaked in serenity and discipline while relying completely on the Lord and was greatly blessed by Him. He became a remarkable biblical character by the hand of God. If anybody knew about unfair treatment, about mistreatment, about being an innocent victim on the receiving end, it was Joseph. First, he received
THE VALUE OF LIFE Swindoll was president and is now chancellor of the Dallas Theological Seminary, and he hosts the daily radio program “Insights for Living.” In the introduction to his book, he states that Joseph is one of God’s “greatest.” Even though he suffered terrible abuse, his was above common rage, resentment and vengeance. He also says that Joseph serves as a role model of a virtue that is becoming more and more scarse: Forgiveness. Those two full years for Joseph were neither exciting nor eventful. They represented a long, dull, monotonous, unspectacular, slow-moving grind. Month after month after month of… Well, nothing. Not even the Genesis account attempts to make those years seem meaningful. Because they weren’t. That’s what it’s like when you’re in a period of waiting. Nothing’s happening! Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. On the other hand, it only seems like nothing is happening. In reality, a whole lot is happening. Events are occurring apart from our involvement. Furthermore, we are being strengthened. The book was published by World Publishing in 1998. It immediately became a valuable instrument for the
october 2017 / Impacto evangelistic
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