While Joseph was in prison, the cup-bearer and the baker both had dreams that Joseph interpreted with the Lord’s help. The Lord gave revelation that the cup-bearer would be restored, and the Baker would be hung. Everything happened just as Joseph had said. Within three days the cup-bearer was restored, and the baker hung. The Scriptures do not mention any further conversations between Joseph and the Baker. Did Joseph try to witness to him about the Lord in those final three days? What if you were given three days to live? Have you placed your faith in Jesus as your Savior?
In “Where Do I Stand Part 1” Doug Brock talks about that very question in his life.
When I first became a Christian, I read the Bible from Genesis through Revelation and everything was new to me. There was a lot to take in, but the core message of the Bible was very clear and simple to me. Repent of my sins and receive Jesus as Lord because hell is a real place. I did NOT want to end up there for eternity. To be truthful, the fear of God is what motivated me to learn what the Bible had to say. In addition, another motivation was fear that hell was a real place of eternal, extreme suffering!
My initial motivation was not due to my love for God. I didn’t know God so how could I love Him? I also knew that someday I would die. It was clear to me that at the time of my death that I would not be able to choose where my eternal spirit would go. The time to make that choice was now, before I would die. So, I began the adventure of learning what the Bible had to say about my eternity.
If you have doubt or disbelieve that hell is real, just type “is hell real” into your web browser. What you see there may be disconcerting. I was certain hell was real, so I sought to know God. At this time, I have been a Christian for 20 years and have read the Bible through and through. So does God expect more out of me today than when I was a baby Christian?
Did I have an excuse? When I was an infant Christian, I took comfort in the knowledge that I was not going to end up in hell because I had repented of sin and placed my faith in Jesus as my Savior. But I always had a little question mark in the back of my mind. That seemed too easy and I wondered if I was really saved. The answer to that question was yes, I was saved although my understanding of sin was extremely limited and narrow. I was a baby Christian.
A one-year old child has limited understanding. Would a one year old child be punished because they could not clean up their room? Of course not. A one year old is incapable of understanding and performing the task.
As you read Doug’s testimony maybe you had a similar journey or maybe the Lord is calling you today to faith so you can begin your faith journey. Praise the Lord that our God is merciful and long suffering. He extends His hand of grace so people have an opportunity to place their faith in Him as their Savior.
To find out more about Joseph’s story click here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/journey-with-joseph/released