Ask Pastor Teryl

Why God?

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 15:48:37 -0500

Question: “Last week my seventeen year-old baby sitter was killed in a car crash. She was a wonderful person. We all loved her, and are struggling to make sense of this loss. Why did God cause this to happen?”
Pastor Teryl: My heart breaks to learn of this. Sometimes in these situations, words don’t seem to help a lot. The age-old question is “why does a loving God allow a tragedy like this to occur?”  Here is my response:
1. While God is certainly all knowing, almighty and all-powerful – He did not will or cause the accident to take place. I don’t think it was His will for her to lose her life. If God’s will always took place on earth, Jesus would never have taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) God’s will is always done in heaven, but not necessarily on earth. That is the reason that Jesus told us to contend for God’s will in prayer. Think about it, today in cities across America, people were murdered, raped, banks were robbed, alcoholics drank up their paycheck rather than taking care of their families etc., but none of these things were God’s will. Certainly not His highest and best for folks.
2. We live in a “fallen universe.” A world where people make imperfect and selfish choices. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, man became a sinful being. I know we like to think that we are basically good. But the truth is that while we want to do good and have good intentions, we are basically not good. There is something flawed at the “core” of our being. It is called a sin nature, and only the blood of Jesus can atone for this. For this reason, most people will not keep their New Year’s resolutions. Because of this “sin-nature,” today people will lie, cheat, steal and commit adultery, even though in Exodus chapter 20, God clearly says: “Thou shall not” do any of these things. People mean well, but something inside of them works against their resolve. This sin nature is what separates us from God, apart from Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Satan is the god of this world.” (John 14:30) And “the whole world lies under the influence of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). This means that sometimes bad things happen to good people, apart from God’s will or plan, because evil is a reality in the world. One-day things will be made right, and the lamb will lie down with the lion, but that is only after Jesus returns. But for the time being, life in a sinful world isn’t always fair!
3. Several years ago, a terrible head-on car crash resulted in the untimely deaths of two of our church members. The reason? The driver of the oncoming car was text messaging and lost control of her vehicle. It left two children fatherless and killed their big sister. The mother was hospitalized for 6 months. Couldn’t God have averted this? I suppose He could have, but because He loves us, He doesn’t take free will away from any of us, even for a split second of time. To take away our free will would be the end of the human race. We would then be puppets – robots. What we want is for God to take away free will from some people, but maybe not everyone. Just from “the text messengers who destroy the lives of others.”
4. Why does God allow the tragedies of life? There is not an answer to the question, because it is a wrong question. Man is responsible for his wickedness, not God. Does God stand by helplessly when heartache knocks at our door? No, the miracle is that He patiently works His miracle of love, even within the evil choices and “fallen” decisions of men, when we place our trust in Him. He achieves His will in our lives. Joseph said to his evil brothers who sold him into slavery and faked his death to deceive their dad: “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
5. How do we get past heartache, when life doesn’t make sense? I have to continually surrender myself to God, in every painful situation. I have to ask Jesus for the grace to cry, mourn, and weep my way past the brokenness and despair. It takes me time – repeated alone time with God. But God helps me to rise above the pain and heartache by His grace – His enabling power. I’ve learned that I have to ask God for the grace to grieve. If I don’t, the pain and hurt wells up in me as anger, and bitterness. Sometimes men and women have a mountain of anger within them, because they’ve never discovered the grace of Jesus Christ – grace to forgive others, forgive ourselves, and even forgive God for things we don’t understand. His grace is sufficient! (2 Corinthians 12:9).
6. I am praying for you and for this girl’s family – that all of you can weep and mourn as is appropriate, but that you will be able to rise above the pain and experience the sufficient grace of Jesus Christ. Begin to call on Jesus in humility, and He will be there to help. Psalms 46 says: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble!”  Again I am so sorry this has happened, and I am praying for all of you!  Pastor Teryl Todd

Hearing God

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:54:38 -0400

Question: “How do you distinguish the voice of God from your own thoughts?”

Pastor Teryl: This is a very good question. You know, in Deuteronomy 18:22, it says that we can tell if someone is a true prophet by seeing if what he has said comes to pass.

When Kathy was pregnant with our third daughter, a lady came up to us at church, and said: “the Lord has shown me that you will give birth to a boy.” Later at that same church service, our family physician, a wonderful Spirit-filled believer, also announced that Kathy was going to give birth to a boy.

With excitement Kathy and I and our two daughters, looked forward to the arrival of a “little brother.” I painted the walls of the nursery blue. You can imagine our surprise when Kathy gave birth to Kristin Johanna. I left the hospital that day and stopped by K-mart and purchased pink curtains for the nursery.

Of course we dearly love Kristin and she has always known that we wouldn’t trade her for all the boys in the world. No one could ever take her special place in our family! Today, we do have a fine son-in-law, Byron Jones, who married our second daughter, Kathryn.

But the point is that while they meant well, neither the lady in our church, nor our family physician heard from God.

“And the spirit of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (1 Corinthians 14:32 NKJV). This means distinguishing God’s voice from other voices is a subjective experience. We can all miss it, when it comes to hearing the voice of the Lord. There are no shortcuts to growing in your knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ! It takes time to learn to walk with God and to know the voice of the Holy Spirit.

We have to invest ourselves in prayer and in reading the Scripture which Hebrews 4:12 says is “living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Only God’s Word can separate the thoughts of your soul (mind/will/emotions) from the thoughts of your spirit (where the Holy Spirit lives). The Holy Spirit will never speak anything to you, which is contrary to God’s Word!

You have to walk with God and learn to know His voice. Otherwise you will mistake your own voice for His. You may be fooled by the voice of Satan. You may hear the clamoring voice of the world. It is easy to get these voices mixed up. Usually God speaks to us in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-13). He speaks to our spirit-man, to our heart, not to our head. It takes time, prayer, Scripture reading, and waiting on God to hear His voice.

“…You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29 NKJV). God doesn’t reveal Himself to every casual on-looker who would take sacred things and play with them like toys. I have known some adults who treated the voice of God and spiritual gifts like parlor games. To please God and to receive from Him, people must be determined and serious.

How? Spend time with God! The ultimate is not merely to get direction from God. The ultimate is to know God. It isn’t always easy to get into God’s presence, because He wants to know if we will expend the spiritual energy and exercise necessary to do so. He wants to know if we will repent and turn away from certain secret sins? Will we get rid of things that hinder our walk with Jesus? Will we truly seek Him with all of our hearts?

Some folks want a quick fix. “God tell me how to make money on this business deal, please. Thank you very much!” And then that is the end of it. But God wants to be treated with the reverence and deference that His position warrants. He wants to change us, not merely give us quick answers to difficult problems. We will never be changed unless we will come into His presence, spend time with Him, and allow Him to purify us from our sinful nature!

A Genuine Christian

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:37:55 -0400

Question: “How can I know if someone is a genuine Christian?”

Answer: In the book of First John, the apostle provides three tests to prove the genuineness of our faith.

First, is the test of Belief. “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” (1 John 4:2 NIV.) In other words, does the spirit within a person acknowledge or reject that Jesus Christ is the incarnate Son of God? Does he acknowledge or deny that God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, and lived, died, and was resurrected on the third day, and later ascended back to heaven? This involves more than an admission of the identity of Jesus Christ, it is a profession of faith in Him and submission to His Lordship, which is gained only by repentance – turning away from sin, from evil, and from everything that is not like God, and trusting in the shed blood of Christ, as the full payment for sin. “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22 NIV). “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5 NIV).

Second, is the test of Obedience. “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:3-6 NIV. My obedience to God’s Word is evidence of my love for God, and a proof that I am a follower of Christ. Those who truly know Jesus are in the process of becoming like Him, literally conformed to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). However, “if we say that they have fellowship with God, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:6 NIV).

Third, is the test of Love. “If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20-21 NIV). True love for God will always express itself in a love for fellow-believers. The perfect love that “casts out fear” (v.18), also sweeps away hate. So real Christians love other believers. Real Christians love those whose skin-color and ethnicity is different from theirs. God doesn’t discriminate on the basis of race, gender, or national or ethnic origin, and neither do genuine Christians! Real Christians are giving and forgiving! “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8 NIV).

NT Prosperity

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:27:03 -0400

Question: “Does the New Testament teach that God wants me to prosper?”

Pastor Teryl: Well, it depends on what you mean by the word, “prosper.” Some folks associate prosperity with a seven-figure income, yachts, private jets, limousines, servants, and luxurious island estates. If you are asking “does God want me to live a lifestyle that rivals the rich and famous, and define myself by what I have, rather than who I am?” The answer is no. But if you are asking, “Is God interested in my physical, material, emotional, and spiritual well-being?” The answer is yes! Consider the words of John:

2Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. 4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
3 John 1:2-4 NKJV

This is written to a first-century leader, who served a local congregation. In verse 2, the Greek word translated “prosper,” is “euodoo,” which literally means “to help on the road,” or “to succeed in reaching.” So John says to Gaius, “I am praying that you will receive the help you need to meet all of your goals! I am praying that you will succeed in reaching your godly objectives!

I believe that God wants His children to have our needs supplied, to help meet the need of others, to be able to give generously to our church, to pay our bills, to save for the future, to leave an inheritance for our heirs, and to care for missionaries and traveling evangelists. For those who own a business, I think that God wants you to have the needed operating capital for your business to succeed.

But we need to understand some things:

1) Bible prosperity doesn’t start with what you have; it begins with who you are. Verse 2 says that real prosperity begins with our “soul prospering.” New Testament prosperity begins with our relationship with God through Christ!

2) A person’s conduct – “walking in the truth,” reveals the depth of his prosperity of soul. The walk of faith is a walk of steadfast endurance and faithfulness to the truth of the gospel. It is living according to the truth and not wavering from it. This lifestyle brings great joy and encouragement to others.

3) John’s prayer for Gaius to enjoy good health in verse 2, was probably a common practice in the first century, but John’s prayer was sincere, not a matter of social politeness. It underscores the fact that we are to pray for the physical, material, emotional, and spiritual well being of others, and it provides a model for intercession.

4) Biblical prosperity is not an end in itself. It is the result of being a giver, and living a lifestyle of commitment and dedication to Christ, and living in line with God’s Word. The Holy Spirit inspired John to tell Gaius of his prayer for his health and prosperity, because unlike Diotrephes (v.9), Gaius honored God by graciously and generously extending hospitality to traveling ministers, and providing offerings to “send them forward on their journey,” (v.6). Gaius sowed generously, and John prays for his prosperity “in all things.”

5) Your Christian walk is to be one of holiness – “do not imitate what is evil, but what is good” (v.11), remaining faithful and steadfast in your walk of faith!

6) We are to contend for the fulfillment of all of God’s promises with faith and patience, including the promise “to prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers,” (v.2).

Degrees of Sin

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 10:24:35 -0400

Question: Can we still go to heaven if we commit one of the Seven Deadly Sins, such as murder, blasphemy, or one of the other really bad sins?
Pastor Teryl: Let me answer with a question. Did Moses go to heaven? He murdered an Egyptian. Did King David make it to heaven? He arranged for the murder of Uriah, after he had an affair with his wife. Did the Apostle Paul go to heaven? He was an accessory to the murder of Stephan, one of the first deacons, and after Paul repented and believed on Jesus, he attended church with Stephen’s widow and children.

We read in 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This means that no matter how terrible the sins are that you have committed, if you will believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, turn away from sin, and ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord, you can go to heaven.

You must consider your life and turn away from everything in it that is contrary to what God wants. When you turn away from selfishness and toward God, it is called repentance.

Second, you must acknowledge that Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive you of sin. You take Him as your Savior to cleanse you from sin – as the substitute who shed His blood to pay the price due for your sin. You in-effect, accept His shed blood as the full payment for your sin!

Third, you must ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life. Then acknowledge Him openly and verbally confess that Jesus is not only your Savior, but the Lord of your life! The Bible says that as many as received Him were given the right to become the sons of God (John 1:12). So when you open your heart and receive Him, He comes into your heart, your inner man, through His Holy Spirit, and begins to live His life in you! From this point on, it is a matter of confessing what God has done for you. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:10

So, no matter how terrible the sins are that you have committed, if you will believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, turn away from sin, and ask Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord, you can go to heaven.

Pastor Teryl

Cremation

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 10:21:51 -0400

Question: “Is cremation right or wrong?”

Pastor Teryl: This is a very good question. Over the last number of years, cremation has become more and more common, no doubt because of the cost of having a traditional funeral which entails purchasing a burial space, a casket, preparing the body for burial, and many other expenses, and because those who aren’t Bible believing Christians are not concerned about the resurrection of the body.

In Leviticus chapter 21, the Lord commanded that certain types of sinners were to be burned with fire. In the case of King Saul and his sons, whose bodies had been mutilated, their flesh was burned but their bones were buried. Other than these extraordinary cases, the only honorable or proper disposition of the dead was by burial. This was the New Testament practice and that of the early church.

The Apostle Paul says that one day the physical bodies of those who have lived for Christ will rise from the dead. “16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NKJV).

Because the body is the temple of a loved one’s spirit, which is now gone, Christians have not traditionally practiced cremation.

The Bible speaks of the tomb of Abraham, the tomb of Isaac, the tomb of Jacob, the tomb of David, the burial place of Jesus Himself, and the graves of other saints and heroes of the Old and New Testaments. All were buried in a traditional fashion.

In the Hindu religion the dead are burned. The Vikings burned their dead heroes. In the Shinto religion of Japan there is a veneration of ancestors. Ancestors are cremated and their ashes are put into little household shrines.

Although the Bible doesn’t specifically prohibit cremation in the Bible, it was not practiced then, and I believe, should not be now because of the Christian belief in the resurrection.

I have some very good Christian friends who have a different perspective and have no trouble cremating their friends and loved ones who have passed on. I have even officiated at some of their burials. I am also aware that burials can be very expensive. But wherever possible, I counsel people to pay funeral expenses ahead of time, and to arrange for a traditional burial.

Seven Deadly Sins

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 10:15:03 -0400

Question: “What are the Seven Deadly Sins?”
Pastor Teryl: I used to think that this was the list of seven sins listed in Proverbs chapter 16. However, I was wrong. The Seven Deadly Sins is a teaching from within the Roman Catholic Church. Beginning about 400 A.D., the early church defined seven sins from which Christians were to refrain. Over the years this list was edited and refined. In the 14th century a writer named Dante, published a poem entitled: “The Divine Comedy,” featuring the Seven Deadly Sins. They are:
Lust – This includes sexual addiction, adultery, fornication, bestiality, rape, and incest.
Gluttony - Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, this is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. It simply means to eat too much.
Greed – the insatiable desire for money - a desire that is never satisfied. Greed leads people to accept bribes, to hoard material goods, to be robbers and thieves, and to manipulate others for their advantage.
Sloth - Today, we define sloth as laziness, indifference, or the failure to utilize one's talents and gifts. However, Dante described sloth as the "failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind and all one's soul."

Wrath may be described as uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. It is the desire to seek revenge outside of the workings of the justice system and generally wishing to do evil or harm to others. Such feelings prepare the way for murder, assault, and in extreme cases, genocide.
Envy – While greed is an insatiable desire for material goods. Envy is an insatiable desire for something that another person has. Envy is also resenting that another person has something that you lack, and wishing that the other person be deprived of it.
Pride - a desire to be more important or attractive than others. An excessive love of self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God). In perhaps the best-known example, the story of Lucifer’s pride (his desire to compete with God) was what caused his fall from Heaven, and his transformation into Satan.

Venial vs. Mortal Sins

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 10:01:23 -0400

Question: What is the difference between venial sins and mortal sins?

Pastor Teryl: The Roman Catholic Church teaches, that minor sins are "venial sins,” which can be forgiven through taking the sacraments of the church (i.e. communion). They teach that the more severe or “mortal sins,” are forgiven only through entering the confessional booth and confessing to a priest or through perfect contrition on the part of the penitent.

I can’t find anyplace in Scripture where God classifies sin as big sins and little sins. Now, there is the unpardonable sin that Jesus describes in Matthew 12:24-32. It is essentially rejecting Jesus and the Holy Spirit’s work in your life to the point that you say: “Jesus of Nazareth is not God’s Son. He is not God! He is Satan’s agent! His power comes from the devil!” John seems to write about this particular sin in 1 John 5:16-17:
16If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. 17All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death” (NKJV)

John does not encourage us to pray for one who has committed a sin unto death, meaning the unpardonable sin. However, John does say that we are to pray for those who commit sin that does not lead to death. Why? Because every sin can be forgiven, big sins and little sins, when we repent. The only exception is the unpardonable sin. When called upon, God’s grace forgives every other sin!

Regarding sin, the Bible says:
“There is none righteous, no, not one. Romans 3:10 NKJV
“…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 NKJV
“For the wages of sin is death...” Romans 6:23 NKJV

The Greek word, most frequently translated as sin, is hamartia. It means "to miss the mark" or "to miss the target," a word which was also used in Old English archery. God has a holy and righteous way that He has designed for us to live. A way of life, which brings blessing. When we fail to hit the target of God’s way to live as outlined in His Word, then we sin – we “miss the mark.”

James writes: Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17 NKJV
1 John 3:4 states: "Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness".

So whether you have committed little “venial” sins, or big “mortal” sins, I encourage you to turn away from your sin in repentance, and to call out to God to forgive you in Jesus name!

D.L. Moody once said, "If you are under the power of evil, and you want to get under the power of God, cry to Him to bring you over to His service; cry to Him to take you into His army. He will hear you; He will come to you, and, if need be, He will send a legion of angels to help you to fight your way up to heaven. God will take you by the right hand and lead you through this wilderness, over death, and take you right into His kingdom. That's what the Son of Man came to do. He has never deceived us; just say here; "Christ is my deliverer.""

Dating

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 09:59:20 -0400

Question: I have a friend and she is convinced that God has led her into a certain relationship with a certain fellow and she thinks that God wants her to date him but not marry him. She says God works in mysterious ways but I really don’t think God would have you fall in love with someone and give them a part of your heart that you couldn’t get back and to give to your husband. She said that God has her in this relationship to teach her a lesson, but I told her that I didn’t think God wants us to sin so we learn things.

Answer: I agree with you, God doesn’t want us to sin to learn things. I’m not a proponent of missionary dating. Once you give your heart to someone, whether they are a believer or unbeliever, it is hard to get it back. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth and said: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV)

James provides us with some great wisdom in understanding the nature of temptation: Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:13-16 NKJV).

People blame a lot of things on God, but this scripture clearly states that we are tempted by our own desires.

A Righteous Person

Wed, 3 Sep 2008 09:38:04 -0400

Question: Matthew said that because Joseph was a righteous man he did not want to expose Mary publicly but decided to divorce her quietly. I have generally associated righteousness with justice and judgment. It seems here to be accompanied by mercy. Is mercy and compassion the best characteristics to recognize a righteous person?

Pastor Teryl: It certainly was a characteristic of Joseph, which is undoubtedly why God selected him.

I have prayed earnestly for more of God’s mercy and compassion to be at work in my heart. Specifically, I have asked God to break my heart with the things that break His heart. The result? God has answered. Often when I pray for people, I can sense the compassion of Christ welling up inside of me – it seems that God is allowing me to “feel,” a bit of His love and concern for the individual with whom I am praying.

The Bible says that Jesus was moved with compassion before He performed many miracles of healing. The Apostle Paul writes “God is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” But are mercy and compassion the best way to recognize a righteous person?

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” So first, we achieve God’s righteousness by trusting the shed blood of Jesus Christ as the full payment for our sin, and consequently receiving the righteousness of Christ imputed to us by faith. It is the opposite of trusting our works-righteousness or what our flesh can do. So we recognize righteousness in others, when we see them trusting God rather than trusting in themselves.

Secondly, true righteousness always expresses itself in faith in God and faith in His Word. For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” This also includes being obedient to God’s Word! The theme verse of the reformation, found in both the Old and New Testaments is: “The just shall live by faith!”

Third, we recognize God’s righteousness in the lives of Christ’s followers, as they grow in Christ-like-ness, and are in the process of being conformed into the image of Jesus. Many times this entails dying to our flesh, and not trying to “control” life. The control freak in most of us hates this. Paul put it this way: My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Finally, ask do I see Jesus in this person? Do they communicate Christ in their speech and in their actions? Do I see the fruit of the Spirit in their life? Do I see love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, meekness, self-control, and faithfulness? Do I see these qualities when life becomes stressful? When the heat is turned up? As you pointed out, Joseph demonstrated mercy and compassion during a severe trial in his life.