Stay Faithful Through the Ups and Downs

 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” – Genesis 50:20

Does it feel like your life is a constant cycle of ups and downs, highs and lows, successes and failures?

You’re not alone. Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, was a human yo-yo. At the age of 16, he was the Number One son in his family. But at the age of 17, he saw it all come crashing down when his jealous brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery. But once in Egypt, Joseph was quickly promoted in the household of Pharoah’s captain of the guard.

Then, just as things were looking up, Joseph was falsely accused of rape and thrown into the king’s dungeon, where he sat and waited for 10 to 12 years. And you thought you had it tough?

Finally, when Joseph was 30, God lifted him up to the second-highest position in Egypt. Surprisingly, through it all – regardless of whether his circumstances were good, bad or ugly – Joseph remained uncompromisingly faithful to God.

Here are three Life Lessons we can learn from the story of Joseph:

Life Lesson #1: God is sovereign over your life. Every relationship, every triumph and every heartbreak is a piece of the puzzle. So, keep trusting God and serving Him faithfully. Warren Wiersbe says it so well. He writes: “Genesis 37-50 is much more than a piece of dramatic literature…. Behind this story is the heart of the covenant-making God, who always keeps His promises.”

Life Lesson #2: As you trust and serve God faithfully, He will allow people to see in your life a beautiful portrait of Christ that brings Him glory. Did you realize that Joseph’s life foreshadows Jesus’ life? Just like Jesus, Joseph was hated and rejected by his own brothers, betrayed and delivered into the hands of Gentiles, falsely accused and unjustly persecuted. And just like Jesus, Joseph was promoted and placed on a throne where God used him to save thousands of lives.

Life Lesson #3: If you believe that God is good and is sovereign over the details of your life, then there is no place in your life for bitterness, resentment or unforgiveness. Far too many Christians harbor resentment, grudges and unforgiveness. Make sure you’re not one of them. No matter what others have done to you, like Joseph, you must let it go. You … must … forgive. Jesus Christ won’t waste any of the pain others have inflicted on you. What they intended for evil, God will use for good.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:30 and 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road in Apple Valley.

Christmas for the Nobodies

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11

For many of us, the Book of Luke gives our favorite account of Jesus’ birth. And if you’ve ever watched “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” you probably remember that it’s Linus’s favorite too.

One of the reasons that we love Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth is because he documents many extraordinary details that no other gospel writer includes. Only Luke mentions the Angel Gabriel announcing Jesus’ birth to Mary; the decree from Caesar Augustus; and all of those classic images of the manger and the shepherds and the angels in the fields. And no matter how many times we hear it, it never gets old.

Now, there are many reasons why I love Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth. But one of the best is that it reveals that Jesus didn’t come for the wealthy or the famous or the most talented people of the world. He came first and foremost for the forgotten, for the helpless and for the nobodies. And that brings me hope that Jesus came for me too.

1. Jesus came for the old and washed-up. Unlike Matthew, Mark and John, Luke records the details of John the Baptist’s birth (Luke 1:5-25). And since God sent John to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming, these details are an important part of Luke’s Christmas story. But when you get down to it, John was basically born to a pair of old fogeys: Zechariah and Elizabeth. The Bible tells us in verse 7, “They had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years.”

In first century Israel, being childless was frowned upon. Most Jews in those days believed that barrenness was the result of sin. But God sent an angel to Zechariah to announce that Elizabeth, despite her old age, would soon be pregnant. What’s more, she would give birth to a very special baby boy—chosen by God to bring many Israelites back to God and to prepare the way for the Messiah. How’s that for old and washed-up?

2. Jesus came for the young and unimportant. Now, let’s look at Mary: a young girl who was single, had no kids—and worse still, she lived in the podunk little town of Nazareth. The truth is, Mary had almost no social status. So imagine how shocked she must have been when the Angel Gabriel appeared and spoke to her in verse 28: “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was floored. She must have started looking over her shoulder to see who the angel was really talking to. She may have even wondered if she was the butt of a cruel joke, because nobody—absolutely nobody—viewed her as “highly favored.” Nobody, that is, except for God.

Jesus came for the young and for the unimportant. That’s just as true today as it was back then. If you are a teenager or a young adult, Jesus came for you. You’re never too young or unimportant for Jesus to care about. And you’re never too young or unimportant for God to use in wonderful ways for His glory. Now don’t you forget it, you young whipper snappers!    

3. Jesus came for the dirty and despised. Think about it: Of all the people on Planet Earth that God could have announced Jesus’ birth to, He announced it first to shepherds. What a weird thing for God to do! Sheep are very dirty animals, so shepherds were considered ceremonially unclean. They weren’t allowed to be a part of any Jewish synagogue. They weren’t even counted in the census. It’s as if they weren’t even viewed as fully human. Yet God sent His angels to announce Jesus’ birth to a group of these smelly, dirty, despised shepherds. Why would God do that?

Well, the messenger angel answers that question in verses 10 and 11: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Isn’t that something? Jesus is good news for every person. Jesus is a Savior for every man and woman, even the ones the world thinks stink to high heaven. Even the ones the world considers “not worth counting.”

Luke wanted the message of Christmas to be loud and clear: Jesus Christ came for those who are at the bottom of the social pecking order. Jesus came for the nobodies. He didn’t come for those who are on mountaintops but instead for those who are in the valleys, those who are ignored, those who are overlooked, those who are broken, those who are dirty, and those who are despised. And that includes you and me. Jesus came for you and me.

That’s why we celebrate His birth. In the words of Linus: “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. His new book, “Buoyed Up: Jesus’ 8 Steps to an Unsinkable Life,” is available on Amazon in paperback, e-book and audiobook. Join us at Impact for Sunday services: in person at 9 a.m., or online at 10 a.m. on Facebook Live or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

God Builds Our Character in the Valleys

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”  – Genesis 50:20

Joseph is one of my favorite heroes of the Old Testament. Unlike his dad—who was well-known for his self-centered, deceitful ways—Joseph was a model of selfless integrity. Whether he was being promoted above his peers or being unjustly accused and incarcerated, he maintained impeccable character and didn’t waiver in his faithful obedience to God's word.

Perhaps you remember the story in Genesis 37-45. Joseph was the eleventh of the twelve sons of Israel (aka, Jacob), and he was the favorite son of his father for at least two reasons. For starters, he was the firstborn son of Israel’s favorite wife Rachel. And secondly, because Rachel had been barren for many years, Joseph was born to Israel in his old age. It’s not uncommon for parents to play favorites with their kids, but unfortunately, Israel did it in plain view of his entire family. He made his favorite son Joseph a “coat of many colors” to flaunt his favored status. Every time Joseph wore his special coat it shouted this clear message: “You will never be better than second best, because the boy wearing this coat is his father’s absolute favorite.”

As you might guess, Joseph’s ten older brothers weren’t too fond of his new, flashy threads. They hated him with a passion and decided to sell him as a slave to some Midianite traders heading for Egypt. Before too long, Joseph found himself hundreds of miles from home in a strange country on a different continent. Yet despite Joseph’s crummy situation, he quickly went from zero to hero. How was this possible? Because “the LORD was with him.”

As Joseph made the most of his lousy situation—working hard and obeying his master’s orders—God saw to it that he was quickly promoted to the highest position in his master’s house. And even after Joseph was falsely accused of attempted rape and thrown in jail, God saw to it that he was promoted to the highest position in the slammer. As Joseph maintained his selfless integrity, God blessed him. And within a few short years, Joseph was promoted to the second highest position in Egypt. Since Joseph had shown himself faithful to God in his small assignments, God gave him a very big assignment. And this assignment ended up saving the lives of thousands, including the lives of his own parents and eleven brothers.

There are many life lessons that we can draw from Joseph’s life. I’ll point out four: LESSON #1: Regardless of how crummy your circumstances are, you will prosper if God is with you. Therefore, in your darkest hour cling to God. If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, no matter who rejects you, no matter who walks out on you, no matter who abandons you, God never will. And if God is with you, He will prosper you. So, when everyone around you refuses to hold on to you, you must hold on to God.

LESSON #2: No matter what people take away from you, never surrender your integrity or faith in God. Seventeenth Century Bible commentator Matthew Henry made this great point: “Those that have wisdom and grace have that which cannot be taken from them…. Joseph’s brethren had stripped him of his coat of many colors, but they could not strip him of his virtue and [wisdom].” Well said! Thieves can steal our cars; banks can take our homes, and burglars can carry off all that we own. But nobody can strip us of our faith in God or our integrity. The only way we could lose these priceless possessions would be if we were to give them away. 

LESSON #3: What people have said and done in order to harm you, God can use for your good. Romans 8:28 teaches us that no matter what life throws at us, God will always be at work for our good if we love Him and are carrying out His purpose for our lives. And in Genesis 50:20, Joseph’s story ends with the Old Testament equivalent of Romans 8:28. After Joseph’s father died, his older brothers feared that Joseph would avenge their treacherous actions. But Joseph told them frankly, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Yes, God is so strong and so good that He can transform our enemies’ greatest acts of treachery into something good. Wow! What a mighty God we serve!

LESSON #4: If you’ll let Him, God will build your character while you are being overworked and underappreciated. Consider this: If Joseph had stayed at home with his pampering father, he might never have developed the kind of character that made him a hero of our faith. When Joseph was unfairly thrust into slavery and unjustly thrown into prison, he was forced to work hard and obey orders. And through it all, God was building His godly character. In fact, one of God’s preferred methods for building our character is to place us in menial positions where we must work hard and follow orders. He gives us unglamorous jobs to do and difficult people to obey. He teaches us to serve before He teaches us to lead.

Therefore, may we never deny ourselves or our children the priceless character building that takes place in the midst of hard work and humble obedience. God can and will transform our character to be like that of Joseph. But He won’t do it on the mountaintops while we’re being pampered. God does His best character building in the valleys while we are simply working hard and obeying orders.

     Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for our worship service tomorrow at 10 a.m.

It's a Wonderful Life!

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” - Matthew 1:24

In the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey is a young dreamer who lives in the sleepy little town of Bedford Falls. He oversees a small building and loan that his father founded. George hates the building and loan business, but after his father dies and his younger brother moves out of the area, he feels obligated to put his personal dreams on hold to keep the family business running. He eventually marries a beautiful girl named Mary, and they have four cute kids: two boys and two girls. Despite his unexpected change of course, George is on top of the world. But suddenly his world comes crashing down one day when his coworker misplaces $8,000, and a warrant is issued for George’s arrest.

All seems hopeless for George—just as it must have seemed hopeless for Joseph of Nazareth in the first chapter of Matthew. We read in Matthew 1:18 that Mary and Joseph were pledged to be married. More specifically, they were betrothed. That means they were legally “husband and wife,” but Mary still lived with her parents and hadn’t consummated her marriage with Joseph. Although Nazareth was a podunk town located in the dull region of Galilee, Joseph must have been on top of the world. The wedding ceremony was at hand, and he would soon walk into his own home hand-in-hand with the prettiest girl in town.

But suddenly his world came crashing down when he discovered that his beautiful Mary was pregnant. God’s word doesn’t tell us how Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy. Perhaps she told him right away, or perhaps her bulging waistline revealed her secret. But regardless of how he learned of Mary’s pregnancy, it’s clear from Matthew 1:19 that Joseph had made up his mind: He was going to divorce Mary. The only logical explanation for her pregnancy was that she had committed adultery. Although Joseph was devastated, he had decided that divorcing her quietly was the most loving and honorable thing for him to do.

But a visit from an angel turned Joseph’s world upside down, just as it did for George Bailey. According to Matthew 1:20-21, “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’”

Can you imagine how thunderstruck Joseph must have been by the angel’s words? What the angel said was crazy. It defied all logic. Virgins don’t get pregnant. Teenage girls don’t give birth to “God with us.” And it made no sense that he—a blue collar, living paycheck-to-paycheck carpenter—would be the earthly father of the promised Messiah.

But Joseph believed the word of the Lord and obeyed God anyway. After the dream ended, he got up and did what the angel had commanded him to do. He “took Mary home as his wife,” but he didn’t consummate the marriage until after Jesus was born. Righteous man that he was, Joseph put God’s needs, Mary’s needs and his miraculously-conceived son’s needs above his own personal needs. Despite the hardships to come and the stigma that he would certainly bear for having married a pregnant woman, Joseph obeyed the word of the Lord.

As I consider the wonderful example of Joseph, three life lessons come to mind. For starters, Lesson #1: Good things can come out of Victorville. In Jesus’ day, Nazarethhad a bad reputation. Even one of Jesus’ apostles asked the question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Similarly, many people ask, “Can anything good come out of Victorville? Can anything good come out of Adelanto? Can anything good come out of Apple Valley?” And God answers, “Absolutely!” Just as good things came out of Nazareth when God was involved, good things can come out of the Victor Valley when we, like Joseph, walk in humble obedience to the Lord’s commands.

Lesson #2: Maintaining a good reputation with God takes precedence over maintaining a good reputation with man. God has called us to live lives of integrity and, as much as possible, to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. But there are times when choosing to obey God will tarnish our reputation with people. So be it! Just like Joseph, we must always choose to do what is right in God’s eyes. We must obey God, not man. Ultimately, our highest aim as Christians is to be God-pleasers, not man-pleasers.

Lesson #3: Live and celebrate the wonderful life that God created you to live—a life of loving, trusting and obeying Him. The bridge is a pivotal place in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The first time George stands on the bridge, he is at the end of his rope, feeling completely hopeless. At the end of the movie, he’s back on the bridge but has a new lease on life. What changed? He is still $8,000 in the hole. He still has a warrant out for his arrest. His car is still smashed against a tree. So what changed? His perspective changed. God opened George’s eyes to see the glorious truth that—despite his hardships and difficulties--God had blessed him with a wonderful life. The same was true of Joseph, and the same is true of you. My friends, despite your problems, ask God to open your eyes so that you can see what He sees: Your God-given life is, in a word, “wonderful.”

Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com, and join us this Christmas season Sundays at 10 a.m. for our special series: "Simply Christmas."

From the Pit to the Palace

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” – Genesis 50:20

Years ago a story was shared in Reader’s Digest about a man who woke up one morning and discovered a pool of water in the center of his waterbed. Hoping to more easily locate the hole, he dragged the mattress out to his yard, attached a hose, and filled it completely. Unfortunately, the added weight made the mattress slide down a hill and into a bush that punctured it beyond repair. In frustration the man scrapped the water bed frame and purchased a new traditional mattress. Unfortunately, the next morning he awakened to discover a pool of water in the center of his new bed. You see, the upstairs bathroom had a leaky drain.

Have you ever had a leaky drain kind of day? Joseph did—every day for about 13 years. In Genesis 37, we are introduced to Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph. Not only had he been born to Jacob later in life, he was one of only two sons born to the love of Jacob’s life: Rachel. Unfortunately for Joseph, he wore his father’s favoritism on his sleeve…literally. Jacob gave his son a one-of-a-kind colorful robe that not-so-subtly screamed, “Favorite son! Favorite son! Favorite son!” As a result, Joseph’s ten brothers were jealous of him and hated him.

In anger, they tossed Joseph into a pit and then sold him as a slave to some traders heading for Egypt. And on the heels of that unconscionable act of treachery, Joseph spent the next 13 years of his life as a slave and prisoner in Pyramid Central. Sadly, those thirteen years ushered in two other doses of treachery that added insult to injury.

For starters, after having worked his way up to chief of staff in his master’s home, his master’s wife slandered his good name by accusing him of attempted rape. Piping mad, Joseph’s master threw him into the king’s dungeon, where Joseph would experience a third act of treachery. After several years in prison, one of Joseph’s friends betrayed him by failing to do for Joseph what he had promised to do: mention his plight to the king and petition for his release.

For 13 years Joseph suffered the agony of rejection, betrayal, slander and broken promises. All hope for Joseph would have been lost had it not been for one not-so-small reality: “The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered.” In a matter of moments, Joseph was promoted to the second highest position in Egypt. By God’s mercy and grace Joseph ascended from the pit to the palace. And within that position he was used by God to save thousands of people—including his own brothers—from starvation during a seven-year famine. The story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50 is an inspirational rags-to-riches story. And honestly, Joseph would have never made it to the palace had it not been for the pit.

This leaves us with a marvelous lesson from God’s Word: Oftentimes, God uses those who have suffered to rescue others who are suffering. It’s no coincidence that God used a man who had suffered for 13 long years to rescue a nation that would suffer for 7 years. It’s no coincidence that God used Jesus—a man of sorrows, acquainted with suffering—to deliver us from our own sin-cursed suffering. And it won’t be a coincidence when God places individuals in your path who are suffering in some of the same ways you have suffered.

If you’ve suffered through the horror of physical abuse, God will likely call on you to help others who have suffered in the same way. If you’ve suffered through an addiction to drugs or alcohol, God will likely use you to help others who are struggling with addiction. If you’ve suffered through betrayal and divorce, God will likely use you to minister to other betrayed spouses. And if you’re a cancer survivor, guess who God will likely call you to strengthen and encourage?

The fact that you’re a survivor, having persevered through your suffering, you have a wonderful gift: instant credibility. Your story is believable and relatable to those who are suffering in the same way that you yourself have suffered. Yes, that is an incredible gift from God, and you dare not waste it. The Lord wants you to use your post-pit credibility to encourage and pray for those who are suffering and point them to the only One in the universe who can promote them from the pit to the palace: Jesus Christ. Don’t miss your golden, God-given opportunity as a pit survivor to lead others to the hope and salvation that only Christ can bring.

Friend, at some time or another, each of us has been treated badly. Through no fault of our own, some of us have suffered abuse, been hit by a drunk driver or have been falsely accused of a crime we didn’t commit. Motivated by hatred and jealousy, certain people conspire to toss us into a pit and keep us there. But that’s not the end of the story. Our great God is able to use our deepest, darkest pit to help shape us into powerful instruments of peace, strength and healing in His hands. God does some of His most important character-shaping while we’re in the pit. But when our season in the pit has reached its end, God can promote us to the palace. He did for it for Joseph. Perhaps He will do the same for you.   

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sunday at 10 am.

Christmas at the Movies: It’s a Wonderful Life!

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” - Matthew 1:24

In the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey is a young dreamer who lives in the sleepy little town of Bedford Falls. He oversees a small building and loan that his father founded. George hates the building and loan business, but after his father dies and his younger brother moves out of the area, he feels obligated to put his personal dreams on hold to keep the family business running. He eventually marries a beautiful girl named Mary, and they have four cute kids: two boys and two girls. Despite his unexpected change of course, George is on top of the world. But suddenly his world comes crashing down one day when his coworker misplaces $8,000, and a warrant is issued for George’s arrest.

All seems hopeless for George—just as it must have seemed hopeless for Joseph of Nazareth in the first chapter of Matthew. We read in Matthew 1:18 that Mary and Joseph were pledged to be married. More specifically, they were betrothed. That means they were legally “husband and wife,” but Mary still lived with her parents and hadn’t consummated her marriage with Joseph. Although Nazareth was a podunk town located in the dull region of Galilee, Joseph must have been on top of the world. The wedding ceremony was at hand, and he would soon walk into his own home hand-in-hand with the prettiest girl in town.

But suddenly his world came crashing down when he discovered that his beautiful Mary was pregnant. God’s word doesn’t tell us how Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy. Perhaps she told him right away, or perhaps her bulging waistline revealed her secret. But regardless of how he learned of Mary’s pregnancy, it’s clear from Matthew 1:19 that Joseph had made up his mind: He was going to divorce Mary. The only logical explanation for her pregnancy was that she had committed adultery. Although Joseph was devastated, he had decided that divorcing her quietly was the most loving and honorable thing for him to do.

But a visit from an angel turned Joseph’s world upside down, just as it did for George Bailey. According to Matthew 1:20-21, “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’”

Can you imagine how thunderstruck Joseph must have been by the angel’s words? What the angel said was crazy. It defied all logic. Virgins don’t get pregnant. Teenage girls don’t give birth to “God with us.” And it made no sense that he—a blue collar, living paycheck-to-paycheck carpenter—would be the earthly father of the promised Messiah.

But Joseph believed the word of the Lord and obeyed God anyway. After the dream ended, he got up and did what the angel had commanded him to do. He “took Mary home as his wife,” but he didn’t consummate the marriage until after Jesus was born. Righteous man that he was, Joseph put God’s needs, Mary’s needs and his miraculously-conceived son’s needs above his own personal needs. Despite the hardships to come and the stigma that he would certainly bear for having married a pregnant woman, Joseph obeyed the word of the Lord.

As I consider the wonderful example of Joseph, three life lessons come to mind. For starters, Lesson #1: Good things can come out of Victorville. In Jesus’ day, Nazareth had a bad reputation. Even one of Jesus’ apostles asked the question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Similarly, many people ask, “Can anything good come out of Victorville? Can anything good come out of Adelanto? Can anything good come out of Apple Valley?” And God answers, “Absolutely!” Just as good things came out of Nazareth when God was involved, good things can come out of the Victor Valley when we, like Joseph, walk in humble obedience to the Lord’s commands.

Lesson #2: Maintaining a good reputation with God takes precedence over maintaining a good reputation with man. God has called us to live lives of integrity and, as much as possible, to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. But there are times when choosing to obey God will tarnish our reputation with people. So be it! Just like Joseph, we must always choose to do what is right in God’s eyes. We must obey God, not man. Ultimately, our highest aim as Christians is to be God-pleasers, not man-pleasers.

Lesson #3: Live and celebrate the wonderful life that God created you to live—a life of loving, trusting and obeying Him. The bridge is a pivotal place in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The first time George stands on the bridge, he is at the end of his rope, feeling completely hopeless. At the end of the movie, he’s back on the bridge but has a new lease on life. What changed? He is still $8,000 in the hole. He still has a warrant out for his arrest. His car is still smashed against a tree. So what changed? His perspective changed. God opened George’s eyes to see the glorious truth that—despite his hardships and difficulties--God had blessed him with a wonderful life. The same was true of Joseph, and the same is true of you. My friends, despite your problems, ask God to open your eyes so that you can see what He sees: Your God-given life is, in a word, “wonderful.”

Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us this Christmas season—Sundays at 10am.