阅读经文 

许多的墓碑上都有一个墓志铭，说明这个人的一生和他的品格。我们不知道雅各的墓碑上是否有墓志铭，但希伯来书第十一章二十一节称呼他是一个“因信”而活的人。

雅各死后，约瑟的哥哥们担心约瑟会伺机报复，因为他们曾恶待他。（参创 37:12-36）毕竟，偿还血债是可以理解的；但约瑟告诉他们说：“神的意思原是好的……”（参创 50:20）

如果我们凭着信心生活，我们会经历到“万事都互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处，就是按祂旨意被召的人”。（参罗 8:28）约瑟明白神可以在最坏的情况下施行拯救，好向我们显明祂的救恩。在埃及，约瑟作为被卖的奴隶，经历了很多艰难；但他也看到神与他同在。当饥荒来临，全地的人都需要粮食的时候，神又奇迹般地高举他作埃及的宰相。他告诉他的哥哥们：“神的意思原是好的……要保存多人的性命”——包括他们自己的。（参创 50:20）

雅各和他后代的人生向我们显明，神能够救赎糟糕的人，这意味着神也能救赎我们。我们知道因着基督救赎的工作，神带来恩典和饶恕。你是否经历了神的恩典呢？今天就让我们从关注自我转向对神的信靠，因祂使万事互相效力。

Many tombstones include an epitaph, a statement about a person's life or character. We don't know if there was an epitaph on Jacob's tomb, but Hebrews 11:21 remembers him as one who lived "by faith."

After Jacob's death, his elder sons were afraid that Joseph would seek revenge for mistreating him (see Genesis 37:12-36). After all, payback would be understandable. But Joseph told them, "God intended it for good…"

When we live by faith, we see that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Joseph understood that God can redeem even the worst of circumstances for good, to show us his salvation. In Egypt, Joseph had suffered difficult times as a person sold into slavery, but he also learned that God was with him. And God amazingly raised him up to be a ruler in Egypt at a time when people from many nations would need food because of a great famine. So he told his brothers: "God intended it for good…the saving of many lives"—including their own.

The lives of Jacob and his descendants show that God can redeem even difficult people. And this means God can redeem us too. We can know the grace and forgiveness that come from Christ's work of salvation. Have you experienced God's grace? Let Jesus move your heart today from self-interest to faith in God, who uses all things for good.