Genesis 37:5-9 Then Joseph had a
dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He
said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had; for behold,
we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood
erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my
sheaf.” Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over
us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for
his dreams and for his words. Now he had still another dream, and
related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream;
and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
Pastor
Kyle continued this last Sunday in his Sermon series based upon the book of
Genesis. He stated that all of us remember the first job that we ever had and
naturally wondering if we could produce or provide something that somebody else
wanted. It’s a fact that every culture and occupation comes in with a way to
rank people in the workforce and placing people in charge. It is built into
each of us to desire for honor and recognition, so we are conditioned to strive
to move up the ranks of position and prestige. And, many times, if we don’t advance
when we want or expect, then become disappointed. The badge of honor and
respect that comes from accomplishing things and make dreams reality. What we
really need to work on is our godly character, instead of our propensity to
excel, or else we’ll become over-confident and work twice as much for half as
much.
Genesis 42:5-6 So the sons of
Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was
in the land of Canaan also. Now Joseph was the ruler over the land;
he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers
came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.
Where
Patriarch Joseph got it right was (1) He was a natural leader. Leadership skills
can be learned and understood by anyone. Everyone is a leader in some way. So,
have the capacity to excel, to advance further and progress faster, but not
outpace your character. Practice produces results. (2) His prophetic visions
were spot on. God sometimes gives us a glimpse of what’s to come, but leaves
out all the pain that it is going to take to get there. We do not know the
timeline or the hardships.
Where
Joseph may have strayed is that (1) He had the right answers with the wrong
approach. It is possible to share a helpful suggestion in a less than helpful
way, when we communicate the right information with the wrong approach. We need
to think through our delivery with consequences and feeling in mind. (2) There
were hints of naiveté and arrogance in his telling of his dreams. Joseph seemed
to only understand the aspects that affected him, without taking into account
the feelings of others. It is clear though that Joseph never took his eyes off
God. Despite the hardships that came upon his lot in life, he stayed focused
and godly. Even godly people can have character flaws and have the ability to
make God look in a bad light.
Let’s
continue Pastor Kyle’s message on the next post.
In
Christ, Brian
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