THE STORY OF JESUS: Genesis 41:1-44:34
“Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” (Genesis 41:38)
Joseph the dreamer did not push himself or his dreams on others.
Despite what he went through, he maintained the spirit of humility and integrity.
Even Pharoah senses the spirit (character, power, wisdom) of God in Joseph.
Joseph’s rise to power is not through shrewd power plays or politicking.
He did not realize his dreams by being a good leader or clever planner.
He remained humble and faithful in the hands of God, and God took it from there.
I am challenged by these words, as I reflect on my own experience as a leader.
As a kingdom dreamer, I’ve been struggling to make the dreams come true.
But God is not calling me to make His dream come true.
My responsibility is to allow the Spirit of God to work in me, to transform me.
We cannot impose the dream on others, we need God to develop it in us.
As His Spirit develops God’s dream in us, He reveals it to others through us.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Genesis 5:22-23)
This is God’s dream for me, this is what Jesus saved me from sin to be.
My job is not to build the church, change the world, convict the sinful, or restore God’s kingdom.
My job is to be the kind of person through whom the Lord can do these things.
To be “like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God!”
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I am only beginning to understand this lesson. May I be the kind of person You can use to build Your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Dreams.
We all have dreams.
But are our dreams in line with what the Lord God desires of us – to be instruments of His peace?
We were created for a purpose and in our living for Jesus, how am I a kingdom worker serving Him? He created me and molded me according to His purpose and am I in tune with that purpose? Not my will but His be done. My dream must not be self serving but God serving. I need to be in tune with His will for me. I need the upward look and not the downward look. All for Jesus. That is what the Lord God requires of me.
1. Make me a channel of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me bring you love;
Where there is injury, your healing pow’r,
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you.
2. Make me a channel of your peace:
Where there’s despair in life let me bring hope;
Where there is darkness, – only light,
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.
3. O Spirit, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love with all my soul – .
4. Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving to all that we receive,
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.