We must align ourselves with the will of God to be blessed by God...

“I just don’t think I can do that!”

“Well, I am too busy to add that to my life.”

“You can find someone who will do better, I don’t feel qualified to do it.” 

“I am not a very good teacher.”

Have you heard any of these lines before?  Have you said them?  While there is some legitimacy to each of them in the appropriate contexts, many times, these are just excuses.  They may be given in a spirit of sincerity and humility, but we need bold faith in our service to Him!  What I want you to consider is that you may be limiting God by limiting yourself!  

When God called Gideon to be a judge and deliver of the children of Israel from the hand of the Midianites, Gideon used similar excuses.  He asked, “How can I save Israel?  Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Judges 6:15).  Like Moses before him when God called him at the burning bush, Gideon was determined God had selected the wrong man.  He tried to come up with reasons why he could not accomplish this mission.

What Gideon was doing, in actuality,  was limiting God.  You see God was the one who said He would empower him.  God would bring the victory through Gideon’s service.  Later in the story, God limits Israel’s army because He did not want Israel to boast saying “My own hand saved me” (7:2).  God would bring the victory, but when Gideon refused to serve, He was limiting God’s power and work.

This is something we should all soberly consider when we are asked to serve in the Lord’s kingdom, whether it be as a Bible class teacher, a chaperone on a youth trip, leading in public worship, a ministry leader, or as a church elder or deacon.  God didn’t take no for an answer.  He stayed with Gideon, like he stayed with Moses, because he had big plans for them.  He may very well stay after you too, until you consent.  Don’t limit God’s plans by limiting yourself! 

DREAM - Your dream? or God’s will?

Joseph dreamed two visions when he was a teen that his father and brothers would bow down to him one day. He would “reign over” them. His father rebuked him for the dreams and his brothers allowed their jealousy to turn to hatred (Gen. 37:5-11). Joseph had to live with these dreams for decades. How many times did he wonder, while he was a slave or in prison, how these dreams would be fulfilled?

What is impressive with Joseph is that he didn’t try to force their fulfillment. It was God’s dream for his life. God would bring it about in his own time. It wasn’t Joseph’s place to make it happen. God did fulfill it in an amazing and unbelievable way, a path that Joseph could never have designed (Gen. 39-45).

You need to have a dream for God. You need to ask and think big visions for the kingdom of God on earth (Eph. 3:20-21). You need to dream and plan for what you want your future to look like in a couple of decades. If you are a teen, like Joseph, your dream may involve a wonderful spouse, a family, and a job. But remember, God has a dream and purpose for your life too. Joseph reminds his brothers at the end of the story, that he is not “in the place of God” (Gen. 50:18). He stated his conviction that God used all of his setbacks and trials for good to save many lives (Gen. 50:20).

The challenge for us is to not force our dream (will) on God’s dream (God’s will)! The challenge is for us to be surrendered in the peace and sovereignty of God. Not saying we don’t work hard, but saying... don’t force our dream. Pray for God’s will to be done. If God shuts the door each time on your dream, maybe it is because it is not God’s dream for your life. Maybe you are chasing the wrong dream or have the wrong motives. Remember Moses’ dream was to free his people when he was forty. He started the revolution by killing an Egyptian, but he failed miserably and had to flee to the desert. God’s dream was for him to free his people when he was eighty after he had been humbled in the desert (Ex. 2-3).

Let’s follow the example of Joseph and seek to patiently align our dream with God’s dream (God’s will). One thing for sure, God’s dream will always be centered on magnifying His glory and honor. It may involve setbacks, sorrows, and humiliation for us, but it is for the best because it is God’s dream (God’s will)! The instructions of Deuteronomy 28 are clear: all God’s blessings will come on us and overtake us if we listen to and obey the voice of the Lord our God. That means we must align ourselves with the will of God to be blessed by God.

Joseph’s brothers betrayal was legendary. They sold their own brother into slavery, which was actually a reprieve from their original intentions of murdering him. Now, some two decades later circumstances (in truth, the Lord’s providence) has brought them back together. The brothers have come to Egypt to get grain to survive during a terrible famine. Joseph, because of his forgiving and loving heart, wants to trust them again, but he needs to believe in their honesty and repentance. He gives them three clear tests. These three tests are the same ways we can rebuild trust in our relationships.

• Tested in Honesty – In Genesis 42, Joseph initially meets his brothers and desires to test their honesty. He wants to know if they will tell him the truth. Whenever a relationship has been harmed by dishonesty and half-truths, in order for trust to be rebuilt there must be a period of testing honesty. We must prove ourselves honest in all things. To be dishonest in areas or to hide necessary information purposefully is to be dishonest in whole.
• Tested in Love – In Genesis 42-43, the brothers return home, having to leave Simeon in Egypt. Joseph kept Simeon captive and told them he would only be released if they returned with Joseph’s younger brother Benjamin. This tested Jacob and the brothers greatly in their love. Did they love Simeon or Benjamin more? At first Jacob would not let the brothers return with Benjamin. He clearly showed favoritism to Benjamin. For trust to be restored, there must be a period of testing love. Love is seen in actions and decisions. Love is seen by the heart’s affections and desire for the good of the other person.
• Tested in Sacrifice – In Genesis 44, after Benjamin is taken captive being falsely accused of stealing Joseph’s silver cup, Judah makes a pivotal speech. All the brothers had decided to return in Benjamin’s defense. They could have let him suffer his own fate, but they defended him and loved their father. Judah will explain their decision in a passionate plea to Joseph on his father’s behalf. He takes the ultimate step and offers to exchange his life for the life of Benjamin. He is willing to sacrifice himself for the good of Benjamin and Jacob. To truly have deep trust, the other person must believe you would sacrifice yourself for them, putting them above your own self.

At the conclusion of these tests, Joseph weeps and reveals himself to his brothers (Gen. 45). They are shocked. Joseph could reveal himself because he had rebuilt trust. He could feel safe to open up his heart again in love to his betraying brothers. They passed the tests. They were honest, loving, and sacrificial. They had changed from being dishonest, hateful, and selfish. They were trustworthy.

We can learn from Joseph. We should wisely test others. We must seek to restore trust, but it often takes time and patience. Both parties have to prove themselves. We should humbly expect to be tested ourselves. Before others will trust us they will often need to test us. This is why trust grows over time, because tests are passed. It is only through living and sharing life together and passing test after test that we are able to feel truly safe and trustworthy with one another.