There is much evidence that Jesus was not that “soft, cuddly, and gentle man carrying a sheep on His shoulder”.

In fact, I like to picture Him like an NFL linebacker getting ready for a play.

He was all day tough.

He was not afraid.

And He was not willing to give even one inch to the enemy and His advances.

I believe that God wants us, also, to be tough minded people.

Joseph needed to be tough.

Anointed with dreams and visions, blessed with wisdom, and covered by a very tough group of older brothers, Joseph had everything he needed.  His dad favored him, he began to believe that he was favored, and a resentment grew on his brothers.  In Genesis 37, we get to see the reason that jealousy rears its ugly head:

Genesis 37  5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

Not long after that, Joseph is falsely accused, sitting in a prison cell, and wondering why God had abandoned him from the very  calling that God had put on his life.

Sometimes our dreams are put on hold.

Sometimes we make choices that ruin them.

Sometimes we must fight through so much to see them come to fruition.

No matter your situation, God is not raising you up to be soft.

He is raising you up to be a fighter.

I have to think that Joseph’s circumstances were influenced by human choice.  His dad chose to favor him.  His brothers chose to be jealous.  Joseph chose to think highly of himself at a level that dishonored God … and others.

And Joseph ended up in a prison cell.

This is not the end of the story (Read in and around Genesis 37 and find out for yourself).  And it isn’t the end of your story when you end up in a slump.  It is a reminder to get back to what and who God has called you to be, much like Joseph did.  He has called you to:

  • Use the gifts and talents that He has give you to benefit others … just like Joseph did.
  • Make your prison into a palace … just like Joseph did.
  • Realize that happiness is an inside job … just like Joseph did.
  • Live from virtues, values, and relationships … just like Joseph did.
  • Reign victorious and then forgive … just like Joseph did.

God shares the story of people in the Bible so that we can realize that He works through broken people, just like us, in order to show His glory.

Be tough.

Don’t give up.

And remember:

God sometimes takes a long time to act suddenly.

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J