Character Development
Today, I conducted the chapel service a Mackenzie. Our friends Val and Di McDaniel came from Aurora to join us. Jerry and Virginia Pippen helped with the music. What a delightful time we had not only during the service, but during the meal later. We ended our morning with Jerry playing the grand piano in the lobby.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them—Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.” Psalm 105:17-19 NLT
Psalm 105 is a review of God’s provision for His people throughout their history. From the time of Abraham to the fulfillment of bringing them to the promised land. We can observe that God’s plan and God’s timing go hand in hand.
The Lord knew that He would bring Abraham’s seed through Jacob to inherit the land of Canaan, but how and when that would take place took hundreds of years and a chain of events. Part of that was a famine in Canaan that forced Jacob’s children to Egypt. But before that took place God prepared to send Joseph ahead to provide for Jacob and his children and their families.
What is interesting is how the Lord through visions, prepared Joseph for a role that he didn’t know how it would happen and when. The words of Psalm 105 reveal that before the Lord fulfills the dream, he prepared the “dreamer.”
The preparation that Joseph went through involved hardship and events that on the surface seemed to signal his dreams were just that; dreams, not a prophetic future. The events that seemed to bring an end to the dreams, were the path for the dreams to be fulfilled. At the time when it seemed that the Lord had forsaken Joseph, God was working on developing and revealing Joseph’s character so that he could be a leader God could trust.
Paul wrote the Corinthians, “…it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2 ESV) That faithfulness is proven in good times and in bad. The test that Joseph went through proved to himself as well as the Lord that he had the character that was needed to take on not only the life saving leadership for his family, but for a nation.
Joseph as a youth had a dream about his family bowing before him, but because of his character development through hardship, rejection and unjust treatment, an entire nation bowed before him. God is able to expand our dreams and our influence even beyond what we dream.
Perhaps that is the greatest of God Paul was referring to when he wrote, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV) Do we settle for less, because we only envision what we can dream, instead of seeing what God can do for us beyond our imagination? I believe we can see that happening with Joseph.
Remember…
- Don’t give up on dreams.
- Understand that trials and difficulties can be “character developing” events that Lord can use.
- God in His plan can take us beyond our dreams and expectations
Prayer for today…. Lord, thank You for working in our lives according to Your time and ways. Help us to understanding You are more interested in our character than our achievements. Help us to know that when You are directing our lives, our dreams become expanded as we trust in You and yield to Your work in our lives.