Friday, August 22, 2008

Joseph

"...and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father." Gen 37:2

If you remember the idea of this blog, I'm trying to help people who have been hurt by churches or other Christians. Joseph was definitely a man who had been hurt by God's people. Let's take a look at what happened and why.

First, Joseph, unlike Jacob, had lived a Godly life. He told the truth when God's people were doing wrong (bringing his father the truth about his brothers).

Second, Joseph's brothers could see that their Father loved Joseph more than them. In John 14:21, Jesus said "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

It was a self-feeding system: Joseph loved his father more than they did, and their father loved Joseph more than he loved them. You, personally, can get into a system like that, but you might have God's people turn hostile to you if you do.

To be continued...

Monday, August 18, 2008

The Wrong Leader

Ge 31:43 ¶ And Laban answered and said to Jacob...what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?

Laban organized his brethren and pursued Jacob for seven days. He was the leader, and people who followed him might have received leadership positions in his "posse." But Laban, after all the bluster and effort, accomplished nothing.

He didn't get his daughters back. He didn't get his grandchildren back. Of all the blesings that God gave Jacob, Laban got none of it back. He didn't even get his household gods back, and God didn't even want Jacob to have them in the first place.

Brethren, DON'T follow leaders who aren't being blessed by God!