Reflection on Genesis37:1–11
We
don’t know Joseph’s reasons for telling his brothers about his dreams. But even
if his motives were entirely innocent, sharing his dreams had disastrous
results. His brothers already hated him because they saw that their father,
Jacob, loved him more than any of them. Joseph’s dream that implied he would
rule over them one day made them that much more angry.
Many
of Jesus’ “older brothers”—the Jewish leaders of his time—reacted violently to
his claims of lordship too. But as with Joseph, God blessed Gentiles through
Jesus and will one day reveal his true identity to all of Israel (see Romans11:25–26). The children of Jacob will recognize who Jesus is and bow down to
him—just as he foretold.
YOUR NEW SKIPPER
Romans 8:12, 13
We are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live
according to the flesh--for if you are living according to the flesh, you must
die
When
I was in the Navy, we called the captain of our ship "the Old Man."
Our Old Man was tough and crusty and nobody liked him. He used to go out
drinking with all his chiefs while belittling and harassing his junior officers
and making life miserable for the rest of us. He was not a good example of a
naval officer. So when our Old Man got transferred to another ship, we all
rejoiced. It was a great day for our ship.
Then
we got a new skipper--a new Old Man. The old Old Man no longer had any
authority over us; he was gone--completely out of the picture. But I was
trained under that Old Man. So how do you think I related to the new Old Man?
At first I responded to him just like I had been conditioned to respond to the
old skipper. I tiptoed around him expecting him to bite my head off. That's how
I had lived for two years around my first skipper.
But
as I got to know the new skipper, I realized that he wasn't a crusty old tyrant
like my old Old Man. He wasn't out to harass his crew; he was a good guy,
really concerned about us. But I had been programmed for two years to react a
certain way when I saw a captain's braids. I didn't need to react that way any
longer, but it took several months to recondition myself to the new skipper.
You
also once served under a cruel, self-serving skipper: your old sinful self with
its sinful nature. The admiral of that fleet is Satan himself, the prince of
darkness. But by God's grace you have been transferred into Christ's kingdom
(Colossians 1:13). You now have a new skipper: your new self which is infused
with the divine nature of Jesus Christ, your new admiral. As a child of God, a
saint, you are no longer under the authority of your old Old Man. He is dead,
buried, gone forever.
So
why do you still react as if your old skipper were still in control of your
behavior? We'll answer that question tomorrow.
Prayer: Praise You, Lord,
that my relationship with my old skipper, that old sinful self, is gone. I
choose to live today in the realty of my new nature in Christ.
sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment