Generations. I am thinking about generations almost constantly. I recently finished reading Genesis this morning. Generation after generation after generation are generated in Genesis. God is the great Generator!*
Some big lessons from reading Genesis. There is a lot of incidental, accidental, manipulational and frustrational generational reporting. But God ensures that all of His promises will come true whether we are willing to cooperate and collaborate together with Him or not!
One great example is Joseph. He has a couple of dreams as a young person. Unwisely, he chats up his dreams and what they might mean, and garners the ill-will of his brothers. Look at this from Genesis 37 and his first dream:
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."
8 His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
And his second:
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?"
11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Some big lessons from reading Genesis. There is a lot of incidental, accidental, manipulational and frustrational generational reporting. But God ensures that all of His promises will come true whether we are willing to cooperate and collaborate together with Him or not!
One great example is Joseph. He has a couple of dreams as a young person. Unwisely, he chats up his dreams and what they might mean, and garners the ill-will of his brothers. Look at this from Genesis 37 and his first dream:
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."
8 His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
And his second:
9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?"
11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Joseph ends up sold as a slave, imprisoned for what seemed a life sentence for false attempted rape charges. He was wasting away in prison due to the poor memory of a butler, but eventually finds himself finally realizing the fulfilment of his dreams.
What's my point in all of this? We are called to mission. To exchange our lives for others! To realize the dream of spiritual (and many add physical) generations of labourers until Jesus comes again!
Do generations the right way! Make sure you mix in the key ingredients of:
- Humility
- Love
- Trust
- Obedience
- Generosity.
Focus on all of these and avoid imprisonment, well-tossing, slave trading (where you are the slave!) and the criticism, abuse and conflict with those you should be loving the best!
Irv.
Missions Director
* Yes, we are indeed expecting to become grandparents! How did you guess?? :)
Irv.
Missions Director
* Yes, we are indeed expecting to become grandparents! How did you guess?? :)
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