Gtcotr/ws031109
So far this spiritual fitness class has offered us opportunity to stretch ourselves and add elements of spiritual fitness to our lives. Week by week we have seen how God guided Joseph through each exercise, strengthening him and making him spiritually fit to handle anything that comes his way.
It is God’s desire that we become strong believers, mature Christians, fully developed followers of Christ, strong enough in character to endure the hardships of life and ready for anything. Spiritual strength requires spiritual exercise.
Look at God’s admonition through the Apostle Paul to the church members in Corinth.
1 Corinthians 3
1 ¶ Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to mature Christians. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life.
2 I had to feed you with milk and not with solid food, because you couldn’t handle anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,
3 for you are still controlled by your own sinful desires. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your own desires? You are acting like people who don’t belong to the Lord.
How does an immature Christian change the way they are? How does a person mature and become able to handle more difficult situations? How do we become more spiritually fit? Exercise!
James 1
3 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.
So, without further ado, whatever ado is, let’s get back on the fitness track and learn some new exercises for this week. Again, we are using the life of Joseph from the pages of Genesis to see how we too can stretch and strengthen ourselves and be transformed into that mature, spiritually fit follower of Christ ready for anything.
Genesis 42
When we left off with the story in week eight the ten older brothers of Joseph had come to Egypt to buy grain and unknowingly found themselves bowing before their younger brother in accordance with the dream Joseph had told them some 25 years earlier. Remember, this was the dream recorded in Genesis 37 that got all of this started. Ultimately these ten brothers conspired together and ended up selling Joseph into slavery and he was carried to Egypt.
Many years had passed since then and Joseph had changed. Life offered Joseph chances to exercise himself and prove his character as one who trusted God in every situation. Joseph learned the keys to being successful and blossomed wherever he was planted. Now Joseph was the second ruler in Egypt. He recognized his brothers bowing before him but they did not recognize him.
Last week we discussed the struggle which was going on in Joseph’s mind and heart. His once hidden feelings resurfaced and now God was making Joseph stand face to face with the greatest test of his life. What would Joseph do? Even he didn’t know … however, he had a pretty well established habit of obeying God. Let’s begin with:
Genesis 42
14 But Joseph said to them, "It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’
15 "In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16 "Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!"
17 So he put them all together in prison three days.
18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, "Do this and live, for I fear God:
The first exercise for week nine is:
1. Fear --- Fear of God.
* Not afraid that God is going to break your leg or give you cancer --- a greater fear than this …
* Fear of displeasing God
* Fear of delaying God’s blessings
* Fear of altering destiny’s crown
Nothing speaks better and more direct than God’s Word. Listen to these scriptures:
Proverbs 19:23 ¶ The fear of the LORD leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.
Psalms 25:14 The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 ¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.
Deuteronomy 5:29 ‘Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!
Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.
Psalms 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
If we do not have a healthy fear of God we will do stupid things and even plan to do them again and again. That’s really stupid! Joseph had no desire to run this far and lose the race here … He rightly feared God and decided to let God direct his decisions.
Exercise number two – God wanted Joseph to be:
2. Strategic
* The art of thinking ahead to maintain advantage
* To predict the future moves of others
* When I do this, they will do that, then I will do this and so on
* You can learn to forecast success by evaluating the predictable outcome of your actions before you act
* Or the predictable impact of your words before you speak
We really should learn to engage our brain before we open our mouth.
* To calculate the outcome before we engage in the affair
* To look down the road and see the pitfalls and plan to avoid them (Proverbs 12:16;23; 22:3)
Joseph had to learn and follow God’s strategy if he was going to be successful. Joseph could ill afford to just run off half cocked or make hot headed decisions and risk preempting the plan of God.
* You don’t tell the punch line before the joke. I know it’s the funniest part, but only if it is done right and at the right time … otherwise it is dull and confusing …
* Don’t get nervous and lose the winning strategy God will give you … the critical thing about knowledge is timing
* Be strategic and give a plan time to fully develop
* We cannot afford to use man’s wisdom or our own strategy, thinking we are doing God a favor or that we can win in our own strength or wisdom … you will know whose strategy it is when you win or lose. It really is all about how you play the game.
Genesis 42:19 "If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses.
Joseph knew God had a plan. He had already seen the fulfillment of the first dream God gave him … now God was marching toward the fulfillment of the second. Somehow God was going to bring Joseph’s whole family to bow before him. Joseph had to play this game out to the end and play strategically …
But also, Joseph was going to have to be:
3. Patient
Sometimes things take a long time. Almost always things take longer than right now! And for this we need patience.
Joseph had waited 25 years for this moment, surely he could wait a little longer.
Genesis 42:20 "And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die."
We cannot know for sure since scripture does not tell us but it is reasonable to imagine that these ten sons were sent to purchase at least enough grain to last until the next harvest season. So presumably Joseph is putting himself in a position to wait one full year for the brothers to return. Simeon will also be forced to wait.
* We need patience to work the steps of God
* Sometimes the most Godly thing we can do is to wait on God or wait on the next step
* What we do while we are waiting on God can determine just how long we have to wait
* If you think it’s bad now, believe me, you can make it worse … be patient!
While you are being patient, you are giving God time to work on others in the equation.
I heard a pastor named Moses Vegh say: “God is getting you ready for those things He already has ready for you.” While this is most often true, sometimes we may be ready before God gets other things ready and we wonder why we are still waiting. Give God time to work all things together for good … be patient!
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
So, what can we do with our week to exercise ourselves, stretch our vision and strengthen our character? How can we use these exercises this week to make ourselves more spiritually fit?
1. Find time this week to sit and meditate. Put it on your calendar. What is the subject of your meditation? “Am I afraid of God?” “Do I have a healthy fear of the Lord?” See what your answer is ... if you aren’t afraid of God ask the question: “How did I get so stupid?” Think on that one for a while.
2. Practice thinking before you speak and planning before you act. Consider at least three ways to say or do something you want to say or do, and think about the potential outcome of each one. See if you can predict accurately the response of other people based upon what you say and do. Then, ask God to give you His strategy for life … it will require some thought and some planning on your part.
3. Patience is like a balloon, the more you stretch it the greater its capacity. Practice patience by telling yourself that while you are waiting God is working. After all, patience is only trusting God.
