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Joseph -Pictures of a mysterious God (Dreams)

Perhaps the most confusing time for any young man is when he has determined to chase a girl he likes. Many times he will not understand the girl. She will look like she likes him and wants him but she will not love him back openly. He will not understand why she regards his best jokes coolly and directs a disproportionate amount of anger at his slightest misstep.

He will be baffled with her enthusiastic stream of SMS one day and rattled by her ominous silence the very next day. At one moment he might be dancing in elation and the next he could very well be gnashing his teeth in frustration. And yet he will not be able to resist her mysterious pull on him. He will go back again and again to be knocked over the head and nurse his injuries alone. But sometimes it is good to be a fool and being the fool he has become, he will quietly determine to push on.

The journey to one becoming a Christian is very much like the dating game.  And by Christian I don’t mean one who attends church regularly, nor do I mean one who has the so-called ‘Christian names’ such as Peter, Mary, Dorcas or John. And no; belonging to a denomination doesn’t make one a Christian either. Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, Adventist; these make no difference in the biblical scheme of things.
Many people find God confusing. Perhaps even more confounding that the mysterious, beautiful girl. However, I don’t think it would be unfair to say that many exhibit more resilience in chasing a girl than in trying to find God.  But now I digress..



In the life of Joseph we find a vivid picture of the game that is often played out in people’s lives as God seeks their hand in a life-changing relationship.
Joseph is perhaps better known for famously refusing the amorous advances of his boss’ wife. Not that she wasn't his type or beautiful enough but because well, the guy had principles you know. I suppose it’s useless to say that many today would in fact salivate at such an opportunity. But then, I digress gain...



What can we learn from the life of Joseph?
Joseph reveals his dream and… -Genesis 39
Joseph had a dream which was interpreted to mean that his older brothers would one day be subject to him. In a highly hierarchical society this was akin to filial treason. His brothers were not happy. If anything, this latest turn of events added to a simmering row emanating from a perception that their dad seemed to favour him above his siblings. Their anger at his self-conceited nerve was palpable. They rejected the dream outright, not even bothering to query its merits or lack thereof.
The interesting thing is that we often react like Joseph’s brothers at God’s first move in this dating dance. We find the claims and demands of Jesus too other-worldly, incredulous or down-right silly.
 We vigorously refuse Jesus’ claims about himself because they go against;
·        what we know or own,

·        our cherished social norms and

·         what we have become accustomed to or hope to become.
It is likely that you dismiss the God-thought not because you have evaluated it and found it to be false but because it challenges what you have become or aspire to be. Indeed some will not stop at only dismissing the thoughts of God in our minds they set out like Joseph's brothers to kill or subvert the very notion that God could be bothered with any of us.
You see, my friend, the idea of Jesus as the Messiah is both easy and difficult depending on where you stand. Those who approach God from a purely rational or materialistic perspective only end up being perplexed. In the world of spiritual realities, worldly knowledge and mental acumen fall flat.

As early as 700 years before Christ the Prophet Isaiah preached;
“What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever?” Isaiah 5:21 (NLT)
God has determined that man will not come to him except through a very narrow window of opportunity. Jesus described it as the narrow gate (Matt. 7:13-14). In this celestial dating game God demands that anyone who desires him must first;
·       Determine to turn away from a sinful lifestyle(Acts 26:20)

·        Such a person must cast off all his self-taught worldly logic and (1 Cor. 3:19)

·        Come to Christ believing that He alone can forgive sin.(Titus 2:11-14)
This of course presupposes that he has met the basic condition-which is to believe that God exists (Heb. 11:6).  In other words, God plays hard to get.

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