Life Development Guide Joseph Series — Show 1

How to Use this Life Development Guide:

1. Download the Podcast of the show and listen to it again. 2. Read Mark’s Blog, and write out your answers to the questions that follow. 3. Call or email a few friends, and invite them to join you in steps 1 and 2. 4. Set up a time to meet and discuss your answers.

From Dream to Destiny

For the past few months, I’ve been studying – and teaching – the life of Joseph, one of the figures who looms large throughout the pages of Scripture. He first bursts onto the scene as a teenager with a fantastical dream. As the story unfolds, we follow a life that is a mixture of competing roles and responsibilities, a fast-moving, action-adventure tale punctuated by a series of tests that conspire to develop Joseph from learner to leader, from pundit to prophet. Like Joseph, we all have a dream. That’s simply another way of saying that we all have a God-given purpose to fulfill. While your dream may not set you up as the pivotal person who saves an entire nation, as did Joseph’s, it’s critically important to someone, nonetheless. It could be a member of your own family … or a child in a developing nation … or your neighbor down the street … or a missionary in a far away land. The fact is, we’re not here to consume our gifts, skills and resources on ourselves, in a self-centered way. We’re here to share them with others, in a way that will accomplish God’s purposes to the ends of the earth. God’s dream for your life is bigger, the destiny it involves better, than anything you could possibly imagine or pull off on your own. That was certainly true for Joseph. But the problem he had was the same one that often trips us up, too. Instead of waiting for the dream to unfold, in God’s perfect timing, he went blabbing and bragging about it. Genesis 37:5 says, “Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers. And they hated him even more.” Before you’re too harsh on his brothers, you have to understand the context. This dream of Joseph’s put him – the youngest and most insignificant in the family, already his father’s favorite – clearly in charge of everyone and everything. It turned the normal order of things on its head. There was no mistaking what Joseph was saying. He was bragging about the day to come, when every brother he had would bow down before him. Not exactly the way to win friends and influence people, especially the members of your own family. But you’ve seen it too, right? God raises someone up, someone small and insignificant, and gives them a dream. Before you know it, they’re sending out press releases and scheduling an appearance on Oprah, touting their vision for changing

the world and bragging about it to everyone in sight. They act as though they’re God’s gift to the planet, as if the world couldn’t survive without them. The Bible has a word for it: pride. And, just like Joseph, you’ll never step into your destiny until you’ve dealt with your pride. The fruit – pride – is simply a cover for the root – insecurity. Instead of being quietly confident in God’s purpose, and allowing it to develop, Joseph let his pride get the best of him. Stop and think about the times in your own life when you wish you could take back something you’ve said. More often than not, it’s nothing but your own insecurities that underscore all the prideful statements. But none of this takes God by surprise. Fail the pride test, and He’s got a surefire solution … another test from the life of Joseph, one I’ll be writing about next week.

For Personal Reflection and Discussion with Others: 1. What are your dreams? Have you ever shared them with anyone? If not, why not? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. Who have been the “dream killers” in your life? How did you respond to them? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 3. Who has supported your dreams? How? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

4. What area of your life makes you most prideful? Why? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 5. Who calls you out when you’re exhibiting too much pride? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 6. Who hates you? Why? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 7. What is the ONE dream you’d most like to see happen? What’s stopping it from becoming reality? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________