A HANDSOME MAN FORGOTTEN

Genesis 39:6-7… Now Joseph was WELL-BUILT and HANDSOME, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

Genesis 40:23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not REMEMBER Joseph; he FORGOT him.

You are a Godly young man…hardworking, handsome and yes, a visionary with the future before you. The favorite of your father among many brothers. Your daddy makes you a coat of many colors which makes your stand out among the crowd. But the worst part of it all is you love to dream…and retell your dreams to a not very enthusiastic audience. YOUR NAME IS JOSEPH.

And while from the outside, everything seems to be going well, things are brewing from the inside. Before you know it…you are a SLAVE in a foreign country. But while you are not free…the things of nature still take their course. Oh…YOU ARE NOW A FINE HANDSOME YOUNG MAN…and a married woman cannot resist you. But you have not changed a bit. Your values are still intact. But this time, from the outside, everything seems to be going wrong, but things from the inside are unusual calm. Before you know it….you are a PRISONER paying for a crime you never committed. But while you are not free…the things of God take their purposed cause. Oh…YOU ARE NOW AN INTERPRETER OF DREAM…and a cupbearer is restored to his position. But your position is unchanged. Your existence is soon FORGOTTEN.

A THREE-WORDED INCOMPLETE SENTENCE

I woke up this morning…in the midst of an unfinished dream. I rarely dream…much less, dreams which are God orchestrated. But I have had two very vivid dreams which have had very significant meaning in my life. Today’s dream, I felt was from God…but the strange thing about it was I couldn’t recall any single fact or scene from that dream. Yet when I woke up mid-way…this three-worded incomplete sentence was hanging on my lips: SEASONED WITH GRACE.

I don’t know what that means….or what the Lord has in mind….but I will be listening…or I will lie still in bed and let Him, speak! Oh, He has something in store…that I know. Meanwhile, I will leave you with this very familiar verse which talks about the same as I heard;

COLOSSIANS 4:6 LET YOUR SPEECH ALWAYS BE WITH GRACE, SEASONED WITH SALT, THAT YOU MAY KNOW HOW YOU OUGHT TO ANSWER EACH OTHER.

THE DREAMER

Genesis 37:19-20 “Here comes that DREAMER!” they said to each other. “Come let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his DREAMS.”

No matter what stage or point we are in life, we all have dreams. Dreams may or may not come true. Dreams may be things which we would love to have or do which are still out of reach. Dreams may also happen in our sleep beyond our human control and ability to choose whether to experience them or not.
But dreams, like many other things are also means in which God can use to convey a message for the unforeseen future.

And so, it was in the case of Joseph. By then, he was just a teenage, loved by his father, Jacob and hated by his brothers. Then one day, he had a dream which he quickly shared with his brothers. When they heard about his dream…they HATED him even the more. Of course, the matter might have ended there, was it not for his second dream. By now, they could not stand him and Jacob, his father rebuked him but kept the matter in mind. You see, Joseph wasn’t the initiator of his dreams in the first place…and in a sense, he wasn’t looking out for interpretation or their accomplishment. In any case, he was still innocence for that. But God had a plan.

Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt and landed at Potiphar’s house. Before long, he was accused of sexual assault and landed into prison. If Joseph wondered what would become of his dreams, we are not told. However, we are told of someone else’s dreams: the cup-bearer and the baker. These two men landed in prison where Joseph was and he, by God’s help interpreted their dreams; one died, and the other…the cup-bearer returned to Pharaoh’s service. Two years later, Pharaoh too had his dreams and Joseph was called out to interpret them. Before he knew it….HIS DREAM was beginning to be accomplished.

Has God given you a dream? Do people look at you and think like Joseph, “Heh, here comes the dreamer!'” Take courage. One thing though is for sure…when God give you a dream…he will also make someone else like you to dream. In order for your dream to be accomplished, God will cause you to run to help someone else accomplish their dreams first. Joseph sowed into the dreams of the cup-bearer and Pharaoh without know that in the real sense, he was sowing into his own dream…and the returns were more than he could have ever dreamed in daylight:a Prime minister, nations saved and above all, reconciliation with his own family.

My friend…if God has given you a DREAM…don’t settle for less nor let obstacles stop you. THERE ARE MANY DREAMERS OUT THERE WAITING ON YOU!