22 Apr Heroes…why not you? (Hebrews 12:1-3) Part 8
Over the last several weeks we have also discussed the vivid difference between celebrities and heroes:
- Celebrities are visible. Heroes are useable.
- Celebrities are characters. Heroes have character.
- Celebrities are popular. Heroes are powerful.
- Celebrities speak of change. Heroes usher in change.
We also took a look at a true Bible hero…Joseph. We then began to “mine” some “Jewels from Joseph”:
Jewel #1: The greater the dream, the greater the opposition (Gen. 37:5).
Jewel #2: Those who don’t have your dream won’t have your reaction! (Gen. 37:5)
Jewel #3: Learn to recognize the hand of God on people (Gen. 39:3-4).
Jewel #4: Fight to keep yourself morally pure (Gen. 39:7-9).
Jewel #5: Learn to be an observer of men (Gen. 40:6-7).
Jewel #6: Savor Serving (Gen. 39:4).
This week let’s continue:
Jewel #7: Never play the blame game as it will keep you in the posture of a victim (Gen. 40:14-15).
In this passage, it’s not so much what it says but what it doesn’t say that makes these verses so powerful. Joseph has just interpreted the butler’s dream in which he knows the butler will be released from prison in three days, and Joseph simply asks the butler to remember him without rehearsing all that was wrongfully done to him and who did it to him. If anyone had a right to do so, it was Joseph! Joseph had a heroic quality in his life that all of us need to incorporate…he refused to play the blame game and be a victim!
Joseph learned not to discuss the unnecessary. In other words, never dwell on something you can’t do anything about! You see, God understands why we are where we are…He just doesn’t understand why we stay there! You may be where you are because of your father or abuse or injustice, but it doesn’t mean you have to stay there! We all have reasons, we just don’t have excuses!
This is the most freeing attitude in the world as it puts you and God back in charge of your destiny! No matter what was done to you…you determine your reaction to it! Remember this…betrayal is something someone else does to you…bitterness is something you do to yourself!
Jewel #8: Think, speak and act to where you are going, not to where you already are (Gen. 41:14).
Here the Bible tells us, “Then Pharoah sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon and he shaved himself and changed his raiment and he came in unto Pharoah.” Joseph understood a powerful heroic quality…think, speak and act to where you are going!
You see, it’s not who a man is but who a man thinks he is that makes him successful or not (see Prov. 23:7)! You are basically two people (no you’re not schizophrenic and sitting there “beside yourself”). Seriously, you are who you are and who you can be!
When we first came to Mt. Juliet we started Joy Church with 18 people and knew no one in the immediate area. However, we thought like a church of kingdom significance, we spoke like a church of kingdom significance and we acted like a church of kingdom significance. Today we are one of the fastest growing churches in the region with kingdom significance!
Remember this…take the Word of God and introduce yourself to who you can be (Is. 55:8-11)!
Next week we will continue our series on “Heroes…why not you?!”