Opening Prayer: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.”

Daily Scripture Reading:

• Genesis 37:21-22, 29-30
• Proverbs 29:25
• Isaiah 51:7
• Matthew 10:28
• Hebrews 13:6

Of all the brothers, Reuben was an unlikely ally for young Joseph. He was the firstborn and therefore should have received the favor Jacob unabashedly bestowed on Joseph. None the less, when the rest of the brothers plotted to kill the “dreamer” Reuben proposed another, less fatal plan. He suggested they merely throw Joseph into an empty cistern, as not to shed blood, while secretly planning to rescue him and return him to Jacob. Unfortunately, not only was Reuben an unlikely ally, he was also an unsuccessful ally. His weakness in not putting a stop to harming Joseph all together resulted in over 20 years of slavery and prison for Joseph and devastation for Jacob.

Rather than use his leadership as the firstborn to stand for righteousness, Reuben bowed to the hatred of his brothers. Rather than choosing to protect the one on the outside, he joined in with the crowd and still caused irrevocable damage. Rather than draw a hard line for good, he tried to have a foot on both sides of the issue. Reuben’s heart was in a good place but he didn’t have the courage to stand up to his brothers. He wanted to please everyone, but not even Jesus did that during His life on earth.

The truth is, none of us can fear man and fear God at the same time. We cannot gain the approval of the crowd and the approval of our Lord. Like we read in Proverbs 29:25, fear of man is a snare, and Reuben was in a bigger trap than Joseph. Planning to do right in the future, planning to stick up for someone later, planning on following God halfway will turn out for us just like it turned out for Reuben when he cries, “Where can I go now?” It takes courage to stand alone. It takes bravery to be the ally of the hated. It takes strength of character to speak Truth in this cultural moment. Righteousness shouldn’t be a secret.

Today’s Big Questions: Is fear of man an issue for you? Do you ever succumb to attitudes or actions because you want to please the crowd? Are you an ally for righteousness and the righteous?

Prayer Response: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any areas of your life where you have been caught in the snare of fear of man. Ask Him to show you any people or Truths He wants you to be an ally for in your family, work, or with your friends.

Optional Action Step: Write the word ALLY on a notecard or post-it and put it somewhere you can see it for the next few days. Let it remind you to ask yourself who or what you are an ally for and commit to standing up for righteousness.

Closing Prayer: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  – Ephesians 3:20-21

Opening Prayer: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.”

Daily Scripture Reading:

• Genesis 37:19-20
• Galatians 6:4-5
• I Thessalonians 4:11
• James 1:15
• James 3:16

It has been said that comparison is the thief of joy but I think it might be the thief of everything. Comparison leads to jealously which leads to, as James 3:16 says, every evil practice. No one would fault Joseph’s brothers for feeling envious of their father’s unequaled love and favor for Joseph. But they fed that green eyed monster like a pet until it was full-grown, and like we read in James 1:15, when sin is full-grown it gives birth to death.

Joseph’s brothers should have been about their own work, tending to their father’s sheep. But as Joseph approached, they took their eyes off of what was their’s to do, and focused on what was not. Instead of looking at what they had- an abundance of blessings and inheritance to watch over- they looked at what they didn’t have- the favor of Joseph’s robe and the hope of Joseph’s dreams. You can almost hear the hatred in their voices and see their eyes turn green as they say, “Here comes the dreamer.”

We live in a crazy cultural moment. At the touch of our finger, we can peer into limitless lives. We can see everyone else’s homes, families, vacations, meals, successes, and colorful coats. We might not say, “here comes the dreamer,” but have you ever caught yourself thinking, “must be nice?” Because what we see usually is nice. Most of the time social media is merely a highlight reel. Most of the time we are looking at someone else’s finish lines from our meager beginnings or messy middles. Most of the time we only see one page in the story.

But we compare non the less. And we take our eyes off of the work we have to do. We loose sight of the dreams, purposes, and plans God has given us through squinted, jealous, green eyes.

Please trust this, God is not holding out on you. If He has given a blessing or a dream to someone else, that means it wasn’t meant to be yours. If it doesn’t belong to you, it wasn’t supposed to. Someone else’s coat won’t fit and those colors don’t look good on you anyway! Don’t feed the monster. Walk away from the comparison. Be busy with the work, the life, the purposes your Father has given you and your won’t have time to hate His dreams in someone else.

Today’s Big Questions: Are there any areas of your life where you are dealing with jealously? Do you tend to be jealous of other’s possessions, positions, relationships, or spiritual lives? Are you aware of the ways you are feeding the Green Eyed Monster?

Prayer Response: Spend a few moments confessing to the Lord any areas of jealousy or envy in your heart. Ask Him to speak truth about the work He has for you and ask the Holy Spirit to heighten your awareness of your tendencies to compare.

Optional Action Step: Go through your social media accounts and unfollow any accounts that you know are a stumbling block to you in the area of comparison or jealousy. Consider taking a break from social media all together for the remainder of this devotional.

Closing Prayer: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  – Ephesians 3:20-21

Opening Prayer: “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.”

Daily Scripture Reading: Genesis 37:12-17

Today we meet back up with Joseph and his brothers on rather a treacherous journey. In Genesis 37:12 we read that Joseph’s brothers went to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem soon after being told about the dreams. Shechem was a land of rich pastures but past destruction. Genesis 34 tells the story of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and sister of Joseph, being raped by the prince of this region. The brothers plotted revenge on the city by convincing all the men to be circumcised so that a marriage between Dinah and Shechem would be possible. While the men were incapacitated, two of the brothers attacked the city and slaughtered every male. Then the rest of Jacob’s sons showed up and plundered the land and looted the wealth. They even led all of the women and children away as captives. Let’s just say that the Jacob’s boys were not popular in Shechem. After they had been gone for some time, it seems Jacob became nervous about their safety so he sent Joseph on the 60 mile trek to find his brothers.

And here, on the road of past destruction, outside of the protection of their father’s home and authority, the brothers exact their revenge once again, a family is torn apart, and Joseph’s life is forever altered.

We know, in the end, that God’s hand was on every twist and turn in Joseph’s story. We know that it was all part of the plan. But the dangerous road to Shechem (and on to Dothan) presents some questions for us. In your life are there places of destruction you continue to return to? Do you ever choose to leave the protection and authority of your Heavenly Father’s presence through disobedience, and unwise choices? The brothers waited until Joseph was out from under Jacob’s favor to plot his demise. Our enemy will do the same. But when we reside close to home, close to His presence and His ways, our soul will avoid the dangerous traps the enemy has set.

I don’t know if your Shechem is a destructive habit, a toxic relationship, an apathetic attitude, a disordered desire, or a physical place that puts your soul in danger. Jacob’s decision to send his sons back to Shechem was unwise. His decision to send Jospeh to his bitter brothers was dangerous. God is a better father and under His authority and our obedience, His presence will lead us to safety for our souls.

Today’s Big Questions: What is your Shechem? Have you found yourself back on a road of past destruction and danger for your soul? Have you wandered out from the safety of your Heavenly Father’s protection through disobedience or unwise choices?

Prayer Response: Spend a few moments asking the Holy Spirit to reveal any destructive or dangerous patterns you have been returning to. Commit to staying close to his side and beneath His protection.

Optional Action Step: Choose to fast for one meal today or tomorrow as a representation of walking away from old destructive habits. Spend the time you would have spent preparing and eating the meal praying and worshiping.

Closing Prayer: “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  – Ephesians 3:20-21