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"But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of prison" - Genesis 40:14

What I am talking about this week might be triggering for some, so please bear with me :) There are some of my brothers and sisters who believe so strongly that you are short changing yourself, and perhaps not positioning yourself correctly if you are not experiencing all of the "abundance" Christ wrought for you on the cross. Basically everything is us up for grabs, material wealth, wellness, success etc. Some of which is "up to you" in a sense. Whilst I don't disagree that the first man in the garden of Eden, before his fallen state was a blessed man, and that Abraham and some of the patriarchs of faith were abundantly blessed in all aspects. I would like us to explore and consider more cautiously what it truly means to be set free.

If you look at the lives of the patriarchs closely, one would find that at the time they were blessed or being blessed, it was not a surprising thing per say, nor was it a thing they spent most of thier time ruminating and being obsessed over. They understood God to be a provider, and He himself determined their times and seasons. Little wonder, they had less struggle in obeying and using those same resources to serve God. Such that if he had said "in blessing I would bless you" He was committed to the integrity of those words, despite who they were. God means what he says and says what he means. Can we consider that perhaps in some cases, God could be saving us from so much more beyond the surface? saving us from ourselves? For example, what he knows about each heart individually. I'm sorry I digress, but we hear this a lot of the time: "You can have everything in the world and still not be happy or free?" and it is true.  In fact the bible admonishes us thus;

"...Watch out ! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in the abundance of possessions" - Luke 12:15. 

It was Jesus speaking here. Why does he say that? Why was it necessary for Jesus to say that "life" is not in the abundance of possessions? Well, the simple answer is because it is isn't. And the second other answer is because all of these things are ephemeral. Not encouraging laziness here or a lack of focus in life, but I wanted to encourage us to strive for much more meaning and depth in God that endures. So let's talk about somebody in scripture that one could consider to be a blessed man. Joseph. We know right how his brothers were jealous of him and sold him out into slavery. He had this dream that annoyed them so much. For 13 years he would be in a strange land, but the Lord was with Joseph wherever he went.

"The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered , and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master" Genesis 39:2

"Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household  and all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field" - Genesis 39:4-5

"So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph's care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate" - Genesis 39:6

"..But while Joseph was in prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor  in the eyes of the prisoner warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in prison...." - Genesis 20b-22

"The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did" - Genesis 39:23

Ok, I am going to stop here and allow you to breathe. I get the sense that the bible's emphasis on Joseph being blessed was deliberate. It was important to understand deeply how God was with this man, even through whatever hardship he was facing in his life. Yeah, if you keep reading further, you'd see so many other lines echoing the same things. Ok we get it, Joseph was blessed lol. But how is it that later down the line, we see Joseph telling a team mate who was about to be set free from prison to remember him? Mind you, this butler was the same guy that had Joseph interprete his dream, when he had no clue.

"But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of prison" - Genesis 40:14

When all goes well with you? ------- wait what?  Well the truth is that every man no matter how much he has or owns, no matter what position or height he reaches, he would always long for something deeper. Something that can only be found in the true purpose and plan of God for thier lives. "Life does not consist in the abundance of things that one possesses".  Freedom is the magic word here. Joseph would later be set free from prison to fulfill the purpose of God -------> meet with his brothers face to face, who had also carried the guilt of what they had done to him for years [Gen 42:21-24]. And we see that play out in the life of Jacob also. Although Jacob had slaved away for 20 years under his deceiving uncle Laban, he longed to return to his people. The same way that God would use Moses to free the Israelites out of the hands of Pharoah. Blessed man that Jacob was, he would not be at complete peace and rest until he settled a score with his brother Esau; a guilt he lived with for so long. Jacob would only be at rest after this in the purposes and plans of God.

"If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night be rebuked you" - Genesis 31:42

So let's consider Abraham also as we bring this post to a close. Abraham was a blessed man. We know this. At the time God began to reveal himself to him, there was probably only one specific need in his life, that he had sleepless nights over: the need for a child. At the time he expressed this need, Abraham with his armed men had just defeated Kedorlaomer and kings allied with him, when he heard his nephew had been taken away captive. The King of Sodom amazed at this, then tries to negotiate Abraham's "good men" for goods. Abraham refuses, so that Sodom will never have to say that he was the one who made him rich Gen 14: 21-24. Wow what a man! He refuses to exchange souls for ordinary piece meal that perishes. He understood that wealth gotten outside of the purposes of God, were not real blessings. Abraham understood the worth of a soul, but then again I digress :) Listen to what God says to Abraham after this;

"After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid Abram. I am your shield, your exceeding great reward" -  Gen 15:1 WOW

I mean what could be more powerful than that? Abraham goes on to remind God that he does not have a child, and God is like "son, let's work on your faith a little, I think you are still struggling with the concept of who I am and what I am able to do" lol. You can read the whole of Genesis 15 for yourself. God essentially reminds Abraham about how far he had brought him and what would happen in his future. It is with all of these contemplations, that I would like to encourage you about your own walk with the Lord. The ultimate purpose in God's plan is first liberty, freedom, emancipation from the life that we  are tempted to live outside of him. We are deceived if we believe that our liberation is found in ephemeral things. Not so, my dear brothers and sisters. Obedience to God is true freedom. Obedience is not about fear, it is about liberty & freedom. I believe it's in this depth of revelation, that the apostle Paul writes;

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" - Philippians 4:12-13

Contrary to popular opinion. These were not words of a man who was settling for less. No no no! In fact, he was fighting for so much more; so much more than weighing life by the things happening to him in real time. These were words of a man who understood deeply what it meant for God to be someone's shield and exceeding great reward. How does this challenge your faith? There is so much more in God, please let's not settle for crumbs, dear friends :)

     "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit thier soul" - Mark 8:36

    "Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with  all thier heart" - Psalm119:2-3

"Beloved, I wish above all things, that you mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" - 3 John 1:2

Love

Shay