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Any Dream Won't Do

Words of Faith Final

Any Dream Won't Do
Words of Faith 6-28-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 37
[9] Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
[10] When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" [11] His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

There is a song in the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" called "Any Dream Will Do." It is a delightful toe-tapping tune, but unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the story of Joseph. The message of Joseph is NOT that "any dream will do."
The message of Joseph is that "God's dream will grip you!" It may not rhyme well, but this is the truth.
There has been much talk in recent years about vision and visionary leadership. Corporations constantly seek visionary leaders who can see the coming terrain of business and finance. Organizations and churches search for leaders who can listen and construct a future plan. But the story of Joseph describes something entirely different.
Joseph did not aspire to lead; he was called to lead. The dreams that God gave to Joseph described a future that was rather unimaginable to anyone, especially Joseph! God confirmed with a second dream that all of Joseph's family would one-day bow before him. This must have been a humbling and confusing thought for a 17-year-old kid! It was more than confusing to his exceedingly indignant and jealous brothers. It was even an affront to his father, Jacob.
The point here is that Joseph did not glory in this vision from God. He did not become puffed up. He did not even see this as an honor he would earn. The vision was not that Joseph would "lord over" but that his family would "bow down." The vision was not something he had ambition for. The vision was not something he created in his mind or designed in his heart. This was not a "strategy" for the future.
The vision God gave to Joseph was a clear picture of the future, but it was still a future he did not yet understand. The vision was not a "talented insight" into coming trends, nor did it portend a clever knack for organization. The vision was not something that Joseph took hold of; instead, it was something that had taken hold of him.
The response to real vision is well described here. People often find vision to be a threat. Unaware of the alternatives-- starvation and death-- the brothers were not at all willing to see their kid brother ruling over them. It was challenging for Jacob to think that his young son would one day exceed his place of leadership to rule a vast nation. But this was God's plan.
In the Kingdom of God, we need biblical leadership. Biblical leadership is "visionary," but not in the sense that the corporate world might dictate. Biblical leadership is not necessarily marked by astute observation of the latest trends and coming terrain.
The marks of Biblical leadership are an openness to and response to the vision of God. Biblical leadership does not "build" a future for a church or organization but rather "listens" for the future that God is building and becomes a part of it. There is a difference.
Has God given you a glimpse of His future, for your church or your family? You may not understand it now, but your task is simply to trust Him for that future. Don't be surprised if others do not understand. Hang onto the dream. Any dream won't do.

Father, I do not seek to be a visionary, but I am open to seeing Your plan for what is ahead. If only in simple ways, reveal in me what You have in mind. Give me the faith to follow Your dream. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.