Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Don’t Envy, Instead, Celebrate Your Junior

Today’s Energiser

Bible Text:  “…When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance and made plans to kill him. 19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they exclaimed. 20 “Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into a deep pit. We can tell our father that a wild animal has eaten him. Then we’ll see what becomes of all his dreams!” 21 But Reuben came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said. 22 “Why should we shed his blood? Let’s just throw him alive into this pit here. That way he will die without our having to touch him.” Reuben was secretly planning to help Joseph escape, and then he would bring him back to his father. 23 So when Joseph arrived, they pulled off his beautiful robe 24 and threw him into the pit. This pit was normally used to store water, but it was empty at the time. 25 Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they noticed a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking spices, balm, and myrrh from Gilead to Egypt. 26 Judah said to the others, “What can we gain by killing our brother? That would just give us a guilty conscience. 27 Let’s sell Joseph to those Ishmaelite traders. Let’s not be responsible for his death; after all, he is our brother!”  Gen. 37:6-27
According to our Bible passage today, everybody (including Joseph’s father)  had wondered whom Joseph would be.  However, his brothers out of envy, went further.  They considered the various available options that would make God’s plan for Joseph life not to come to pass.  Finally, thanks to Reuben and Judah who toned down their levels of envy.  They never wanted Joseph dead but albeit, they never wanted his destiny to be fulfilled.  God will send your own Reuben and Judah to save you from the enemies’ death plan for you in Jesus’ name.
Let us compare this with what happened to this writer years back.  He was living with a friend who hailed from Bayelsa State while he is from Ekiti State himself.  Both of us  were strugglers trying to pass some professional examinations in the Secretarial line.  It turned out to be that when my friend and I sat for examinations together, one (usually my friend) would pass while I would fail.  Instead of being envious, I would order for the soft drinks with which I would celebrate my brother.  That was my regular practice until God started answering my own prayers too and we both succeeded.
When I first had the opportunity of owning a landed property, the first person I invited to buy land beside me was my dear friend. I started my building first but he completed his own building and moved into the house long before me.  I rejoiced with him. A noteworthy episode occurred while we were building our houses.  When he wanted to deck his building, I had in store all the materials I needed to deck mine but could not raise funds for labour and cement.  What is more, I needed money to pay my children’s school fees so badly then.  He told me he wanted to deck his property.  I seized the opportunity to raise my son’s school fees by selling all the materials I had intended to use to him for which he paid and we mutually benefited from another.  I waited for my own appointed time to deck my building which took long to, but it finally came.  Eventually, God helping us, we both completed out buildings.
Brethren, God does not order things according to age.  He does as He pleases (Psa 135:6-12) “ The Lord does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth,
and on the seas and in their depths.”  He can decide that the Junior shall be the leader as in Joseph and David’s cases.  He can choose a stammerer as a leader and appoint his elder brother to be his assistant as He did to Moses and Aaron.  He may decide to make the outlawed child to be the leader of a family as was the case with Jephthah.  Has he not brought back President Buhari  and Governor Fayose of Ekiti State back to the throne when we all had thought it was impossible?  As the Lord lives you will fulfil your destiny of being ‘the head’ and not the tail as recorded in as recorded in Deut. 28:12-13 in Jesus’.  However if you notice that someone junior to you is placed in authority over you, the most honourable path to take is to appreciate God for his life, pray for him to succeed and do practically all you can “to lift his hands up” as Aaron the older brother of Moses did to his junior and he reaped the good rewards.  Accord him or her the honour they deserve. Never envy them because in the first place, you can do nothing to reverse the plan of God for them but you can certainly benefit from them.   If only you will obey this golden rule, God may use that person to rescue you and lift you up at a point in time as God used Joseph, Jephthah and Esther to save Israel.  Don’t allow petty jealousy or envy to undo your destiny.  Celebrate those in authority over you whether they are junior to you in age or not.  God bless you in Jesus name.

Prayer Point:  Father, grate me the grace never to be jealous of whomsoever you have placed in authority over me. As I do O Lord, remember me too for upliftment at my own appointed time in Jesus’ name.



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