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From Slavery to Greatness

by Jerry Ousley  
6/12/2010 / Christian Living

Sometimes we've just got to learn to keep our mouths shut. That's a lot easier said than done. When we were children living in Northern Indiana, there was one cold Saturday during which my brother became extremely bored. He gazed out the window with a deep hunger to be outside. There would be tons of stuff to do out there, and here he was cooped up in the house. He couldn't take it any longer and so he worked up the nerve to ask Mom, "Can I go outside?"

"You can't go out there! It's cold and you might get sick!" came the reply. He thought about it a bit and then defended, "It's not that cold. I'll be alright. And besides," he continued, "I won't get muddy because all the mud puddles are froze up!" He had said too much.

God wants to take us from slavery to greatness. A few articles ago we talked about being slaves to Christ. But the slavery we're speaking of today is the slavery of this age. Our Lord wants to lift us up from our bondage of sin and our burdens and set us on the high plateau of greatness.

In Genesis 37 we read the beginnings of the story of Joseph. Being the firstborn son of the woman he loved, Jacob elevated Joseph above all his other sons. He even made him a multi-colored coat, special in meaning that drove his brothers to jealousy. The Bible tells us that God began giving Joseph dreams dreams that portrayed him as being in a higher position than his brothers and sisters, and even his father and mother. He made the mistake of sharing these dreams with his family which made their hatred grow even worse.

The day came when Jacob sent Joseph out to check on his brothers. When they saw him they grabbed him up and threw him into a pit while they plotted what to do with him. Some wanted to kill him, but the eldest brother, Reuben, knew how this would break their father's heart so he convinced them to wait. While Reuben was gone a group of slave traders came by and the other brothers saw a way to get rid of Joseph and make some money too, so they sold him into slavery. Joseph wound up as a slave in Egypt. It took a few years of servitude and imprisonment, but in a nutshell, the day came when his relationship with God had matured to the point that he was able to graciously interpret a God-given dream to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. As you read the account you can see how his rash, near bragging of his dreams was replaced with skillful words. He had learned his lesson and found himself promoted as the second ruler of the land of Egypt.

God wants to promote us as well. We too are rash, harsh, and sometimes very crude in our words. I know I am because I'm constantly pulling my feet out of my mouth. We need to learn to speak God's word with grace. When we do instead of being offensive we are transformed into messengers of Good News. We can speak to others in ways that will draw them to Christ.

Our Lord wants to take the rawness that may be in our lives and mold us into greatness. Oh we may not find ourselves in high political offices (although some of you might). We may not stand before thousands proclaiming the Gospel, (but again, some of you might). Our greatness may never extend beyond the walls of our homes or the confines of the town or city in which we live (but some of you might). Regardless, God wants to elevate us. As we allow Him to shape us into the vessel He desires, honing the skills and talents He has placed in our lives He is making worthy, useful vessels of us.

Let's do like Joseph and let Christ be formed in us. As He is we will be changed and lifted from slavery to greatness. All we've got to do is be patient and obedient. Before you know it you may find yourself a second ruler, oh, and you might even get to go outside.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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