Didn’t Recognize Him

Didn’t Recognize Him

Reading: Genesis 42-43; Psalm 5; Luke 17 6 Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where are you from?” he demanded. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We have come to buy food.” 8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him. 9 And he remembered the dreams he’d had about them many years before.” (Genesis 42:6-9a NLT) Seeing his brothers for the first time in nearly twenty-two years, Joseph immediately recognized them. They hadn’t changed at all! However, they didn’t recognize him because he had changed—in so many ways! He looked different. He spoke a different language. He conducted himself with dignity, confidence, and authority. Joseph had changed from a spoiled seventeen-year-old kid into a wise, mature, and powerful man, capable of running an entire country!

Living a life devoted to the purpose and plan of God changes you, and it changes you for the better! Joseph’s brothers were instantly recognizable, and entirely predictable, because their lives remained small, narrow, and self-focused. As a result, they were staying pretty much the same, year after year. Joseph was living a life committed to the larger redemptive purpose of God, and as a result, he was constantly learning, growing, and changing. Living the plan and purpose God designed for your life changes you, and it changes you for the better! One thing you and I absolutely never want to say to God is, “Keep The Change!”

Let’s embrace the changes God brings our way and let’s become the men and women God created us to be! Prayer: Father, Please keep changing me, and please keep me changing—even if I whine and complain about it! Keep changing me to become the one and only person who can live the purpose and plan you have designed for my life. And please keep me changing, growing, and learning by my own initiative as well. Amen.