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Joseph: Changeable And Bold
Brian Mashburn
December 18, 2016
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The Difficulty And Beauty of Changing
After 40 years of intentionally following Jesus, and 25 years of ministry, I've learned one very important thing about people changing. It's hard. And rare.
Okay, so that's two things. But they are definitely related.
It is a fact that most people (including those in the pews around you) aren't even thinking about changing. Of the small fraction that are, almost all of them are doing so because circumstances have forced them to, and they don't like it. It is the very smallest of a sliver of society that is eagerly looking around for what they can change about themselves.
And almost none of them are doing it joyfully. Usually, if they are seriously considering it at all, it is because they feel they have no choice, simultaneously hating it even if pursuing it.
How do I know all this? Because I (along with the rest of the ministry team here at Southwest) am one of the people this small fraction of people call to meet for lunch, coffee, or in my office to discuss it when it happens. I'm honored and amazed each and every time.
But more often than not, that is where it ends. They don't change. They don't change their minds, they don't change their thoughts, they don't change their habits, and they don't change their plans. Not always, but mostly.
If you are going to enter the Kingdom - that is, if you are going to follow Christ into increasing levels of peace, joy, and righteousness - if you are going to make your Kingdom mark - then you must be changeable and bold.
Joseph is a model for us of being changeable and bold. He had a plan that was reasonable and theologically sound, but then God interrupted, and in spite of great pressure and cost, he boldly changed his mind. Will you?