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Transcription
Joseph's brothers were grazing their father's flock near Shechem when their father, Israel, sent Joseph to check on them. Joseph found them near Dothan, but they plotted to kill him out of jealousy. Reuben tried to rescue him, but the brothers were divided. The root of their jealousy was Joseph's superiority and their father's favoritism. Jealousy can blind us and lead to wrong choices. To combat jealousy, take an inventory of what you lack, determine if it's necessary, and cultivate gratitude for what you have. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for March 1st, 2024. Today we will be reading from Genesis chapter 37, verses 12 through 22. Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flock near Shechem. And Israel said to Joseph, As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them. Very well, he replied. So he said to him, Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me that he is sent off from the valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, What are you looking for? He replied, I am looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks? They have moved on from here, the man answered. I heard them say, Let's go to Dothan. So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. Here comes that dreamer, they said to each other. Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns, and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams. When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. Let's not take his life, he said. Don't shed any blood. Throw him in the cistern here in the wilderness, but don't lay a hand on him. Reuben said this to rescue him from them to take him back to his father. Joseph's brothers were divided on what to do with him. Reuben wanted to do what was right, but his brothers had other desires. Joseph had created an atmosphere of contempt by sharing a dream that portrayed his superiority. Worse yet, his father showed him favoritism with a special robe. His brothers were jealous and plotted against him. Their deep jealousy had grown into ugly rage, completely blinding them to what was right. Jealousy can be difficult to recognize because of our reasons for it seem to make sense to us. But left unchecked, jealousy grows quickly and leads to wrong choices that can set you at odds with family and or friends. The longer you cultivate jealous feelings, the harder it is to uproot them. The time to deal with jealousy is when you notice yourself keeping score of others, recognition, awards, and achievements. Your personal worship option today is to take an inventory of what you don't have that is causing you jealousy or envy. Then ask yourself if that item is really a necessity or a luxury. Next, take an inventory of what you do have. Ask God to give you a heart of gratitude, which leads to contentment.
