(Audio)
Therefore, I say to you,
the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit.
Are we a people that will produce that fruit of the Kingdom? Or do we rather resist when the master sends his servants to obtain his produce? The LORD has filled us with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is meant to bear fruit in our lives, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (see Galatians 5:22-23). But when we're doing work, standing in line, on the road, or at any other time when God asks us to show forth these fruits do we do so? Or do we send his angels packing without offering anything?
"Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.
Get ready; I will send you to them."
There is something prideful that wants to keep the fruit for ourselves when the vineyard that is growing that fruit isn't even ours. It is the same sort of pride in Jacob's sons that causes them to be unable to accept the unique way in which Jacob loves Joseph and sends him to his brothers even though this was intended as a blessing. The brothers feel unloved and threatened, but it is an illusion of their egos. We can learn from their mistake. When our Father sends Jesus to us we need to learn to not feel threatened by him but to offer him all that we have and all that we are.
They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver.
When God reaches out to us there is always a choice. We can allow our hearts to be hardened or we can listen, surrender, and respond. There is no future in keeping the fruit to ourselves. It will only spoil. Only the plans of God endure.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
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