Life is too short to be living someone else’s dream!
Genesis 37:3 (AMP)– Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a [distinctive] multicolored tunic.
Joseph’s Coat was a Gift
It’s amazing that a coat could have drawn so much attention to Joseph. Although the Bible never directly describes it, we can use Joseph’s coat to paint a picture of our Christian lives. Spiritually speaking, we can say that Joseph’s coat could be looked at as having three distinct layers. Let’s look at the first one first—Joseph’s coat was a gift, a representation of salvation.
A Picture of Salvation?
What was the first thing that God provided Adam and Eve after they sinned and perceived they were naked now in God’s presence? He made them “coats of skin, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). Revelation 13:8 calls Jesus “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Notice the parallel of this in Joseph’s story: the coat was a gift from his father. Joseph never paid a cent for it. He never worked for it or provided any materials to make it. It was a gift given in love without any strings attached. Are you seeing what I am seeing? Can you see how Joseph’s coat is a clear picture of our salvation? It says in Eph 2:8-9 NKJV, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”.
Pinned Down On The Floor
There was a time in my life, and I remember it like it was yesterday, when I was embraced by Father God Himself and He handed me the free gift of salvation through Jesus without price and without condition. It was given to me as a free coat, a mantle of His grace and His love. It had nothing to do with me. All I had to do was say, “God here I am, a messy person with a messed-up life of my own doing, and I don’t want to live my life anymore the way I am.” I can tell you this, that evening God showed up big time in my hotel room and I was on the floor under the weight of His tangible presence. I could not get off the floor, it was liked I was pinned down. It was the presence of His peace and love that I cannot put into words. All I knew was that I was being changed from the inside out.
New Life For Old
My life was never the same from that evening onwards! It was like a huge lightbulb had gone off in my insides. Where there had been all this darkness, now there was this light emanating from the inside out. I truly stepped out of my old life into something completely new. Even when I got home the next day, my wife met me at the front door and said, “What’s gone on with you? You look different; your eyes have changed.” You know, when you have been in the presence of God, you can’t help but change!
The Blood Cleanses
As you read through Genesis 37, unfortunately, you can see that Joseph’s brothers were motivated by jealousy and resentment because of his dreams and what he saw in the future. They decided to take his coat and throw him into a pit. His coat was covered in the blood of a goat to convince his father that he had been killed by a wild animal. Do you start to see the picture of salvation here? The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). All means all sin—past, present, and future!
The Sacrificial Lamb
In the Old Testament, they bought a sacrificial lamb for the payment of their sins so the priest could shed its blood. The priest never examined the person who was bringing the lamb. He only examined the lamb to make sure it was spotless and worthy of sacrifice to atone for the sins of the person who was offering it. Hebrews 4:16 NKJV says “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.”
Never Be Anxious or Fearful
You never have to come before God in fear or anxiousness, especially if you are wanting His mercy and grace. The writer of Hebrews says you can come boldly, which means confidently and courageously before Him and ask.
You Can’t Give What You’ve Never Received
When a free-gift is given, your role is simple. You have a choice to accept or reject it. That is what your ability to receive is based on. Sometimes we think we can’t receive a free-gift because we wonder, what’s the catch or what does the giver want in return? But, look at it this way: when you can freely receive, it’s easier to freely give. However, you can’t give away something you’ve never received! So today, if you have never received the fullness of a free gift, with no conditions attached, then maybe it’s time to ask for all the perfect and best gift’s that comes from the Father of Lights (James 1:17 NKJV).