Joseph's Courageous Obedience Series

Joseph could have made everyone's opinion of him his top priority, but if he had, he would have turned his back on God's call on his life.

Often times there's a cost to answering God's call. That's why it takes so much courage to be obedient. You have to be willing to say, "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, it only matters what God wants for my life."

This is the attitude Paul had when he told the people of Galatia ---

10 Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I seeking the favor of men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

That’s pretty much in your face from Paul. That’s part of his charm and style, but, more than his style, that was his belief. His first job and really only job was to be a follower, a disciple of Jesus Christ. That can be a difficult statement for us to grasp, because we’re often looking to please people before we please God.

We also realize that part of obeying God means we can’t overly worry about our reputation. Obviously, we don’t go into the world and make a mockery of Jesus by our actions. But there are times when you have to put your reputation aside and follow God’s call.

I’ve heard the expression -- "Your reputation is who people think you are; your character is who you really are." God chose Joseph and Mary because of who they were, not because of who people thought they were.

There are many people who have mastered the art of perfecting their public persona. They work at their reputation all of the time, and protect it no matter what the cost. They will do anything to keep it going, and in the end, all they have is a false reputation. But, there's no substance!

There’s a great social media presence! But it’s not who they really are. Social media is great to post an occasional picture or update people about what’s happening in your life. It’s great to be able to watch worship! But too many people abuse it because they want others to see who they aren’t!

Often times your reputation is a one-dimensional picture the public sees when they look at your life.

Your character is what God sees when He looks at you, because God sees past the illusion into the reality of who you are. God sees into your heart, spirit, mind and your whole being. God knows . . . and that my friends is tremendously, phenomenally scary! Why? Because we don’t want most people to see the real me. We want to hide behind the facade that we’ve constructed. You can’t fool God!!

If you have character, God can use you, even if no one else can see your potential. Of course, God can use you whether you have positive or negative character. God will use your negative character for His good. We want God to use our positive character and help us to refine it, so we can be used for the glory of God.

We all have character flaws. We all have shortcomings. It’s part of the beauty of who we are. It’s part of the beauty of loving one another despite our imperfections. The goal is to learn from them and grow so we can be more effective and open as to how God is calling us. It's not enough just to cover up our flaws as if they didn’t exist. We need to be changed . . . from the inside out.