Dust In The Wind
I close my eyes
only for a moment and the moment’s gone.
All my dreams
pass before my eyes, a curiosity.
Dust in the wind.
All they are is dust in the wind.
Same old song,
just a drop of water in an endless sea.
All we do
crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see.
Dust in the wind.
All we are is dust in the wind.
Oh.
Don’t hang on,
nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.
It slips away,
and all your money won’t another minute buy.
Dust in the wind.
All we are is dust in the wind.
Dust in the wind.
Ev’rything is dust in the wind.
--------------------------
Small particle of sand can change the shape of something huge and impermeable (show pics of weathered rocks)
The “winds of change” brings dust into your life to change your shape into what God has in store for you.
Dust may come in the form of some things mentioned such as: Divorce,
Genesis 37
I can imagine some of Joseph’s thoughts when his brothers tossed him in the pit. He must have felt betrayed, isolated, angry, scared, you name it.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I feeling betrayed?
- Do I feel isolated from the rest of the world?
- Am I angry?
- Am I scared?
1. The Sands of Sarcasm (verse 4,11)
Gritty sand determines your skin thickness
Blowing sand helps you discover your “sensitive areas”
(Walking on a beach after playing in the sand will chaff you)
Swirling sand helps you discover how you react in tough situations
(do you react to the situation or review your words before act?)
Joseph change in his life was brought about by the jealousy of his brothers.
All of us from time to time will be faced with the temptation to be envious because we see someone receive an honor, promotion, recognition, or some place of prominence that we do not think he or she deserves.
However, we must be careful whatever the circumstances, not to be envious because of what ominous warning found in James 3:16?
“For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil.”
The Word of God is clear. There is no place in the life of a believer for envy. Instead, what does Philippians 2:3 say is to be the attitude of a follower of Jesus Christ?
“Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.”
Don’t get caught up in the stinging “sands of sarcasm”
2. The Pit of Pity (verses 23-24)
As they ate they could hear Joseph pleading for his life from the pit. The cries of Joseph fell on ears of indifference.
Even worse than being in the pits of life is to find that no one seems to care you are there.
You are seriously ill in bed and no one calls. Your go through your parents divorce and no one comes to visit. You lose your job and no one is cares. You have problems with your friends and a compassionate ear is hard to find. Being in the pits and feeling that no one cares only makes the pits seem deeper and darker.
However, the worst thing that happens to us is not being in the pits and finding that no one seems to care; it is knowing someone who is in the pits and being insensitive to them—as Joseph’s brothers did.
Isolation—The pit will separate you from your normal surroundings
You will be able to reflect on how and why you got there.
Before any type of great move in your life, time will be spent in the pit.
Because we waste so much time thinking about what might happen, time in the pit has to take place to make us think about what is happening.
You focus your attention by looking upward – toward God
Pit time causes us to deal with our emotions because once we have been delivered from the pit, we must move on into our destiny.
3. The Delusion of Deliverance (verse 28)
Change for the better doesn’t always mean it’s the best
(your mom may not be lonely anymore, but now the boyfriend she does have is a jerk)
As Joseph’s brothers were enjoying their meal and ignoring the pleas of their brother they looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites.
(Arabian traders) . . . on their way to Egypt (37:25).
Judah then said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? "Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers listened.
Sometimes when we are in the pits of life things get worse before they get better, as was the case with Joseph.
Once you’re out of the pit, your outlook will be different—you will look at things in a different light.
You may find your reputation has been trashed (verses 31-33)
When people approach you, just because they are smiling doesn’t always mean they are glad to see you.
4. The Road To Renewal (verse 36)
This results in definite change in your life or lifestyle.
You will lose sight of your old ways and habits.
(outgrow things that were once comforting to you)
You will find yourself surrounded more often by songs of success instead of the harsh sands of sarcasm.
You’re now able to face new changes in a different light.
When life is the pits, there is a wonderful promise that we should never forget.
It is so familiar to most of us that if I just mention the reference you can quote the verse. But it is not enough to know it, or even be able to quote it. We must believe it!
What does Romans 8:28 promise?
This verse does not say that everything that happens to us is good, because it is not.
It doesn’t say that God causes all things to happen. He doesn’t.
But this verse clearly does say that God uses all things that happen in our lives, even very bad things, and causes good to come from them.
When life is the pits, God is hammering out the characteristics of Christ on the “anvil of adversity” to make us more like Jesus Christ. –
Most of us pray to be more like Jesus, all the while doing everything we can to avoid the very process that makes us more like Him.
DVD MOVIE CLIP
“Sahara”
START: 1:27:342
Sandecker looking at the map
END: 1:31:48
Al and Dirk driving off in a jeep.
You’re able to change something that’s unusable at first sight, but able to make it work for the best in your situation.
You’re now able to face new challenges even when you have no one to back you up or to walk along side you.
And out of that adversity or change that you face, God forms a new characteristic in your life called “determination”.
With Determination…
You are now able to walk the path that God has chosen for you, alone, without feeling the need to conform your standards to those of your friends just in order to have companionship—because you realize the Master is walking beside you.
With Determination…
You are now able to accept the changes in your life know that God has a greater plan for you to prosper—just as He did for Joseph—and in turn, you’re able to share with others your walk of wisdom…that’s discipleship.
