Whose dream is it?

Last night at The Point we started a series on the life of Joseph. I love Joseph. No, not Jesus' earthly dad, but the Joseph found in Genesis 37 and following. He's one of my favorite characters in the Bible. I'm pretty pumped about spending a few weeks studying his life.

We started by looking at Genesis 37:1-11. In these verses we're introduced to a spoiled, cocky teenager who ends up being the recipient of a pretty profound dream sent by God.

At the end I asked a question, that in retrospect I wish I wouldn't have asked: What is one of your wildest dreams -- one that only God could bring about? It's not that the question is bad, but this morning, as I reflected on what we talked about, I realized something: Sometimes we mistake our dreams (what we want to see happen) with God's dreams for us. Do you see the distinction?

I know I'm guilty of substituting what God wants to happen with what I want to happen. There are times when my ambition and agenda gets in the way of God's ambition and agenda.

This is a dangerous trap, one that we need to avoid at all cost. God caused the dreams that he gave Joseph to come true. I don't think his life would have had the same ending had Joseph just had visions of grandeur. The source of his dream was God.

I think God has a dream for each of us. But let's be careful to make sure we're pursuing God's dream and not our own. Then, as the Scripture says, The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.