The following photo is from the messy margins of an old One Year Bible™ of mine:
In this passage, we get to eavesdrop on a conversation between Joseph and his father, Jacob:
Genesis 37:13-14 (NLT)
13 When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready, and I will send you to them.” “I’m ready to go,” Joseph replied.
14 “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along,” Jacob said. “Then come back and bring me a report.” So Jacob sent him on his way. . .
After that conversation, Joseph ran an errand for his father – and he ended up in Egypt. That errand changed Joseph’s life and, ultimately, led him to become the second most powerful man in Egypt.
A similar conversation between another father and son occurred in 1 Samuel 17:
1 Samuel 17:17-19 (NLT)
17 One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers.
18 And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.”
19 David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.
After that conversation, David ran an errand for his father – and he ended up slaying a giant. That errand changed David’s life and, ultimately, led him to become the king of Israel.
But it wasn’t the actual errand that changed Joseph or David’s life. It was their obedience. Specifically, their obedience to their fathers.
Your heavenly Father requires you to run errands for Him, too. He may:
- Prompt you to call someone or send them an encouraging email.
- Lead you to put your arm around an angry teenager, a hurting co-worker, or a distant spouse and give them a squeeze of His unconditional love.
- Give you the opportunity to point someone who is lost to Jesus who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
- Ask you to be still and just spend a few minutes focused solely upon Him.
Today is Monday, precious sister, and God has a list of errands for you to run this week. And just like Joseph and David, running errands for God will place you on His amazing path for your life. But you must take the first step. So, today . . .
Will you obey?
Loving and praying for you, your sister,
What’s on God’s errand list for you today?