God gave Joseph a dream of future greatness - one in which his brothers would bow down to him. But when he told his brothers about his dream, they hatched a plan to kill him. And to make things worse his father ‘loved Joseph more than all his children…and he made him a coat of many colours.’ Try to see it from Joseph’s brothers’ perspective. They probably asked themselves: ‘How come he gets special treatment? What’s wrong with us?’ There are some important lessons here for us: 1) Be careful how you come across to others; your enthusiasm might be interpreted as arrogance. 2) When God blesses you, it also benefits other people. One day Joseph would wear a royal robe and ride in Pharaoh’s chariot, but that was just a fringe benefit. His true calling was to preserve his family lineage, from which would come the Redeemer of the world. 3) You must be generous toward those who have less than you. Joseph’s brothers worked hard and deserved their father’s love too. The coat Joseph wore didn’t mean he was better than they were; it simply marked him as having a different destiny. 4) The coat of his father’s favour didn’t exempt Joseph from hardship. Actually, he suffered more than all of them because of it. That’s because the level of your assignment determines the level of Satan’s attack. 5) Joseph’s character, not his coat, sustained him through years of betrayal, temptation, accusation and imprisonment. We know that, because he was able to look back and see where God was at work: ‘You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good’ (Genesis 50:20 NASB).

What now?
What dream has God given you for your future? Share them with a trusted friend, who can encourage you as you’re working towards that dream. Ask them to tell you if you start to come across as arrogant or ungenerous.