Make Sure You Don’t Stay Too Long

Joseph made his brothers promise
to bring his dead bones
back to the promised land
when they moved back there.
 Gn 50:24-25

When you get this email, I’ll be on an airplane flying home from speaking at a women’s retreat where I met some really wonderful women.

I also ran a WIMM Canada event where I was able to spend time with a few of my besties and see God create divine connections among these girls.

MAKING SURE I DIDN’T STAY TOO LONG

While in Alberta, I stayed with my friend Loretta {She’s the one on the right holding flowers} and her hubby Tim. Getting to stay with friends when I travel to speak is a huge bonus for me. Tim and Loretta are ‘salt-of-the-earth’ kind of people. Their home has been a resting place for so many. The Arkell’s open the doors of their home and hearts, enveloping you into their family.

They make you feel so at home you don’t want to leave, but whenever you visit friends you need to make sure you don’t stay too long!

Most of Genesis tells about Abraham and his descendants’ life journeys to get to the Promised Land of Canaan. If you mapped it out, you’d see how this dysfunctional family went back and forth from this sacred ground many times before the close of the first book in the Bible. Their group came to be called the Israelites after the name the angel of God gave Abraham’s grandson Jacob.

The words from today’s verse come at the end of Genesis. It makes me sad to read them because I feel Joseph’s last wish for his brothers to take back his body and bury it in the Promised Land.

In the next verse, he makes his brothers swear to leave Egypt. Joseph was telling his family, make sure you don’t stay too long in Egypt. He was imploring them to, “Go home, Go back to Canaan; the Promised Land”.

LIVING IN EGYPT

You see, Egypt was never a place God wanted his children to live. I wonder if they would have ever lived there if the brothers hadn’t been so jealous of Joseph? It was a place God used to provide for his people during a time of famine but wasn’t supposed to be their place of residence forever.

[tweetthis]Egypt should have only been a stop on the journey, it was never supposed to be their destination. A short chapter in the book of their nation’s history but not the end of the story… and it almost was. [/tweetthis]

Staying too long costs you and your future family members too will pay the price. The nation of Israel went from experiencing favour in Egypt on account of Joseph’s leadership, to being despised, mistreated and forced into slavery. The horrors of their nation’s history didn’t have to take place if they would have followed God’s plans.

FOLLOW PAUL’S ADVICE

As you live your life, I encourage you to follow the advice of Paul and “let the Holy Spirit guide your lives, and follow the Spirit’s leading”.¹ Strangely the words of that 1970’s song The Gambler by Kenny Rogers are rolling through my head as I write and it’s words really are fitting. You have to know when to hold, when to fold, when to walk away or when to run; just make sure you don’t stay too long when God’s leading you to Go!

Prayer

Father… I ask you to forgive me for the times I haven’t moved when you’ve spoken or left when you’ve said to stay. Holy Spirit, help me to quieten my spirit, so I can hear Your leading, guiding, and directing in my life.

I ask for boldness to keep in step with You, not lagging behind or jumping ahead! In Jesus Name…Amen