Genesis 47:3 (NKJV)

“Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, ‘What is your occupation?’

And they said to Pharaoh, ‘Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.’”

What’s your occupation and who helps you determine that? What are some of your core beliefs and values? Is it influenced by the most popular fads or the most famous movie stars? Is it directed by the most lucrative job prospects or the jobs that bring quick cash? What are the determining factors that mold that decision in your life?

In the past, people molded their career path & value systems according to the pattern they saw in their fathers. While this is not a law to follow (because our ancestors may have lived illegitimate lives or embraced some compromised values), today’s younger generation have grown to disdain what their fathers did and believed in, even when it was legitimate and worthy of emulation. They have forgotten that these “unfashionable jobs” & “backward thinking” were what fed them and catered for their families. We live in a generation where we have neglected the disciplines of the work life of the earlier fathers and have sought for a work pattern that brings quick success, quick money, and quick fame.

The brothers of Joseph identified with their fathers. They said, “we are shepherds like our fathers.” Even if we don’t become shepherds like our fathers, may we not disdain their values, their life priorities, and their honorable and hard working professions.

“Lord, restore to us again, the disciplines of our ancestors. May our children also connect with the disciplines of our generation. May our essential value systems be passed down from generation to generation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”