Take a few moments and read Genesis 39. I’d copy and paste it all here, but I’m sure there’s some sort of copyright issue depending on the version you use or whatever, plus, sometimes it’s good to seek and to search and to find on your own. So grab your Bible, go to YouVersion.com, open the Bible App on your phone, and go to Genesis 39.
It’s a small part of the story of Joseph.
Joseph the dreamer,
Joseph the wearer of a coat of many colors (no, not Donny Osmond),
Joseph the favorite son,
Joseph the most loved,
Joseph the betrayed.
It’s a nasty story. If you’d like the catch a bit of the backstory, turn back a few pages and read Genesis 37. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Ok, I waited.
I believe most of us, if not ALL of us can relate to this story. We’ve all BEEN hurt by someone or HAVE hurt someone. We’ve all been Joseph or we’ve been his brothers. BUT, I’d like to suggest that in our mess, in our hurts, we’ve responded completely different than Joseph did. Here are just a few principles pulled from his story that I think we can apply to our own and hopefully help deal with past crap and also give us insight to deal with all the stuff that will happen (yes, stuff WILL happen).
#1 Joseph LOOKED up, he didn’t give up – imagine you’ve been betrayed by the people you love most, the people you trust, the people you believe have your back, your family, your friends, your spouse, your kids…you name it, imagine they did it. For some of us we don’t have to imagine because it’s already happened or is happening right now. How did you respond? Most of us run and hide and by hide I don’t mean pulling the covers over your head, I mean hiding behind fear, hiding behind anger, hiding behind drugs and alcohol, hiding behind revenge. We give up. We turn our back on the truth of God (if you know Him) and allow our feelings to guide and lead us. Joseph didn’t give up, he LOOKED up. He turned TO God, not from Him. He prayed. He trusted. He believed. And in the end…well, you gotta keep reading to find that out.
#2 Joseph was FAITHFUL in the face of fear and failure – ha! THAT’S some good alliteration! Looks like I'm becoming more and more assimilated into church culture…anyways…Joseph could’ve ran away, he could’ve cursed his brothers or slept with his boss’ wife, but instead Joseph was FAITHFUL to the God who had always been faithful to him. He didn’t allow himself to become shaken or rattled by his circumstances and I don’t know about you, but being sold into slavery by my brothers and then thrown into prison for something I DIDN’T do would probably shake me up a bit. Joseph shows us that God is GREATER than our circumstances and that He is ABLE to bring us through them. God is ultimately in control and though bad things happen (after all, we live in a fallen world) God is working it together for my good, your good, the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
#3 Joseph was WILLING to be used, so God used him – we all want to make a difference in this world, or as Pastor Jim said recently, we want to BE the difference. Time and time again Joseph was thrown into a difficult situation and time and time again Joseph responded with obedience to God, not a reaction to his circumstance. It’s in our OBEDIENCE, it’s in our WILLINGNESS to be used that God works through us. Guided by the situation we REACT. Guided by God we FOLLOW. Reaction leads to hasty decision-making, mistakes, poor choices, and a bunch of other bad stuff. Following leads to walking the path God has set before you and, in just in case you were wondering, His plans are BETTER than yours. Do not be lead by your surroundings, but by the God who created you and saved you. Choose to follow Jesus and see what He’ll do through you!
I believe if we take these 3 principles and apply them to our every day life, our decision-making, our marriages, our parenting, our work, our EVERYTHING, we’ll discover God’s definition of SUCCESS and PROSPERITY and BLESSING! And I don’t know about you, but I WANT THAT (for me AND for you)!
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