Verse of the day:
Genesis 39:2-3 The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he
was in the house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that
the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.
As
born again believers we will all find ourselves in places, and circumstances,
that we never imagined we would be. Sometimes it is by our own choices, and
other times it will be because of the actions of others, and what God allows to
happen in our lives. Whatever the reason, the one thing that we can be assured
of is that it is possible for us to prosper, regardless of our circumstances.
Now hear me out. I am not talking about this prosperity nonsense that too many
people are preaching today; where you can name it and claim it, and if you are
suffering there is something wrong with your faith. That is a doctrine that comes
straight from the pits of hell. However, Joseph is a wonderful example of what
true prosperity is all about. He did not expect to be betrayed by his brothers,
and he certainly did not ask to be sold into slavery; yet, here he was. He
finds himself in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian, surrounded by a foreign
culture. He went from being the favorite son to being a slave, and later a
prisoner for a crime he did not commit (v. 16-20). In everything that Joseph
suffered, the one constant was that “the LORD was with Joseph”. In verse 21,
when Joseph was falsely imprisoned, we read, “the LORD was with Joseph”. Not
only was the LORD with Joseph, but that verse tells us that God showed him
mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the prison keeper. In both instances,
while with Potiphar, as his slave, and while in prison, eventually being placed
in a position of authority over the other prisoners (v. 22-23), God prospered
Joseph. Note that Joseph’s prosperity was not that of gaining money or material
things. Joseph’s greatest prosperity was, first and foremost, that He had God’s
mercy, grace, and empowerment to be successful at whatever he was tasked with.
So much so, that both Potiphar and the prison keeper took note. We must
remember that prosperity in our lives is not always about gaining earthly
goods. When we have the mercy and grace of God working in our lives so that we
are labeled as good, honest, hardworking Christians, we have prosperity. When
our reputation is such that we do not bring a blemish to the Name of Jesus, we
have prosperity. In spite of all that Joseph was suffering, he had what some
would call “the Midas Touch”, in that everything he touched turned to gold
(figuratively speaking). When we stop to think about Joseph’s life, he was
betrayed and sold into slavery because he was young man of integrity. He also
went to prison because he refused to sin against God, not Potiphar, in refusing
to give in to Potiphar’s wife’s advances to have sex with her. Joseph was
willing to suffer for doing what was right before God, and not giving in to
what might have made his life easier for the moment. In the end, his choices
led to prosperity in the midst of tribulation. When we have the joy and peace
of God in the midst of trying times, we have prosperity. When we refuse to give
in to the short-lived pleasures of sin, and choose to stand firm in our
convictions and righteousness, and experience the gratifying results of knowing
that we trusted the Lord to help us overcome the temptation, we have
experienced prosperity. Proverbs 22:1 tells us that a good name is more
desirable than great riches. Joseph refused to compromise who he was before
God, and God gave him favor with those who surrounded him. Our goal as
Christians should not be about how much of the world’s wealth we can acquire,
but how much glory we can bring God, and how many we can lead to Him by living
a life that glorifies Him. Psalm 1 reminds us that when we avoid the advice of
the world, and stay away from becoming as the unsaved, having our delight in
God’s Word, whatever we do will prosper (Ps 1:3). What God is saying to us is
that when we are in His Word, meditating on it, learning what His will is for
our lives; as we live it out we will succeed in accomplishing all that God
leads us to do. Our prosperity as born again believers is not all about gaining
money, material things, and worldly success. Our prosperity as followers of
Jesus is about having God’s love, mercy, peace, joy, and grace, which enables
us to reflect who Christ is in us, and through us, in the most difficult of
circumstances. Whatever God chooses to add to that is completely up to Him.
Joseph was eventually lifted to a very prestigious position in Egypt, but only
after much suffering. We too will someday be rewarded greatly for enduring our
suffering, but that reward may only come when we stand before our Lord to
receive the rewards for our faithfulness in how we serve Him here and now.
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