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Hello everyone, Shalom in Christ! Welcome again to the devotional program, “Joseph at the Marketplace” by GLOBAL REACHOUT. I am Tom Nohelty.
Today, the Scripture is taken from: Genesis 40.
Theme verse:
And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.” Genesis 40: 8 (ESV)
It’s easy to think that our behavior will change when our circumstances change:
The challenges we face can be a factor in our behaviour. Your budget may be tight. Your colleague may be a jerk. Your schedule may be crazy. However, no budget or colleague or schedule can make us sin. What causes us to sin is our heart. As the apostle James said, “each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed” (James 1:14).
In my organization’s training, we examine stress using the analogy of hot water poured over a tea bag. The hot water doesn’t create what is in the tea bag. It reveals it. So, too, the stresses you face working with others unlike you don’t create your issues. They reveal them.
Now, this discussion of heart issues doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t make wise choices about arranging our circumstances when we can. If you are edging toward burnout, consider taking a vacation. If you have a hard time being patient when you get home from work, don’t plan on a heart-to-heart talk with your spouse or kids right then.
Be smart, but also realize that lasting change is going to require work at the heart level.
How does all of this relate to Joseph?
Joseph did grow in maturity throughout his life. But, in many ways, the behaviour we see from Joseph early on is what we see from Joseph after he becomes Pharaoh’s second-in-command.
Before Joseph proved trustworthy as Pharaoh’s deputy, he proved trustworthy as Potiphar’s steward. He proved trustworthy as the overseer of the prison. There, before Joseph testified to Pharaoh that God provides the interpretation of dreams, he said to the cupbearer and baker, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8). Before he developed a plan for saving many lives in famine, he noticed the dejected faces of the cupbearer and baker. He proactively reached out to them, asking, “Why do you look so sad today?” (Genesis 40:7)
Joseph didn’t live a life of sloth and shortcuts only to become magically trustworthy upon promotion to Pharaoh’s right-hand man. And you’re not going to become a new person as you advance in your career or earn more money. The kinds of decisions you make now are the kinds of decisions you’ll be making then. The way you treat people now is the way you will treat people then.
What if Joseph had said, “After I have the sun and moon and stars bowing down to me, I’ll talk openly about God. That’s when I’ll make a point of caring for other people”?
Would God have used him in the same way?
How about you? Rather than asking God to change your circumstances, why not ask him to change your heart? You might be surprised at what he does. Therefore, let the words of Proverbs 3: 5 till 6 take root in your life, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall make straight your paths.” (ESV). The Lord works wonders through hearts that are yielded to Him and lives that are surrendered to His will.
Remember our discussion on stewardship. One of the key principles of stewardship is proving yourself faithful with a little before you are faithful with a lot. You may only have a little right now, but are you being a good steward of it? Our stewardship grows and the Lord will entrust more things to us when we are proven faithful in little things.
Let’s Pray
Lord, we pray that You are seated on the throne of our lives for all things come from You. We commit our hearts to You and ask for tender hearts that are willing to follow You when You lead us through life journeys. We trust that You have our best interests at heart even at our workplace. You are able to work through us and use us for Your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Time for Reflections.