The Joseph Journey (4)

Blessed To Be A Blessing

In college I remembers professors telling us that:

To be a good leader you first have to be a good follower.

In college this never made sense to me. I had always been a born leader. In high school I led my friend group, In college I led a few youth ministries. In the ministries I served in I always strived to lead even when I wasn’t in charge. But there is a difference between a good leader and someone who happens to go places first. I as full of pride and I didn’t care who followed me. I went where I wanted to go and it was usually for my own benefit not those who are following me.

This is the struggle of an immature Christian. We want to follow God, but only if it means God blesses what we are doing as opposed to doing what he has blessed us to do. We come to church, but only if the songs are sung just right, people we liked have talked to us, and people we don’t like stay away from us. We serve in ministries only when we want to. The term

Feeling Led By God

Usually means if I like it. We “try out” ministries to see if they are a fit. In our denomination when looking for a Pastor we candidate. The process, although I went through it, never made sense to me. If you are truly following God than you walk through the open door. You should be led. We see this mentality in Joseph.

Genesis 39:1 ESV

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

Joseph didn’t get to chose whom he served. Honestly we have no idea if Joseph even liked Potiphar. We never find out if Joseph enjoyed what he did. All we know is this:

Genesis 39:2–6 ESV

The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.

Genesis 39:2-

To be a successful Christian there are several things that one has to do:

Serve Where The Door is Open

We know that where ever Joseph was placed he served God. I find that many Christians aren’t being blessed because they are all too often serving someone or something other than God. We also know that Joseph didn’t have the benefit of verses like

Jeremiah 29:7 ESV

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Israel didn’t get to choose who enslaved them and Joseph didn’t get to choose who bought him. The one instruction they both had in common was they knew that to be blessed

You first had to be a blessing.

When my wife and I took this church to be the Pastor we didn’t court other churches. In fact this was the only church we candidate too. Through prayer and growing in my relationship with God I knew this was the church God was going to have my wife and I come to before I ever stepped foot in this town. As I look back in our ministry travels. The one place we sought out to minister in ended up being one of the worst ministry experiences we ever had. In my last two ministry positions we served we didn’t candidate. We simply walked through open doors.

All too often I find that Christians must be sure something “fits” before we try it on. Yet we don’t see this ministry model anywhere in the bible. OT kings were put into positions they didn’t apply for. OT Prophets we gifted and the one person who attempted to stop Prophesying, Jeremiah, was in agony until he did what he was directed to do.

Christians need to live by one principle that’s found in Jeremiah 29:7

If we seek the welfare of God; we will find our welfare.

To Sum up

— Obey those who are put over you whether your like them or agree with them because all authority is from God.

In other words

Colossians 3:23 ESV

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Joseph knew who he worked for. We find this out we find this out when Potifer’s wife tried to seduce Joseph. She grabs a hold of him demands him to take her and he replies with:

Genesis 39:8 ESV

But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge.

Genesis 39:8–9 ESV

But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Notice two things

Joseph knew who he served—although he was in Potifer’s house he wasn’t worried about wronging Potifer. He didn’t want to sin against God.

Joseph didn’t seek his own welfare. He worked so that his master would have no concern—not that Joseph would gain more. That was just the byproduct.

This is something I still struggle with but I am learning to understand more and more is this:

Your success; my success, happiness, or comfort isn’t the focus of my work. Obediance is: My success, happiness and comfort is the byproduct of that obedience.

Not only are you to be a blessing, buy you are to

Find Contentment

If it’s one thing we know about Joseph is that it can be infered that he wasn’t a complainer. He learned how to find joy not matter the situation he was in. In this recount we never find Joseph complaining. The only time we see him struggling is when he came face to face with his brothers after about 30 years of separation.

I find the only times I want to quit is when I lose my ability to be content. When my focus shifts from God to the situations and problems around me. I have learned to know when I am going down this discontent path when I begin to hear things like—I’m just tired, I deserve better, I gave God everything and look where I am at.

Paul states:

Philippians 4:11–12 ESV

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

Philippians 4:11 ESV

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

How? How do we get to this spot? Both Paul and Joseph understood their source of contentment. Notice Paul states he had learned the secret.

Philippians 4:13 ESV

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

The secret is Christ, but this understanding doesn’t come because you accepted him as Lord and Savior. It has to be learned and it has to be purposeful. If I learned anything it is I am never content by accident. The only thing I ever fall into is sin.

You have to WORK yourself into contentment, Joy, and Peace.

It’s not accidental. I have scratched my head and asked how I ended up so far astray. I have never scratched my head and asked why I am so joyfully content despite my current situation.

The Key to being blessed is to first being a blessing and second being content in where you are. You can’t be a blessing if you are constantly trying to find better. You won’t work your hardest if your busy looking into other people’s yards.

Let’s close with

Hebrews 12:2 ESV

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.