The Lord Was With Joseph

 

Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar had bought him from the Ishmaelite traders who had taken him there. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh's officials. He was the captain of the palace guard.

The Lord was with Joseph. He gave him great success. Joseph lived in Potiphar's house.

Joseph's master saw that the Lord was with him. He saw that the Lord gave Joseph success in everything he did. So Potiphar was pleased with Joseph. He made him his attendant. He put Joseph in charge of his house. He told Joseph to take good care of everything he owned.

From that time on, the Lord blessed Potiphar's family and servants because of Joseph. He blessed everything Potiphar had in his house and field.

So Potiphar told Joseph to take good care of everything he owned. With Joseph in charge, he didn't have to worry about anything except the food he ate.

Joseph was strong and handsome. After a while, his master's wife noticed Joseph. She said to him, "Make love to me!"

But he said no. "My master has put me in charge," he told her. "Now he doesn't have to worry about anything in the house. He trusts me to take care of everything he owns.

"No one in this house is in a higher position than I am. My master hasn't held anything back from me, except you. You are his wife. So how could I do an evil thing like that? How could I sin against God?"

She spoke to Joseph day after day. But he told her he wouldn't make love to her. He didn't even want to be with her.

Genesis 39:1-10

When our dreams are shattered, how do we react? After Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, was sold as a slave to his brothers, he could have given in to self-pity, but he did not. Instead, Joseph remained true to the Lord.

Do we love God more than our own dreams? Although Joseph must have grieved the loss of his past and what his life could have been, the Lord led him to a calling he had never imagined. Today, the Lord longs to lead us. Are we willing to be redirected by Him?

A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

Our Daily BreadJanuary 20, 2010