Genesis 39:23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Joseph is a prime example of faithfulness under pressure. He is also a prime example of Perceiver gifting, from the standpoint of the motivational gifts listed in Romans 12. This is shown by the prophetic dreams he had as a young boy and his black-and-white view of what was right and wrong, as was shown by his refusal to go to bed with his master’s wife, as in this chapter. Most other motivational gifts would have found a way to rationalize that! Joseph’s faith was not at all what we today would call sophisticated, because it would be four hundred years before the Law would be given to Moses, but he knew God and trusted Him, and that made all the difference. That made him what the New Testament calls a disciple, and as such he is very much an example for us today. He doubtless was unhappy at the unfairness of his treatment at the hands of his brothers, being sold as a slave, and then at the hands of Potiphar and his wife, but the point is that he continued to trust God and seek to be obedient to Him. Not surprisingly, God responded to that!

I’ve never been treated as badly as Joseph was, but neither have I been as faithful as Joseph was. If my motivation is simply to be successful, that is self-centered and not pleasing to God. However, if my motivation is simply that God is more than worthy of my total devotion, then He will respond to that and use me for His glory. As long as my focus is on me, I will not be open to all that God wants to pour through me. It all comes back to the underlying principle of seeking first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. (Matthew 6:33) It’s nice to be successful, but if my focus is on being successful, I will miss the real success that only God can give. Joseph had to wait a few years, but God gave him more success than he could have imagined, even though he had dreamed some of it. I am of course far older than Joseph was, but God is more than able to bring me more success even at this point than I could imagine, but my focus must be on Him, and not even on what I do for Him.

Father, thank You for this Word this morning. To be honest, I’m not sure how to focus on You. I allow so many distractions in my heart! Help me cling to You indeed. Thank You for the opportunity to witness to a tender heart last night. I ask for wisdom as to when we should have services, so that people who must work on Sundays will not be excluded from the harvest. Keep me from drawing back from anything simply because it looks like a lot of work. Keep my focus on You so that I may wait expectantly for You, allowing You to replace my strength with Yours, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!