R³ Devotional - Day 25

Genesis 39 narrates a well-known story in the Bible about Joseph. As we remember, Joseph was a son of Jacob whose life was changed when his brothers sold him, he became a slave and was put into jail, but later became one of the most important men in Egypt. Throughout this journey, we see a faithful Joseph to God and we can read repeatedly in scripture: “The  LORD was with Joseph” (vs. 2, 21). This a promise we can rest on as believers.

Real: Life Principles 

• God’s Faithfulness: Not only in this chapter but throughout the story of Joseph, we see God was always there taking care of him. The Lord was with Joseph every step of the way,  protecting, guiding, and comforting him. Life was difficult for Joseph, but God was always there.
 
• God’s sovereign will: This is hard to understand sometimes. How can someone God loves and chooses might go through all these horrible things? God allowed these things in  Joseph’s life to save his people and restore them, as we can read in the next chapters. God is always in control, and God is always faithful.

• The Believer’s Faithfulness: Joseph, despite being rejected by his family, persecuted in  Potiphar’s house, and put into jail, remained faithful to God and always chose to honor him with his actions.

Relevant: Life Applications

• We must rest knowing that God is always there for us. He proved this in Joseph’s life, with the people of Israel in the Old Testament, faithful to his promises by sending the long-expected savior, and faithful to us today. He never leaves our side.

• We need to understand that God is always in control. No matter what our circumstance is, no matter how hard life can get and how difficult it is to understand, God has a Plan. That can give us the strength to push through and trust in God, as he was in control with Joseph, he is in control with us.
 
• We need to remain faithful to God. In every action, in every circumstance, in every situation,  we must always remain faithful to God and not sin against him (vs 9). That is His will for us.  

Ready: Life Action Steps

• Make a habit of thanking God for everything. Sometimes, we take things for granted, but it is truly God protecting, providing, and being faithful to us in everything we live.

• Get to know God, his character, his actions, his Word. Through these devotions, we can get to do that and understand what he does even though we might not understand it. But this will give us peace.
 
• In every circumstance, let’s ask ourselves, will this give glory to him? Will this decision be what God expects from me? Let’s strive to be faithful to him.

Real: Life Principles: What truths or principles are found?

Joseph had been sold into slavery, but this was a part of God’s plan to save Israel, even though Joseph had to suffer a great deal.  God was testing Joseph’s integrity and to grow him in his faith also.

Joseph was also tested when he was faced with the continual temptation by Potiphar’s wife coming onto him sexually.  He stayed true to his integrity doing what was right in God’s eyes, and not the easy world’s ways by committing adultery.

And he was then lied about because he sought to do right in God’s eyes, and not the worlds by continually refusing to have sex with Potiphar’s wife.

Relevant: Life Applications: How can this be applied?

The application today is you must hold onto your integrity (doing what is right in God’s eyes – in His Word), even when it costs you in some way. The world we work in and that we live in doesn’t always make decisions based upon “integrity and honesty,”, but ”situational ethics” (is it good for the company, or me in this situation, rather than considering what God’s Word teaches?)

Do you please God with the difficult decisions you face in life, or do you go the easy way and make things easy on yourself?

I heard a pastor say one time that most everything in life is one of the 3 T’s – A TEST, A TRUST OR A TEMPTATION.

Ready: Life Actions: What will your next action steps be

Always practice integrity and honesty, and seeking to please God with my decisions. Knowing that there will be times of great difficulty and the decision I make seeking to please God – living by His Word will be misunderstood by many in the worldly system. It may even be misinterpreted by well-meaning believers.

And God will never tell a person to do something that violates or disagrees with the Bible.