City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

² The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. ³ And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. ⁴ So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. ⁵ So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. ⁶ Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.

²¹ But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. ²² And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. ²³ The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.

Genesis 39:2-6, 21-23 (NKJV)

Reflection

Joseph had a great life until it wasn’t. He was the favored son by his father Jacob(who was at this point called Israel) and all his other brothers were jealous of him. This jealousy came to the point where they wanted to kill him. Instead of doing so, they decided to fake Joseph’s death and sold him into slavery.

Joseph ended up being bought by Potiphar to serve his house in Egypt. Potiphar was the captain of the guard and held an important role in the Egyptian society. Joseph could’ve done the bare minimum and just made it by, but that was not the case. As a slave to Potiphar, there was something about Joseph that set him apart from the others. Joseph decided to work with excellence in all he did and God was with him.

Joseph showed the characteristics of God through his work. Not only did Joseph excel in what he did, but he did so with integrity. How do we know this? Because when Potiphar’s wife tried to sleep with Joseph, he refused. Now, Joseph couldn’t control what would happen next. Potiphar’s wife was able to convince her husband that Joseph broke his trust by trying to sleep with her and he was thrown into jail. But, even in jail, Joseph did not lose his integrity, nor his ability to strive for excellence. Over a short period of time in prison, he was given control over the other prisoners and did so with fairness, integrity, and excellence.

Joseph had every opportunity to be sad and miserable(and maybe he had those days where he cried), but there was a foundation in his life that was far greater than his conditions. He knew that God was in control and that God required obedience, trust, and excellence from Joseph.

Application

Biblical excellence means working hard in what you do when serving others, and to do so with integrity. Jesus showed this while He lived on earth. He exuded excellence n everything He did. Do not be disheartened if that raise or promotion never comes. Nor be sad if you end up in worse shape for doing what’s right. You work with excellence because you serve God, not man.

So, are you striving for excellence in your work and life? Or are you lazy and cutting corners? Seek excellence and God will bless the work that you do. You will be successful.

Prayer

Thank you Father for teaching me to be both excellent in my work and to strive after integrity. Your very nature is the definition of perfection and Jesus showed this through His life on earth. Help me to be more like You in every way. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.