January 14th

Genesis 37:1-38:30

1 Chronicles 2:3-6, 8 

Genesis 39:1-23

We read two wild stories — of Judah and Tamar and of Joseph and his brothers. Both stories were scenarios in which people chose to do the wrong thing, but where God was able, in His sovereignty, to work out the problems for His good purposes.

Of course, in the case of Joseph, God allowed him to be betrayed by his brothers, deported to Egypt as a slave, and sold into the hands of an important official, all for the purpose of one day saving Egypt, His own people, and the entire Near East from a terrible famine. There’s no end to God’s wisdom and providence.

Aside from the primary theme of Joseph’s adventure to Egypt, I want to focus on a secondary theme, that being that God prospered all that Joseph did. The Scriptures say that “the Lord was with Joseph and blessed him greatly... Potiphar noticed that the Lord was with Joseph and blessed everything he did... From the day that Joseph was put in charge, the Lord began to bless Potiphar for Joseph’s sake...” (39:2-5).

Even later, when Joseph was falsely accused and imprisoned, the Bible says that “the Lord was with Joseph there too, and He granted him favor with the chief jailer. He put Joseph in charge of the prisoners and everything that happened. The chief jailer had no more trouble after that, for the Lord was with Joseph, making everything run smoothly and successfully” (39:20-23).

We must always recognize the hand of God in our successes. Oftentimes we neglect His grace and goodness and suppose that our prosperity is the result of our own doing, when nothing could be further from the truth. God is the One who makes men successful. He gives the ability, He grants the circumstances, and He enables our success.

Daily Reflection

Have you recognized that it is God who prospers you? Do you regularly thank Him for it?

As a follower of God, you should be the best employee or employer. You should work hard, have a good attitude, be a team player, practice integrity, and be a blessing to those who are under you or who work alongside you. What would your co-workers say? Are you a blessing or a burden to those in your workplace?