His Purpose

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

HIS PURPOSE

Gen 39:1-6

39:1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. 2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

NIV

Everything Joseph did was successful for one reason and one reason only; the LORD was with him. Why was the LORD with him? The answer to that question must be on account the LORD had a plan for Joseph’s life. We know the plan because we have read this story through to the end of the life of Joseph, but at this point in the narrative, we are simply told the LORD was with him. Surely Joseph was not without abilities and one of organization and governance were among his gifts. However, the key to everything in Joseph’s life and success in all he did was; that the Lord was with him. Here is where the storyline interjects into our storyline. We understand there are many people today who have become very successful, and many of them are Christians. The church, in general, has become one of successful wealthy people, at least in the Western Church. Of course, there are people, even Christian people who live in impoverished conditions. If there is this chasm or large diversity within the church, how can we determine if the Lord is with some who prosper and not with some who do not prosper? Surely Joseph was working in the wealth system of his time, as Potipher was a wealthy man in his world within Egypt. Is not the Lord with all of us believers? Because we know he is, we could also say that the Lord intends for us all to prosper. We know from the 1^st Psalm that if we do not take from the ungodly, or walk in the same way they do, or sit in the seat of mockers, which could be seen as giving God mouth service, and we are planted by the stream of water, living water, Jesus, putting our roots in the Jesus, the word of God, we will bear fruit in our season, our leaves will not wither, and all we do will prosper. Whether that means financially, we cannot be sure. Still, we know that if we meet those conditions, living fully in the grace of God, hearing his voice, and witnessing to that voice, as Joseph did before his brothers and father, we might experience rough patches. Still, ultimately because the Lord is with us, we will gain eternal life. How is that not prospering beyond measure? Yes, Joseph prospered within the standards of his world, and the culture he was in, and may cause many to prosper in that same way in our culture, however, then we are faced with the favoritism of God, which we know does not exist. Did God show favoritism to Joseph, and not the rest of his family? We know that he used Joseph to save the rest of his family from starvation because of the famine in the land they were in. It still boils down to the fact the Lord was with him, for the His plan. This is our story, the Lord is with us, and as long as we are listening, we will know his plan for our lives, which is ultimately to prosper for all eternity in his presence. What happens in the in-between is regarding His purpose.