Genesis Chapters 38-40

The up and down life of Joseph.

God's Message to me: God uses everything in life to prepare you for the future. This message is quite personal. When God called me to the ministry I argued. I felt I didn't have the education, skills or background to do the job. He showed me how he had used the path of my life to teach me the necessary skills. I have learned accounting, management, teaching, business, counseling, leadership, faith and so much more through the jobs I have held in my life. From construction, to stocking shelves, to Driving across the country, to managing a truck fleet my life has been a continuous school to prepare me for the job God intended. You'll see the same in Josephs life.

Promises: God can make you prosperous no matter how low things get.

Commands: Do the right thing, no matter your circumstance, and God will reward you.

Timeless Principles: Learning is a process in which we seek opportunity no matter what.

How can I apply what I've learned: Examine my problems and find the opportunities they contain.

More to learn: One thing you may gather from my posts is that I look up to Newt Gingrich. He is a fan of a book called the Effective Executive by Peter Drucker. I have to say that I find it useful as well.

A couple basic rules from the book:

Ask "What is right for the enterprise?" Joseph was given charge over everything belonging to Potiphar. His master could not even tell someone, for certain, what he owned or how much it was worth, he simply left those matters in Josephs hands because he knew Joseph would do what was best for the prosperity of the household.

Focus on opportunities rather than problems. Dwayne "Dog the bounty hunter" Chapman, tells the story of how he became a trustee in the prison in Texas where he served time. He ran down an escaping prisoner and caught him, preventing the guards from killing him during escape. The Guards began to call him Dog the bounty hunter even before he got out of jail and began that career. He was made a trustee which meant that he had authority near that of the guards despite being a prisoner. I've told this story to explain what happened to Joseph in prison.

Joseph, too, was made a prison trustee. In fact he was in charge of everything second only to the chief guard. The Warden had seen that everything placed in Josephs hands prospered. This not only shows that God was working but that Joseph didn't give up.

Many of us, in that position, would sulk in a cell and give up. Joseph found the opportunities in his problems and exploited them to show he was worthy of trust and respect.

Joseph was sold into slavery and found the opportunity that made him a chief butler in charge of all his masters affairs. He was falsely accused of a rape attempt by a woman who had tried to rape him. He found the opportunity to prosper in prison. We will see soon that these trying ups and downs lead to his final position. He learned to be a manager, a financial manager, a guardian, an interpreter of dreams through God, a leader and more.