I started a new series this week on defining who we are. The number one thing that will either drive us to success in life or sentence us to a life of mediocrity or failure is our self-image.
Our self-image or self-esteem is generally formed by our experiences and opinions of others. Throughout our lives we become sort of like an onion -- layer upon layer. We add these layers over time to try and become what we think others want us to be.
Instead we need to understand how and why God values us. Let's look at the summary of what the world uses to determine one's value:
1. Looks
2. Intelligence
3. Abilities
4. Accomplishments
All of those things will eventually let you down if you rely on them to determine your value. Today's hottest movie stars or models will all eventually get old. You will always find someone smarter than you -- even in something you thought you were an expert in. Even superstar athletes begin to lose their exceptional abilities at an early age. There will always be more that you could have accomplished.
Here is God's list for determining your value:
1. You exist
That's it. Now, I know that is hard for us to grasp. God values each one of us so much for no other reason than we exist. In fact, Romans 5 tells us that even while we were yet sinners, He sent His Son to die for the sins of ALL mankind.
We live in a competitive world. It is very difficult for us to get beyond the idea that God sees us all of the same value. When the world tries to see everyone as equal it attempts to bring everyone DOWN to a lowest common denominator to make them equal. However, God sees us all as the winners in life. He wants to bring you UP to that level.
When He sees us all as winners it is not like elementary school track and field day when the kid who stopped for a milkshake and a nap in middle of the 50-yard dash gets the same "you're all winners" ribbon as the kid who set the world record for 3rd graders.
To be a success, we must see ourselves as the success that God made us to be.
In Matthew 22:37, Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart. But the second most important thing is like the first -- to love your neighbor as yourself. If you can't love yourself, you cannot love your neighbor. If you cannot value yourself like God values you, you won't be able to value another of God's creation.
This second commandment is LIKE the first because it is about valuing God's creation. If you love God, you will value what He has made and has called valuable. This includes yourself.
Humility is important. True humility is NOT about devaluing yourself. It is understanding that any good thing in your life is because of how God made you and not what you have done. But you can love what God has made.
If you want to know what you really think of yourself, pay attention to the internal voice that plays in your head -- particularly when faced with a challenging task. This will tell you how you see yourself.
Over the coming weeks we will discuss how to change the way we see ourselves by using the Word.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Making the TRANSITion
We have been discussing the keys to transitioning from being a teenage, youth group attendee to becoming an adult with a thriving Christian walk. One key to making that happen is staying plugged into your church.
We see a high number of teens who graduate out of youth group and subsequently stop attending church. Certainly we know that some go away to college. Others may find that another church might be a better fit for them; and that's OK. But there should be far more young adults in our congregation once they move beyond the high school ministry.
When studying the common factors that the young adults who remain connected to the church possess, I found two that were almost 100% reliable indicators:
1. They frequently attended main sanctuary services in addition to youth ministry services
2. They began serving in another area of the church while still in high school
We have been discussing the importance of these two things as well as how to change our habits to incorporate these and others that will help us thrive into adulthood.
There will be some exciting changes coming to the overall structure to our ministry to help facilitate an atmosphere that will encourage better connection to our adult and young adult ministries.
We see a high number of teens who graduate out of youth group and subsequently stop attending church. Certainly we know that some go away to college. Others may find that another church might be a better fit for them; and that's OK. But there should be far more young adults in our congregation once they move beyond the high school ministry.
When studying the common factors that the young adults who remain connected to the church possess, I found two that were almost 100% reliable indicators:
1. They frequently attended main sanctuary services in addition to youth ministry services
2. They began serving in another area of the church while still in high school
We have been discussing the importance of these two things as well as how to change our habits to incorporate these and others that will help us thrive into adulthood.
There will be some exciting changes coming to the overall structure to our ministry to help facilitate an atmosphere that will encourage better connection to our adult and young adult ministries.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Leadership - Sat PM & Sun 11
We've been working through a long series on the subject of leadership. We have all been called to be leaders of this world and not followers. We are to lead people to Christ. We can't do that if no one is following us.
We have discussed many of the qualities that make up an effective leader. We've discussed the focus of Noah who stayed on the task God gave him to build the ark and lead his family to deliverance from the flood. He stayed focused for 120 years (between the time God told him to build the ark and when the first rain drop fell).
We also talked about Elijah and his passion. People will follow a passionate leader. He displayed this passion when he was moved to action by God's people worshiping Baal. He challenged the prophets of Baal to call down fire to consume an offering. Whoever had their god show up would prove who the real God was. The 450 prophets tried for many hours with no results. Elijah then soaks the offering and calls down fire from heaven. God's people turned from their ways and returned to God.
We also talked about the 360 degree leader. A 360 degree leader masters leadership in four key areas -- leading himself, leading a person of influence, leading those around him and finally leading in a position of authority.
We looked at Nehemiah and how he went through this process to get the wall around Jerusalem rebuilt. He led himself by taking responsibility for being disobedient to God. Then his leadership skills were able to lead King Artexerxes to allow him to leave to rebuild the wall and even financed it. Then he head to lead the people in Jerusalem to get the job done. he did not use a title or position to do this, but simply influenced the people by having a plan and a passion. Finally, he led in the position of the governor. When he received royal "care packages" from the king, he shared them with the people who were working so hard instead of enjoying the goods himself. This gained him respect among the people who were willing to continue on the project, even when times got tough.
This past week we looked at Jehoshaphat and Elisha in 2 Kings 3. Jehoshaphat and two other kings were preparing to go to battle with the Moabites. As they are crossing a desert valley they run out of water. They go to the prophet Elisha to get God's help. Elisha tells them that God will perform a miracle to bring them water. But he also teaches them a valuable leadership lesson. They were simply looking for water and had resigned to the idea that they would be defeated by the Moabites. Elisha showed them that a good leader needs to think big. He told them that God would meet their need and miraculously provide water and that He would also deliver their enemy into their hands. They needed to have bigger picture thinking.
We have discussed many of the qualities that make up an effective leader. We've discussed the focus of Noah who stayed on the task God gave him to build the ark and lead his family to deliverance from the flood. He stayed focused for 120 years (between the time God told him to build the ark and when the first rain drop fell).
We also talked about Elijah and his passion. People will follow a passionate leader. He displayed this passion when he was moved to action by God's people worshiping Baal. He challenged the prophets of Baal to call down fire to consume an offering. Whoever had their god show up would prove who the real God was. The 450 prophets tried for many hours with no results. Elijah then soaks the offering and calls down fire from heaven. God's people turned from their ways and returned to God.
We also talked about the 360 degree leader. A 360 degree leader masters leadership in four key areas -- leading himself, leading a person of influence, leading those around him and finally leading in a position of authority.
We looked at Nehemiah and how he went through this process to get the wall around Jerusalem rebuilt. He led himself by taking responsibility for being disobedient to God. Then his leadership skills were able to lead King Artexerxes to allow him to leave to rebuild the wall and even financed it. Then he head to lead the people in Jerusalem to get the job done. he did not use a title or position to do this, but simply influenced the people by having a plan and a passion. Finally, he led in the position of the governor. When he received royal "care packages" from the king, he shared them with the people who were working so hard instead of enjoying the goods himself. This gained him respect among the people who were willing to continue on the project, even when times got tough.
This past week we looked at Jehoshaphat and Elisha in 2 Kings 3. Jehoshaphat and two other kings were preparing to go to battle with the Moabites. As they are crossing a desert valley they run out of water. They go to the prophet Elisha to get God's help. Elisha tells them that God will perform a miracle to bring them water. But he also teaches them a valuable leadership lesson. They were simply looking for water and had resigned to the idea that they would be defeated by the Moabites. Elisha showed them that a good leader needs to think big. He told them that God would meet their need and miraculously provide water and that He would also deliver their enemy into their hands. They needed to have bigger picture thinking.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sundays - Creation Science
As part of my goal of breaking down the misinformation our kids are taught in public school, I have been teaching a series on creation science.
The theory of evolution became prominent in our education system in the late 1950s. Our scientific community went ballistic (no pun intended) when the Russians beat us into space. They reasoned that we were losing the technology war because our kids were being taught the old, archaic creationism in school. So they petitioned President Eisenhower for $1 Billion to change our curriculum to reflect the new, more advanced evolution theory since that was what the Russians were doing.
The effects of that that decision, along with removing prayer from our schools in 1963 have been devastating on our society to the point where I begin to ask who REALLY won the Cold War. Ronald Reagan may have given us the tactical victory, but it seems the battle for the soul of America began almost 40 years earlier and still goes on today.
If you look at graphs relating to drugs, violence, teen pregnancy and suicide you see a hockey stick that started its swift upward trend around 1963.
Why am I teaching the kids about these things? I teach it because as believers, they need to not only know the truth but know why the things they are being taught is false.
The United States Treasury Department trains their workers to spot counterfeit bills by never showing them one. All they know is the truth so that when presented with a forgery, they recognize it immediately. Unfortunately our children are exposed the the forgery on a daily basis in their schools. So we must explain why it is a forgery and help them learn more about the truth.
We have discussed evidence supporting the six day creation and the age of the earth being as young as 6000 years instead of the many billions of years that they are taught. We've been looking at many pieces of true scientific evidence that support the idea that the earth is less than 10,000 years old.
I have made it very clear to the kids every single week that my goal is not for them to go to school and argue with teachers or other students. Those arguments are pointless. It takes far more faith to believe that we all came from a rck soup that somehow got some energy inserted and developed from single-cell beings to complex humans than to believe in God and His creation account. Therefore, Big Bang and evolution theory are just as much religion as Christianity or Judaism. Therefre it is pointless to argue religion.
Instead I want them to know the truth. I share that I am certainly NOT an expert in science. But I do not have to be. If I am presented with what someone is calling science, no matter how much sense it makes, if it doesn't line up with the Word it is not the truth. So it really comes down to knowing the truth.
As an underlying theme to this entire series we have been considering the four most important questions in life:
1. Who am I and what am I worth?
2. Where did I come from?
3. Why am I here?
4. Where do I go when I die?
Whether you have a creationist worldview or a secular/evolutionist world view will radically change your answers to these four questions. You can see how an evolutionist would answer those questions and how those views have, unfortunatley, shaped our society. We need young believers to know the truth and live the truth.
This week we will look at how creation and evolution are exact polar opposites on almost every important issue.
The theory of evolution became prominent in our education system in the late 1950s. Our scientific community went ballistic (no pun intended) when the Russians beat us into space. They reasoned that we were losing the technology war because our kids were being taught the old, archaic creationism in school. So they petitioned President Eisenhower for $1 Billion to change our curriculum to reflect the new, more advanced evolution theory since that was what the Russians were doing.
The effects of that that decision, along with removing prayer from our schools in 1963 have been devastating on our society to the point where I begin to ask who REALLY won the Cold War. Ronald Reagan may have given us the tactical victory, but it seems the battle for the soul of America began almost 40 years earlier and still goes on today.
If you look at graphs relating to drugs, violence, teen pregnancy and suicide you see a hockey stick that started its swift upward trend around 1963.
Why am I teaching the kids about these things? I teach it because as believers, they need to not only know the truth but know why the things they are being taught is false.
The United States Treasury Department trains their workers to spot counterfeit bills by never showing them one. All they know is the truth so that when presented with a forgery, they recognize it immediately. Unfortunately our children are exposed the the forgery on a daily basis in their schools. So we must explain why it is a forgery and help them learn more about the truth.
We have discussed evidence supporting the six day creation and the age of the earth being as young as 6000 years instead of the many billions of years that they are taught. We've been looking at many pieces of true scientific evidence that support the idea that the earth is less than 10,000 years old.
I have made it very clear to the kids every single week that my goal is not for them to go to school and argue with teachers or other students. Those arguments are pointless. It takes far more faith to believe that we all came from a rck soup that somehow got some energy inserted and developed from single-cell beings to complex humans than to believe in God and His creation account. Therefore, Big Bang and evolution theory are just as much religion as Christianity or Judaism. Therefre it is pointless to argue religion.
Instead I want them to know the truth. I share that I am certainly NOT an expert in science. But I do not have to be. If I am presented with what someone is calling science, no matter how much sense it makes, if it doesn't line up with the Word it is not the truth. So it really comes down to knowing the truth.
As an underlying theme to this entire series we have been considering the four most important questions in life:
1. Who am I and what am I worth?
2. Where did I come from?
3. Why am I here?
4. Where do I go when I die?
Whether you have a creationist worldview or a secular/evolutionist world view will radically change your answers to these four questions. You can see how an evolutionist would answer those questions and how those views have, unfortunatley, shaped our society. We need young believers to know the truth and live the truth.
This week we will look at how creation and evolution are exact polar opposites on almost every important issue.
Wednesday Nights - Our Nation's Heritage
I am very sorry for the lack of updates recently. We have had a VERY busy couple months with some major growth and the projects that go along with that growth (like trying to remodel our youth room to accommodate the increased numbers).
As part of my desire to counteract the misinformation our kids are being taught in our public schools I really felt led to teach about our nation's founding; what the founding fathers intended and what their vision for America was at the time of the Revolution and the forging of the U.S. Constitution.
I am teaching the material from a Biblical perspective and NOT a partisan or political party perspective -- paralleling the Word with the principles that make up our Constitution.
We started by looking at God working through Samuel to fulfill the wishes of His people for a physical king. What we looked at was the warnings that God gave His people in regard to man ruling man. It didn't take the kids long to realize all of the warnings He gave sounded very familiar in regards to politics today.
God never intended for man to rule man. However, He allowed His people to have what they so desired. And the results were just as God warned (the people being subject to the king's whims, your sons going to war for his causes, your income being taken in taxes, etc...)
When our founders set out to establish this country, the concepts were world-changing. When they stated in the Declaration of Independence that our rights came from our Creator, that was radical. In almost every society your rights came from the King and his whims. Those rights could be revoked or changed at any moment and were not dispensed in a uniform and impartial manner.
But God is no respecter of persons and He does not change. Rights that come from God are eternal and impartial.
Then we talked about the founders' vision for our society. They envisioned the central government having a VERY limited role in the lives of its citizens. They saw that society is made up of many pillars; among them family, church, local community, business, government and, of course, the individual. They saw that every aspect of society could be maintained through these pillars. They saw that each one of them was best-suited to handle a different aspect.
For example, welfare was best administered by those with the vision to do so. This would be namely the church. We are the ones charged by God to care for the sick, needy, widows and orphans. The problem they foresaw was that, when the wrong pillar of society is handling a problem, the job is not done correctly and the other pillars are weakened.
We have laws to, as Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, protect us from the heartless (I am paraphrasing). He said that laws will never change the hearts of men. So, what pillar is equipped to change the hearts of men; to instill morals and virtue? Well, our founders felt that the family, church and community would do those things -- not the government.
One of the biggest problems we have created by not following the founders' advice is that, once things are out of balance, things are very difficult to correct. No one will let the government stop providing everything it does because it would be "heartless" to withdraw the support it is currently giving. Of course this is true because for generations it has been the source for help and by doing so it has weakened the very pillars that should be providing that support so that they cannot.
Finally, this week we talked about the concept of freedom. We looked at Genesis 2:16 where God tells Adam he is free to eat of ANY tree in the Garden. But if he eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would surely die. So God actually tells Adam he is free to eat of it, but there would be consequence if he did. This is the very definition of freedom. You have the freedom in America to pursue life, liberty and happiness. You also have the freedom to not pursue them. Either way, that freedom is really about personal responsibility.
Next week we'll continue on the concepts of freedom and the pillars of society.
As part of my desire to counteract the misinformation our kids are being taught in our public schools I really felt led to teach about our nation's founding; what the founding fathers intended and what their vision for America was at the time of the Revolution and the forging of the U.S. Constitution.
I am teaching the material from a Biblical perspective and NOT a partisan or political party perspective -- paralleling the Word with the principles that make up our Constitution.
We started by looking at God working through Samuel to fulfill the wishes of His people for a physical king. What we looked at was the warnings that God gave His people in regard to man ruling man. It didn't take the kids long to realize all of the warnings He gave sounded very familiar in regards to politics today.
God never intended for man to rule man. However, He allowed His people to have what they so desired. And the results were just as God warned (the people being subject to the king's whims, your sons going to war for his causes, your income being taken in taxes, etc...)
When our founders set out to establish this country, the concepts were world-changing. When they stated in the Declaration of Independence that our rights came from our Creator, that was radical. In almost every society your rights came from the King and his whims. Those rights could be revoked or changed at any moment and were not dispensed in a uniform and impartial manner.
But God is no respecter of persons and He does not change. Rights that come from God are eternal and impartial.
Then we talked about the founders' vision for our society. They envisioned the central government having a VERY limited role in the lives of its citizens. They saw that society is made up of many pillars; among them family, church, local community, business, government and, of course, the individual. They saw that every aspect of society could be maintained through these pillars. They saw that each one of them was best-suited to handle a different aspect.
For example, welfare was best administered by those with the vision to do so. This would be namely the church. We are the ones charged by God to care for the sick, needy, widows and orphans. The problem they foresaw was that, when the wrong pillar of society is handling a problem, the job is not done correctly and the other pillars are weakened.
We have laws to, as Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, protect us from the heartless (I am paraphrasing). He said that laws will never change the hearts of men. So, what pillar is equipped to change the hearts of men; to instill morals and virtue? Well, our founders felt that the family, church and community would do those things -- not the government.
One of the biggest problems we have created by not following the founders' advice is that, once things are out of balance, things are very difficult to correct. No one will let the government stop providing everything it does because it would be "heartless" to withdraw the support it is currently giving. Of course this is true because for generations it has been the source for help and by doing so it has weakened the very pillars that should be providing that support so that they cannot.
Finally, this week we talked about the concept of freedom. We looked at Genesis 2:16 where God tells Adam he is free to eat of ANY tree in the Garden. But if he eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would surely die. So God actually tells Adam he is free to eat of it, but there would be consequence if he did. This is the very definition of freedom. You have the freedom in America to pursue life, liberty and happiness. You also have the freedom to not pursue them. Either way, that freedom is really about personal responsibility.
Next week we'll continue on the concepts of freedom and the pillars of society.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wisdom from the Book of James - Wed PM
We have begun a series on the New Testament book of James. As I began studying for this series I found a striking similarity between the type of wisdom found in James and the Old Testament book of Proverbs (written by Solomon - -the wisest man to ever live).
It is believed that James was Jesus' oldest brother. So, he had a lifetime to learn from Jesus himself; through His teaching and His actions. I think this gives James a distinct advantage over many of the other early church leaders.
In the first week we looked at the first 8 verses of chapter one and found at least three profound words of wisdom -- perseverance is a sign of maturity and path to abundance (v 1-4), we can ask God for wisdom and He gives it -- even if the reason we need wisdom is because of our own foolish mistakes (v 5) and that when we ask from God we need to avoid being double minded (v 6-8). When we are truly in faith we must act like we actually believe it.
Then in the second week we looked at the rest of Chapter 1. We looked at learning top place our trust in God and not our riches. Those riches can be monetary but they can also be our own skills and abilities. Money, talent and abilities are not bad things in and of themselves. But we have to remember that they are all just tools. Our trust is in God and His perfect plan for us.
This led us to verse 17 where we are told to remember that all truly good things come from God and that we are God's first fruits -- His best. After He made all of creation, He made us and made us the best. Despite what the world tries to say -- we are not equal with all the animals. We are greater than and have dominion over all the rest of creation.
Finally we talkd about the idea of getting rid of the filth and humbly accepting God's plan for us (v 21). It takes humility to accept that God knows what is best for us. We need to learn that the world will fill us with filth and self-righteousness that tells us we are "all that". But we will be so much more than that if we humbly accept God's will for us which is way bigger than anything we could even imagine.
Next week we will begin to look at James Chapter 2.
It is believed that James was Jesus' oldest brother. So, he had a lifetime to learn from Jesus himself; through His teaching and His actions. I think this gives James a distinct advantage over many of the other early church leaders.
In the first week we looked at the first 8 verses of chapter one and found at least three profound words of wisdom -- perseverance is a sign of maturity and path to abundance (v 1-4), we can ask God for wisdom and He gives it -- even if the reason we need wisdom is because of our own foolish mistakes (v 5) and that when we ask from God we need to avoid being double minded (v 6-8). When we are truly in faith we must act like we actually believe it.
Then in the second week we looked at the rest of Chapter 1. We looked at learning top place our trust in God and not our riches. Those riches can be monetary but they can also be our own skills and abilities. Money, talent and abilities are not bad things in and of themselves. But we have to remember that they are all just tools. Our trust is in God and His perfect plan for us.
This led us to verse 17 where we are told to remember that all truly good things come from God and that we are God's first fruits -- His best. After He made all of creation, He made us and made us the best. Despite what the world tries to say -- we are not equal with all the animals. We are greater than and have dominion over all the rest of creation.
Finally we talkd about the idea of getting rid of the filth and humbly accepting God's plan for us (v 21). It takes humility to accept that God knows what is best for us. We need to learn that the world will fill us with filth and self-righteousness that tells us we are "all that". But we will be so much more than that if we humbly accept God's will for us which is way bigger than anything we could even imagine.
Next week we will begin to look at James Chapter 2.
The Life of Joseph C'td - Sat PM & Sun AM
We have continued on in the study of the life of Joseph. We looked at how his inner drive to do what was right afected his outcome in life.
After being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph really had no motivation in life to do any more than would keep his slave driver from killing him. Yet Joseph personified the ideal of working "not unto men, but as unto the Lord." he did not work hard and with excellence strictly to impress his master. He did so in order to reflect well his true Master.
So often Christians fall into a trap of doing as the world does, whether in school or in the workplace. We do just enough to get by and, hopefully, stay out of trouble.
Potiphar, his boss, noticed that whatever he touched prospered and that his own business was prospering because of Joseph. A lot of Christians like to talk about how the company they work for is blessed because they are there, and that is partly true. However, it takes more than you being a Christian to bring blessing to the company you work for. It takes working hard every day as though it is unto the Lord like Joseph did. Most of us stop short of that part.
Many Christians even spend their employer's time (read: money) reading the Word or witnessing to co-workers. Then they wonder why they get passed over for promotions or get laid off. They chalk it up to being persecuted for their beliefs. But Joseph shows us that it is important to work hard because it pleases God and that true promotion comes from God. Jesus tells in the book of Luke that if we want Him to trust us with bigger things of our own we must be a good steward of others' business.
Maybe your boss will never notice your hard work, but when you do it as unto the Lord (and not that boss), God will see that you are promoted -- even if it seems like there is no way and even if it means moving you somewhere else.
We also saw that, while we'd like to believe that choosing to do the right thing will have an immediate payoff, sometimes we have to just keep on doing the right thing before we see the results.
Joseph was being hit on by his boss' wife. She wanted him really badly. Joseph was doing the right thing. He knew she was an attractive woman who wanted him and that he was a young, good-looking guy. That could prove to be a dangerous combination. So he was careful not to allow himself to be alone in his boss' house with her. Eventually she figures out his ruse and sends all the staff away when she knew he would coming to the palace to work. She makes one more attempt to seduce him.
Joseph resisted the temptation -- not because of a religious law -- but because it would be an offense to his God. We can rationalize why we will keep away from a particular sin. But eventually we can find a way to rationalize committing that sin. But, when you make the commitment to not sin because it would offend God it gets rid of the gray areas of sin. Either it is right or it is wrong. Joseph knew that betraying the trust of his master would reflect poorly upon the God he served.
it is often said that we may be the only Gospel some people ever see. The biggest complaint the world has about Christians is that they are hypocrates. This is an age-old problem. Joseph was faced with the same issue. If he betrayd his master by committing adultery with his wife, then the God of Joseph would be no better than the gods of Egypt or any others that anyone else worshipped.
Then Joseph did what we should do when faced with sin and temptation -- run! Now, it didn't work out for him right away. He ends up being thrown in prison because the rejected woman accused him of rape.
Now the jail that Joseph was put in was not like ours. There was no specific sentence. You get sent to jail and no one ever sees you again. Yet, Joseph still chooses to work as unto the Lord. He probably figured he could sulk about his situation and the unfairness of it all. He could have even blamed God for it. But what god would it do? What difference would it make? Instead he figured he may as well make the best of it.
He gets put in charge of the prison's operations. Eventually he interprets a couple dreams and, even though it took another two years, all the had work and integrity pays off. he is release from prison and made second in command of the greatest empire of the day.
All of us would like the end result that Joseph found, but we must also be willing to do the work that it took to obtain that prize.
This next week we will look at the Godly wisdom of Joseph as a ruler and how it prospered him and, ultimately the entire Israelite people generations later.
After being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph really had no motivation in life to do any more than would keep his slave driver from killing him. Yet Joseph personified the ideal of working "not unto men, but as unto the Lord." he did not work hard and with excellence strictly to impress his master. He did so in order to reflect well his true Master.
So often Christians fall into a trap of doing as the world does, whether in school or in the workplace. We do just enough to get by and, hopefully, stay out of trouble.
Potiphar, his boss, noticed that whatever he touched prospered and that his own business was prospering because of Joseph. A lot of Christians like to talk about how the company they work for is blessed because they are there, and that is partly true. However, it takes more than you being a Christian to bring blessing to the company you work for. It takes working hard every day as though it is unto the Lord like Joseph did. Most of us stop short of that part.
Many Christians even spend their employer's time (read: money) reading the Word or witnessing to co-workers. Then they wonder why they get passed over for promotions or get laid off. They chalk it up to being persecuted for their beliefs. But Joseph shows us that it is important to work hard because it pleases God and that true promotion comes from God. Jesus tells in the book of Luke that if we want Him to trust us with bigger things of our own we must be a good steward of others' business.
Maybe your boss will never notice your hard work, but when you do it as unto the Lord (and not that boss), God will see that you are promoted -- even if it seems like there is no way and even if it means moving you somewhere else.
We also saw that, while we'd like to believe that choosing to do the right thing will have an immediate payoff, sometimes we have to just keep on doing the right thing before we see the results.
Joseph was being hit on by his boss' wife. She wanted him really badly. Joseph was doing the right thing. He knew she was an attractive woman who wanted him and that he was a young, good-looking guy. That could prove to be a dangerous combination. So he was careful not to allow himself to be alone in his boss' house with her. Eventually she figures out his ruse and sends all the staff away when she knew he would coming to the palace to work. She makes one more attempt to seduce him.
Joseph resisted the temptation -- not because of a religious law -- but because it would be an offense to his God. We can rationalize why we will keep away from a particular sin. But eventually we can find a way to rationalize committing that sin. But, when you make the commitment to not sin because it would offend God it gets rid of the gray areas of sin. Either it is right or it is wrong. Joseph knew that betraying the trust of his master would reflect poorly upon the God he served.
it is often said that we may be the only Gospel some people ever see. The biggest complaint the world has about Christians is that they are hypocrates. This is an age-old problem. Joseph was faced with the same issue. If he betrayd his master by committing adultery with his wife, then the God of Joseph would be no better than the gods of Egypt or any others that anyone else worshipped.
Then Joseph did what we should do when faced with sin and temptation -- run! Now, it didn't work out for him right away. He ends up being thrown in prison because the rejected woman accused him of rape.
Now the jail that Joseph was put in was not like ours. There was no specific sentence. You get sent to jail and no one ever sees you again. Yet, Joseph still chooses to work as unto the Lord. He probably figured he could sulk about his situation and the unfairness of it all. He could have even blamed God for it. But what god would it do? What difference would it make? Instead he figured he may as well make the best of it.
He gets put in charge of the prison's operations. Eventually he interprets a couple dreams and, even though it took another two years, all the had work and integrity pays off. he is release from prison and made second in command of the greatest empire of the day.
All of us would like the end result that Joseph found, but we must also be willing to do the work that it took to obtain that prize.
This next week we will look at the Godly wisdom of Joseph as a ruler and how it prospered him and, ultimately the entire Israelite people generations later.
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