The
Vineyard
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me
and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do
nothing. – John 15:5
Genesis 39:1-23
Pray
for God to speak to you through the reading of His word.
Read
the passage.
-
When God’s Blessings From Through
Us, Not to Us
o
It would be hard to imagine someone
whom God was with in a more tangible way than Joseph. And yet, when it came to material
possessions, God’s blessing flowed through Joseph to those he worked for. When we think of God’s blessings, to we limit
our consideration of how God blesses us to what we receive, or do we think of
how God might be blessing others through us?
Is it possible that sometimes we hold on to some the blessings that God
intended to flow through us and on to others?
-
Flight or Fight?
o
When we think about not sinning, do
we resort to our own will-power (fight), or do we think about removing
ourselves from a situation where we will be tempted (flight). There is no shame in removing yourself from a
situation where you know you will face temptation. God always gives us a way out (I Corinthians
10:13), but often that way is simply to remove ourselves from the
situation. If we don’t want to remove
ourselves from a situation that is likely to cause us to sin, could it be
because we have a stronger desire for that sin than for God?
-
Doing Right Doesn’t Mean You’ll Be
Treated Right
o
Joseph lands in prison when all he
did was flee temptation. He did
everything right, and it lands him in jail.
Have you ever faced a situation where despite doing the right thing, you
were punished? While it isn’t easy being
mistreated by the world, God had seen Joseph’s faithfulness and character, and
would continue to bless him and be with him.
Even if the world does recognize that you did the right thing, trust
that God has taken notice, and will continue to be with you!
Pray that we will be less
self-centered when it comes to God’s blessings, and how God’s blessings might
flow through us to bless others.
Pray that we will have the courage
to run from sin and temptation.
Pray that we will find comfort in
the approval of God for doing the right thing, when the approval of the world
is not forth-coming.
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