This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. All week we have been looking at the life of Joseph. Yesterday we began to work out way through the following passage and today we will continue:
As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him. He ended up living in the home of his Egyptian master. His master recognized that God was with him, saw that God was working for good in everything he did. He became very fond of Joseph and made him his personal aide. He put him in charge of all his personal affairs, turning everything over to him. From that moment on, God blessed the home of the Egyptian—all because of Joseph. The blessing of God spread over everything he owned, at home and in the fields, and all Potiphar had to concern himself with was eating three meals a day. (Gen 39:2-6 MSG)
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. God gives you favor so He can get the glory. The favor of God was clearly Joseph with Potiphar. Potiphar was an Egyptian. He had no relationship with God. He more than likely worshipped Ra, the sun god. But since Potiphar put a 17yr. old Israelite in charge of ALL of his affairs, he benefitted from the Blessing of the God of the Israelite. God allowed His blessing, that was on Joseph, to spill over and impact Potiphar, so that He would be glorified. The Egyptian quickly realized that the God of the Israelites was a true and powerful God. Guess what? God will do the same for you. God will release His Blessing on you richly so the world can see Him and His glory. Remember, the people we are trying to reach are not spiritual. These are secular people with natural thoughts. They want to see natural blessings before they consider accepting your God as Lord. That is why our God, who is a Spirit and unquestionably Spiritual, has no problem with blessing us in natural and earthly ways. He knows earthly people want to see earthly blessings and natural blessings become a tool for evangelism.
2. Embrace the grace to be an asset to your organization. Do you believe The Blessing and favor of God is upon your life? If so, you should see yourself as an asset to your organization (job, church, etc.). You should enter every business day believing that God has already given you the grace to succeed at what you do and that He will bless others for dealing kindly with you. Since you are a Christian you should be the best and do everything you do in excellence, because you are doing it for God and not man. Work hard by God’s grace, don’t cut corners, operate with a spirit of excellence, and trust God to bless the work of your hands. It’s a sad commentary for a Christian to be a liability to his/her organization. Honor God, be an asset, and He will honor you.
3. Integrity matters. Some people don’t mind doing business with unscrupulous people, saying, “Their personal life does not matter to me, all I am concerned with is business.” However, integrity matters to God. You should not knowingly and continually partner with people who lie, cheat, and steal; and then think that the favor and blessing of God is going to rest upon your dealings. Just like Potiphar reaped the blessing of God by putting a man of God in charge of his affairs, the opposite is also true.
4. Our God is a God of NO LIMITS. Let’s close out the week with a strong point. Once you read that God caused a slave to be promoted to basically run his master’s entire estate, it should help you believe God for greater things in your career and business endeavors. If God could do that through a 17 yr. old slave boy, then what is it that God cannot do through you? The grace of God is on you to succeed. You were not born to fail. You were born for Your divine purpose. Once you start flowing in your purpose you will also start flowing in your grace. Once that happens, all bets are off, all limits are gone, God can and will bless you richly. Not because you earned it, not because you are so good, but because of God’s grace, because He is so good!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my purpose. You made plans for me before the world began and I am convinced that You will see to it that Your plans come to pass. You are in heaven and You have given the earth to the children of men. You have chosen to manifest Your glory in the earth through mankind. I am Your child, called according to Your purpose, and I realize You want me to become a conduit of Your light and love. You want people to see Jesus when they look at me. You want to be glorified through my life and living. I declare by faith that You will and that ARE! You get the glory and I get to enjoy the benefits. You are attempting to reach unspiritual people through me, so You bless me richly in ways that make sense to them. You give me the grace to succeed at work. You empower me to work and You bless the work of my hands. You make my name great and You bring me before great men. You give me internal peace in the midst of chaos, despair and stress, so I can stand out and get noticed. You bless me financially so people who are focused on money can see that my God has the ability to resource His purposes. You bless my relationships so people can see Your love personified in the world. You bless every area of my life so that I would be recognized, promoted and elevated to the place where I can in turn take the spotlight that is ON me, and then DEFLECT that glory right back to you. You were glorified through the life of a 17yr. old slave, Joseph, and You shall be glorified through my life as well. I serve a God of NO LIMITS and I am excited about my future. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
