Based on Genesis 39 (New King James Version)
“Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me.’ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me.’ But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, ‘See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. And it happened, when he heard that I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me, and fled and went outside.’ So she kept his garment with her until his master came home. Then she spoke to him with words like these, saying, ‘The Hebrew servant whom you brought to us came in to me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my voice and cried out, that he left his garment with me and fled outside.’ So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, ‘Your servant did to me after this manner,’ that his anger was aroused. Then Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.”
Does everything turn out well when we do good? Here and now, sometimes yes, and sometimes no. Doing God’s will here on earth does not assure us that everything will turn out fine here. There are many that teach that if a person has sufficient faith, that they will be able to get many things here on earth, even impossible things, and that everything will be fine. That’s what they base faith on. If we are reading the same Bible, then that is not true. If things go well for you here, then that does not mean that your faith is strong, just like if things don’t turn out well for you here does not mean that you don’t have faith or that God loves you less. There are many things that are taught as truth when in reality they are not. The truth is that doing good things now on earth and having a lot of faith does not guarantee that things will go well here and now, and that’s why our focus should not necessarily be on the here and now, because if we only focus on the here and now, you may lose your faith or misunderstand what faith is about which can then take you down a path that is very far from the Lord. The way to perdition contains many things that seem like the truth.
For starters, we saw a part of Joseph’s life, a person that was an example of faith and faithfulness to the Lord, who suffered many times for doing what is right. If you know the story, Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers (although some just wanted him dead) because he was faithful to the Lord, because they envied him. After being sold, Potiphar bought him. Things went more or less well for a short time (although he was a slave), but this time, he was accused unjustly of trying to rape Potiphar’s wife. And from there, he was imprisoned. Things started looking up again (per se) while in jail, although not only was he a slave now, but also, a prisoner, without any kind of right or human value. And in summary and after certain events, God allows for Joseph does rise to power and He uses him with Pharaoh to help Egypt and his own people. But, Joseph had many ups and downs, very unpleasant moments, and not one time do we see Joseph be unfaithful, but actually quite the contrary, many of his problems were caused by his faithfulness to God.
This is what the Word of God truly teaches: “Having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:16-18. It is possible to experience hard times (humanly speaking) when we fulfill God’s will, when being faithful, for it is also written: “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:35b-40.
So then, where should our sights be placed on to be able to remain in Christ, even through those hard times that we may need to endure for doing God’s will? It is written: “For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:16-20. Faith in Christ is not necessarily for this world, and even far less, to be used for the things of this world, but rather, faith in Christ and being faithful to Him is for the resurrection, for eternity. Therefore: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21. So, will you be faithful to the Lord, no matter what happens, so that you can get to what really matters? Lord bless! John