Month: May 2014

Joseph still had a job to do.

I have a feeling he would rather have packed up his wife and children and taken a leave of absence and gone to Goshen, spent time with his elderly father and gotten reacquainted with his extended family.

But Joseph had to manage Egypt’s resources so the entire country didn’t die of starvation. The situation was dire. And the buck stopped with him.

And as we know from previous chapters in Joseph’s life, he had a great work ethic. He also knew God put him in this position at this particular time in Egypt’s history because of what God had deposited in him. It was his God-given opportunity and responsibility and he took it seriously.

So Joseph kept his priorities in order and continued managing the country during the famine.

TRUTHS:

– Our work is an opportunity from God to use the gifts He deposited in us for the good of the people around us.

– The way we do our job affects more people than we can imagine.

– Balancing work and family is not always simple, easy or fun.

– There is no free lunch.

– People facing a destitute situation are appreciative of a “hand-up” in order to have work to do so they can feed their families.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

– How does my job/career utilize the gifts God deposited in me?

– How does my job/career benefit the people around me?

– Potentially how many people are affected by the work I do?

– When have I had a problem balancing work and family? Who/What determined my solution?

– When have I expected someone to give me something for nothing?

– When has someone given me a “hand-up” to help me get back on my feet?

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Genesis 47:13-26 / Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹³ [In the course of time] there was no food in all the land, for the famine was distressingly severe, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan hung in doubt and wavered by reason of the hunger (destitution, starvation) of the famine.

¹⁴ And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan [in payment] for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

¹⁵ And when the money was exhausted in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, Give us food! Why should we die before your very eyes? For we have no money left.

¹⁶ Joseph said, Give up your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for [them] if your money is gone.

¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and [he] gave them food in exchange for the horses, flocks, cattle of the herds, and the donkeys; and he supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.

¹⁸ When that year was ended, they came to [Joseph] the second year and said to him, We will not hide from my lord [the fact] that our money is spent; my lord also has our herds of livestock; there is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.

¹⁹ Why should we perish before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed [to plant], that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.

²⁰ And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field because of the overwhelming severity of the famine upon them. The land became Pharaoh’s,

²¹ And as for the people, he removed them to cities and practically made slaves of them [at their own request], from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other.

²² Only the priests’ land he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed pension from Pharaoh and lived on the amount Pharaoh gave them. So they did not sell their land.

²³ Then Joseph said to the people, Behold, I have today bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.

²⁴ At [harvest time when you reap] the increase, you shall give one-fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be your own to use for seed for the field and as food for you and those of your households and for your little ones.

²⁵ And they said, You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord; and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.

²⁶ And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt—to this day—that Pharaoh should have the fifth part [of the crops]; it was the priests’ land only which did not become Pharaoh’s.

 

Sometimes we have to depend on our children or younger siblings . . . or possibly associates that are younger than us . . . to be our leaders in certain situations. It’s not always about age.

Joseph was the next to the youngest sibling, but because of his position in Egypt, his experience in that culture, and his relationship with Pharaoh, Joseph’s father and brothers trusted his judgment, followed his lead, and did and said what he told them to during the critical time when they were getting established in their new home.

I believe that we do the opposite sometimes. We automatically assume that the older person in the group should be the leader. That the one with the most overall life experiences will be able to make the wisest decisions. That the one who’s been the church member, believer, teacher for the longest period of time should, without fail, be chosen as the mouthpiece of the group.

But I believe that could very easily be a mistake.

Sometimes it has more to do with who is more experienced in the area of expertise that is required in a particular situation.

And sometimes I believe we would get more positive results if we allowed the person with the most-needed relationship handle the communications.

And sometimes I think we just need to pray and ask God to show us who He wants us to follow . . . who He has granted favor in this situation . . . who He has chosen to be His mouthpiece.

And then we have to trust that leader’s judgment as to who represents us and what is to be said and how much facetime we each have with the higher-ups.

TRUTHS:

– Just because the entire family is now on the scene doesn’t mean the mouthpiece changes . . . it should remain the person with the most experience with that culture and the one with the best relationship with the leadership.

– It is not always necessary to share everything. Share what is necessary and appropriate . . . especially with leadership.

– Sometimes being willing to perform the jobs that aren’t as high-profile and are less appreciated gives you more personal freedom and opens doors to more opportunities.

– People with a negative outlook on life seldom get more positive with age.

– Sometimes we have to move from where we are . . . even if it was previously a favored place . . . in order for God to bless us like we want and need Him to.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

– When have I relinquished leadership to someone younger than me? What were their qualifications?

– When have I learned the hard way that I don’t need to share all the details . . . especially with those in leadership?

– What position have I taken that wasn’t as high-profile as I would have liked . . . but gave me more freedom and opportunities than I originally thought it would?

– Is my outlook more positive or negative? Do I see it improving or digressing as I age?

– When have I had to move from a previously favored place to a new place in order to receive everything God had for me? In what area of my life today is God asking me to “move” in order for Him to bless me like He wants to?

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Genesis 47:1-12 / Amplified Bible (AMP)

47 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, My father and my brothers, with their flocks and their herds and all that they own, have come from the land of Canaan, and they are in the land of Goshen.

² And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh.

³ And Pharaoh said to his brothers, What is your occupation? And they said to Pharaoh, Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers before us.

⁴ Moreover, they said to Pharaoh, We have come to sojourn in the land, for your servants have no pasture for our flocks, for the famine is very severe in Canaan. So now, we pray you, let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.

⁵ And Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, Your father and your brothers have come to you.

⁶ The land of Egypt is before you; make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them live in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any men of ability among them, put them in charge of my cattle.

⁷ Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and presented him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

⁸ And Pharaoh asked Jacob, How old are you?

⁹ Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are 130 years; few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and they have not attained to those of the life of my fathers in their pilgrimage.

¹⁰ And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.

¹¹ Joseph settled his father and brethren and gave them a possession in Egypt in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses (Goshen), as Pharaoh commanded.

¹² And Joseph supplied his father and his brethren and all his father’s household with food, according to [the needs of] their families.