Joseph: Dealing with success
I am continuing my read through the Bible and today's reading was about Israel moving into to Egypt because of the famine. After his happy reunion, there is a very dark passage that is easy to miss; and it partially explains the plight of the Israelites in the book of Exodus.
"Joseph said to the people, 'Since I've now purchased you are your farmland for Pharaoh, here's seed for you. Plant the seed in the land. When the crop comes in, you must give one-fifth to Pharaoh. You may keep four-fifths for yourselves, those in your households and your children.' The people said, 'you saved our lives. If you wish we will be Pharaoh's slaves. (Genesis 47:23-25)'"
One of the most painful realities in the Bible is that these great heroes often make great mistakes that end up causing immense pain. Abraham pretends his wife is his sister to get favorable treatment; Noah gets drunk; Jacob favors Joseph; Joseph sells an entire nation into slavery to Pharaoh! This, of course, leads to the Israelites, who are one of those peoples, to be enslaved and leads to the need for deliverance (Side note: there are stories like this in the Hebrew scriptures that are told without comment from the author or from God. I have often found this incredibly interesting as if the original writers knew that the story would tell the lesson itself).
It seems to me that we, as followers of Jesus, know what to do when we face difficult times: trust in God, seek God, and seek the family of God for support! The struggle is when we have success how do we make sure and live the kind of life that reflects the image of Jesus into the world around us? Time and again these great biblical leaders failed, how do we keep from failing?
We need to follow the three simple rules that John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, laid out:
1. Do good.
When we have been blessed with success and resources we should focus on using it for God and for good. Wealth is a good thing when we have it, success is a good thing when we have it. Jesus simply wants us to use what we have to help others. 1 John 3:17 says "But if a person has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need and that person doesn't care--how can the love of God remain in him." Whatever authority, power, success, and wealth that we have is to be used for God's purposes. Joseph was so focused on success that he was not doing God's will and he did not follow the second rule:
2. Do no harm.
Wow. This is incredibly important that we think about not harming others with our actions and with our success. In fact, when we are working we need to make sure that what we do, who we work for, and what we produce follows this rule. Wealth is a good thing but not if it comes at someone else's expense. Joseph made Pharaoh ridiculously wealthy. Basically, he owned everything! If being successful or being wealthy comes at the cost of another person's well being, it is not from God.
3. Stay in love with God.
"Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind (Luke 10:27)." Really this is the most important part. We won't struggle with success if we keep God in mind. God is generous. God is humble. God is loving. God is kind. Focus on these things because of your love of God and you can't go wrong when you find yourself in the midst of personal success.
Do good. Do no harm. Stay in love with God. If you do these things you will reflect God's love whether you are in a valley or on a mountaintop!
"Joseph said to the people, 'Since I've now purchased you are your farmland for Pharaoh, here's seed for you. Plant the seed in the land. When the crop comes in, you must give one-fifth to Pharaoh. You may keep four-fifths for yourselves, those in your households and your children.' The people said, 'you saved our lives. If you wish we will be Pharaoh's slaves. (Genesis 47:23-25)'"
One of the most painful realities in the Bible is that these great heroes often make great mistakes that end up causing immense pain. Abraham pretends his wife is his sister to get favorable treatment; Noah gets drunk; Jacob favors Joseph; Joseph sells an entire nation into slavery to Pharaoh! This, of course, leads to the Israelites, who are one of those peoples, to be enslaved and leads to the need for deliverance (Side note: there are stories like this in the Hebrew scriptures that are told without comment from the author or from God. I have often found this incredibly interesting as if the original writers knew that the story would tell the lesson itself).
It seems to me that we, as followers of Jesus, know what to do when we face difficult times: trust in God, seek God, and seek the family of God for support! The struggle is when we have success how do we make sure and live the kind of life that reflects the image of Jesus into the world around us? Time and again these great biblical leaders failed, how do we keep from failing?
We need to follow the three simple rules that John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, laid out:
1. Do good.
When we have been blessed with success and resources we should focus on using it for God and for good. Wealth is a good thing when we have it, success is a good thing when we have it. Jesus simply wants us to use what we have to help others. 1 John 3:17 says "But if a person has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need and that person doesn't care--how can the love of God remain in him." Whatever authority, power, success, and wealth that we have is to be used for God's purposes. Joseph was so focused on success that he was not doing God's will and he did not follow the second rule:
2. Do no harm.
Wow. This is incredibly important that we think about not harming others with our actions and with our success. In fact, when we are working we need to make sure that what we do, who we work for, and what we produce follows this rule. Wealth is a good thing but not if it comes at someone else's expense. Joseph made Pharaoh ridiculously wealthy. Basically, he owned everything! If being successful or being wealthy comes at the cost of another person's well being, it is not from God.
3. Stay in love with God.
"Love the Lord, your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind (Luke 10:27)." Really this is the most important part. We won't struggle with success if we keep God in mind. God is generous. God is humble. God is loving. God is kind. Focus on these things because of your love of God and you can't go wrong when you find yourself in the midst of personal success.
Do good. Do no harm. Stay in love with God. If you do these things you will reflect God's love whether you are in a valley or on a mountaintop!
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