Godly Work Ethics

Godly Work Ethics: 
Joseph - A Model Example of Godly Work Ethics (1)
Joseph is indeed a Model Example of a Godly life and Work Ethics that we'll all do well to pattern our lives after, in a world wherecompromise, selfishness and eye service is the order of the day.

Genesis 39 is strewn with proof of the blessings of godliness that characterized and accompanied Joseph wherever he went.

Some of the testimonies of Joseph's seemingly "charmed" life, were:

1. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and even lived in the house of his Egyptian master (Verse 2).

2. When Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant, in charge of his household and everything he owned. (Verse 3 and 4).

3. The household, field and indeed everything the Egyptian had was blessed by the Lord because of Joseph (Verse 5).

4. Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph's care. He did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate (Verse 6).

5. No one was greater in Potiphar's house than Joseph was (Verse 9).

Joseph also had something going for him which in itself was not a bad thing but the devil unfortunately capitalized on, to try and destroy Joseph's exalted position, through his good build and good looks.

It was recorded that, "after a while his master's wife took notice of (him)" and told him to go to bed with her but Joseph refused.

Do you remember the conversation that Eve had with Satan in the garden of Eden with regards to the forbidden fruit that the serpent tempted mankind to eat that they may be like God?

Potiphar's wife's offer to Joseph to take the only thing his master withheld from him was no different from that, and such offers from the enemy of our souls will plague mankind till their dying day.

We all need to take a leaf from Joseph's reply so that we can give a ready and well - deserved rebuke to anyone who chooses to be a pawn in the hands of the evil one.

Joseph's reply (paraphrased) was like this:

With me in charge of everything he owns, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house. 
In fact, no one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. 
"How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (verses 8 to 9)

Our ability to resist temptation rests with our love for God, to the extent that we dare not sin against Him.

Although with the persistence of the Satan to bring down God's chosen people, like Potiphar's wife who kept on making advances at Joseph day after day, Joseph, knowing where he was coming from and where God was taking him to, not only refused the pleasure of the sin of going to bed with her but went a step further by refusing to even be with her.

Unlike many people who wouldn't have passed up such a tempting offer, Joseph refused to allow these 3 things, namely: money, power and fame, that Satan has been using to destroy men, get the better of him.

The reason Joseph could do so was that God had showed him a vision of a better future that Joseph was not willing to give up for fleeting pleasure. 

Do you have such a vision?