ESOCS Devotional 12 October 2023 -The True Prosperity
MEMORY VERSE: “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man, and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.” Genesis 39:2
TEXT: GENESIS 39:1–6 (KJV)
And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.
2 And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
4 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
5 And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
6 And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
The Word translated prosperous in verse 2 of Genesis 39 is also rendered as successful in many other versions of Bible translation into English. The word also means to push forward in various senses. In other words, it means to do well, produce good results and be profitable in activities engaged. It goes to show that Joseph although a slave in his master’s house in Egypt was doing well and was profitable to his master.
In this account of Joseph’s life, we see that prosperity is an influence or a force that shows its effect through a person’s activities. And may not be limited by the person’s situation, circumstances and location (unless there is a divine need or directive to change it as in the cases of Abram in Gen. 12:1 – 3, and Isaac in Gen. 26:2 – 12).
That goes to show that anyone can be successful. Joseph the slave was successful. He was doing well as a servant in his service. So much so that the master recognised it and made him an overseer of all within his (Potiphar’s) territory.
Beloved, one would have thought that as a prosperous man that Joseph was not supposed to be a slave. Yet as a slave he was still prosperous. This shows us that prosperity is beyond affluence, it is an influence and a presence.
The Bible portion says, “and the LORD was with Joseph.” The presence of the LORD in any man’s life is prosperity. And it is the true prosperity. When God is in the life of any man and the very man follows through the path God charts for him in life, he will always arrive in destiny great. The life of many in the word of God is a testimony to that.
Child of God, Lord Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruits: for without me ye can do nothing.” Every child of God must make sure this is a settled case in his life. Are you conscious of God’s presence in your life? Do you value it? Prosperity is more than affluence and wellbeing. It is God being with you in fulfilment of His divine mandate on your life. John the Baptist was not rich but was a prosperous man. Jesus testified that of all the prophets he was the greatest. Heaven has the indices for success. And it is only the presence of God in your life that helps you satisfy that expectation of Heaven.
Now, you cannot be truly prosperous if you are not born again. If you do not have Jesus in your life, no matter your achievement in life, they are dung. Apostle Paul called it ‘dung’ in Philippians 3:8.
- Are you born again? If not, you need to do so. If you are bore again, you need to have the presence of God in your life. Pray for it, believe God for its manifestation.
- Father, help me to be conscious always that my Lord Jesus died and resurrected for my sake.
FURTHER READING: Isaiah 11:1 – 10; Mark 1:30 – 39; Rev. 4:1-7
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ESOCS Devotional 12 October 2023
