SUCCESS IN SPITE OF YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES – PART 1

Two of the great laws of life we must eventually learn are: 1 -- things do not always go as planned; 2 -- many circumstances we have in life are uncontrollable, businesses go bankrupt, employees get fired, students get passed over for scholarships, business plans fail, friends move away and athletes lose games. Life just does not always go the way we want it to go. Many things in life are beyond our control. For instance, you did not choose who your parents would be, you did not choose your race, you did not choose your gender and you did not choose when and where you would be born or the circumstances surrounding your birth. These are the cards that you are dealt with in life. How you play them is your choice. We all know people who have overcome great adversity to make their life count. We are in a series called [Making Your Life Count] so, let us talk about succeeding in spite of our circumstances. Let us take a look at Joseph who really made his life count. He went from being a slave in prison to the second highest ranking position in the nation of Egypt, which was the most powerful country in the world at that time. He went from the pit to the palace and he was a success story. He showed that what counts in life are not your circumstances but your character. There are two facts we learn from Joseph’s life that I believe will help us to drive this truth home and apply it to our lives, allowing us to be a success in YHVH’s eyes.

Fact 1: Sometimes Life Can Be awful:

The last 14 chapters of Genesis tell the story of Joseph. This story has it all; revenge, deceit, lust, seduction, attempted murder, violence, an accusation of rape and life in prison. It would make a great TV mini series. For the first thirty years of Joseph’s life, nothing went right.

Joseph Was Rejected At Home:

He was the second to last of eleven children. There was a lot of rivalry, competition and bitterness. [His brothers hated Joseph because of their father's partiality. They couldn't say a kind word to him.] -- Genesis 37:4. One day they plotted against him: [Let's not kill him… Let's just throw him alive into this pit here. That way he will die without our having to touch him.] -- Genesis 37:21-22. Now that is real brotherly love! What great guys! Some slave merchants happened by and offered to buy Joseph. [What can we gain by killing our brother? That would just give us a guilty conscience. Let's sell Joseph to those Ishmaelite traders. Let's not be responsible for his death; after all, he is our brother!] -- Genesis 37:26-27. He was taken to Egypt and sold to a man named Potiphar and became his slave. Overnight he went from pampered son to slave. Now that is rejection by your family! Some of you think you have been rejected; Joseph knew rejection!

Joseph Was Seduced and Slandered At Work:

Joseph started working for Potiphar and he was very successful. He was put in charge of everything in the home. But Potiphar's wife had eyes for Joseph, she tried to seduce him and the Bible says… [About this time, Potiphar's wife began to desire him and invited him to sleep with her. But Joseph refused… She kept putting pressure on him day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.] -- Genesis 39:7-8a, 10. Sexual harassment in the work place is about 4000 years old. It works both ways: men to women and women to men. Joseph refused and holds onto his moral values. At one point in a fit of passion, Potiphar’s wife grabbed him by the robe and he slithered out of it, he lost his coat but he kept his character. But she framed him: When Potiphar came home she told him: [That Hebrew slave you have had around here tried to rape me.] -- Genesis 39:17. Joseph just could not win!

Joseph Was Forgotten by Friends:

Joseph was thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit, he was falsely accused. Things are going from bad to worse. He got into prison and there he was forgotten by his friends. He had befriended two of Pharaoh's staff members and helped them out by interpreting their dreams and said: [By the way, if you ever get out of this dump, remember me.] He had helped them out. But once one of them got out, he promptly forgot Joseph. [Please have some pity on me when you are back in his favour. Mention me to Pharaoh, and ask him to let me out of here… Pharaoh's cup-bearer however, promptly forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought. -- Genesis 40:14, 23. Sometimes jealous people will try to hurt you and immoral people will try to tempt you and ambitious people will try to use you, but you can still succeed if you have Adonai in your life. [Adonai was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.] -- Genesis 39:23. This leads us to our second Fact.

Fact 2: We can Rise Above Our Circumstances:

Three times in Genesis it says: [Adonai was with Joseph.] 1 + YHVH = a majority; YHVH was with Joseph because of his character. Joseph understood better than anyone that he could rise above his circumstances. Throughout his entire ordeal he had an unwavering faith in YHVH. But how did he do it? How did he rise above his circumstances? What was it about him that made him a success? If we pay close attention to Joseph, we will learn what we should do when circumstances seem to work against us and our dreams.