Christian Devotional – November 1, 2018

Do we realize just how little we control? When we last spoke about Joseph, we discussed his integrity and that was completely in his control. However, what happened next was completely out of his control. Read Genesis 39:12-20.

Now when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned. So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; and he was there in the jail.
Genesis 39:19‭-‬20 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.39.19-20.NASB

Her story completely switched. Instead of telling the household and her husband exactly what she had been trying to do to Joseph, she turned it all back around on Joseph and made it look like he was the one at fault. Well, Joseph was a servant. Yes, he had done well within the household, but his credibility wasn’t as strong as the wife of the master. Everyone believed her. As a result, Joseph was thrown into jail.

All of this is outside of Joseph’s control. He could not control the story that she told. He could not control what other people believed. He could not control the actions taken or getting thrown into jail. All of those things were outside of his control. He made a choice to walk in his integrity and it cost him everything. Everything except his integrity, which he still had completely intact and he knew it, even if others questioned it.

When we make choices, others will respond. It’s going to happen at times that we make a choice to stand for what is right, that means we end up alone because no one else believes us or will stand with us. It’s not fun or pleasant or easy, but choosing to follow Christ and stand for what is right has never been guaranteed to be any of those things. Sometimes that decision may cost everything else you have. But God sees and God knows and God has a plan. God had a plan for Joseph and he has a plan for us. We just may not be able to see it at the time.

We only have control of the choices we make. We can’t control how others respond, so spending time upset and worrying about their responses is wasted time. Will you stand for what God stands for, even if it costs you everything and you stand alone?