The Life of Joseph: A Lesson in Character

Genesis 39:8-9 But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

Have you ever been put in a situation where it seemed easier to compromise your values as opposed to taking a harder stand based on your character? That was the situation Joseph found himself in. He had two choices. The first was that he could have listened to his master’s wife. They would have had an affair and he would have probably enjoyed an even better life. The master may or may not have found out. In the end though he would have known that he had compromised his values.

On the other hand he could have continued to say no. To honor the trust His master had placed in him and to stand firm in his resolve, no matter the consequences. In the end it made the master’s wife mad because of his refusal so she got back at him. Falsely accused he spent years in prison for not compromising his values or dishonoring his character.

It almost seems like he got the raw end of the deal till you hear the rest of the story found later in Genesis. But imagine this, would Joseph have become second only to the king if circumstances were different. Had he had the affair, he would have never ended up in prison with the cupbearer and baker. He would have stayed a slave maybe never being set free. There might not have been anyone to interpret the dream for Pharaoh and the people of Egypt might have starved, his family who came down later for food might not have received any or ever met their “dead” brother again.

Instead Joseph took the harder path, the one in which his character and name were more important than anything else. Yes he was falsely accused and yes he was thrown into prison for years. But in the end his character also helped him to be raised up by God.

Maybe you are facing a tough decision today, one in which compromising your values, integrity, or character seem easier than taking a stand for what is right. Trust God to see you through. In the end you will never regret taking a stand for what is right but you could have a lifetime of regret for that one moment compromising your integrity or character.

#NoCompromise #iDevo #YF