LORD, Please “Make Me A Blessing!”

The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man; he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD caused all that he did to prosper in his hands. So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him; he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. Genesis 39: 2-5, NRSV.

Dear gracious Father, we give You thanks for having been with us during this first year of our website. We could not have done it without You. Our earnest prayer, is that some soul may have met You, and been closer drawn to You during this time. Please teach us what we need to learn today. This is our prayer in the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.

Today we have come full circle. We launched our devotional website on December 2, 2007. Today makes it one complete year of presenting the message of the LORD by means of the internet. I have been blessed beyond my imagination! You have been a most encouraging, and faithful, audience; and I love you dearly! From tomorrow, until the 30th of December, we will be presenting past devotionals. On December 31st, I will meet with you for a final word in 2008. We ask that You will continue to visit our website; and our prayer is that you may be blessed. Then, on January 1, 2009, we will begin the New Year with an entirely new batch of devotionals, which we pray will meet your needs, and the needs of your loved ones. I earnestly request your prayers.

Our Scripture for today speaks of the manner in which God blessed Joseph, and how Joseph, in turn, became a blessing to his “master.” I put the word master within quotation marks, because we all know, from Joseph’s behavior, who his true Master was. It became very evident when he was faced with temptation:  “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Scripture affirms that “The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man.” There is so much power to be had, by having Jesus in our lives. Psalm 1 says of the man or woman whose delight is in the law of the LORD (when the LORD is with us, we will delight in the things of God), “In all that they do, they prosper” (3c). When God blesses, we are blessed indeed! Even as a prisoner, the blessing of the LORD was upon Joseph. You see my friends, it is not where we are, but who we are with, that makes all the difference in the world. We can be in a palace, and remain a pauper. Or we can be in the prison, and become a prince. “Show me your company and I will tell you who you [will become]!”

Others cannot help but notice when the Lord is with us. Pharaoh noticed that Joseph was, not just another young man. There was something different about him. “So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him; he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.” Now here is this young foreigner, slave, and prisoner, as well. He has such an outstanding personality, that Pharaoh knew that he could trust him with everything that he had – to include his wife! It is interesting when Potiphar’s wife accuses Joseph of humiliating her by attempted rape, the Scripture states that “he [Potiphar] became enraged” (19); but it does not say against who! Had that rage really been against Joseph, Joseph would have been instantaneously executed! This was an offense worthy of death. Joseph’s “master” knew who Joseph was. He also knew who is wife was.

“From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field.” There is a song that we sing at church, entitled, “Make Me a Blessing.” This is also a prayer that I pray from day to day. Here is Joseph, without even being aware of it, living out this prayer in his life! God blessed all that Pharaoh had, for Joseph’s sake. What a privilege to bring glory to God in this way! My prayer for you and me today, and until Jesus returns, is that you and I, will be a blessing to someone each day!