Our grown kids have keys to our house. On a whim, they can stop by and do as they please with the contents of our home, and from time to time, they’ve popped in and snacked out of the pantry or grabbed a tool they needed while we were gone. Never, however, have we come home to find missing furniture or to discover a wild party has been underway in our absence. The conditions may have been right for their doing so, but their trustworthiness kept them in check. Such was the case of Joseph. His position in Potiphar’s house gave him all manner of freedom. Unrestrained access was the perfect environment for wrong doing. Especially as Mrs. Potiphar played the temptress day after day. Rather than using his household liberties as an excuse for indulging in seductive liberties, however, Joseph used his privileges as the motivation to do what was right. Instead of seeing his environment as an opportunity to sin, he let it hold him to a higher standard. His perception of his freedom determined his choice.
We have similar freedoms. We are afforded perfect scenarios that create the ideal conditions to support whatever choice we make. I’ve had single friends who used their lack of a mate as the excuse to let go of their moral convictions while other single friends used their marital status as a reason to raise the bar on their devotion to God. I’ve beheld opposite approaches to finances as two people who felt they didn’t have enough money made decisions about giving. One said having so little prevented the ability to give. The other said having so little demanded that they give. The first saw giving as losing what was theirs. The other saw giving as returning to God what was His, like planting a seed and watching it multiply in the hands of the Source of their supply. Spiritual disciplines have also been held in opposing views, with some folks approaching Bible study, church attendance, personal convictions, and prayer time as “GET TO” and others sighing a “HAVE TO.” Perception of their freedom of choice dictated the outcome.
Joseph’s key to right perspective was the object of his focus. “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Joseph’s reply to his mistress’s temptation reveals his focus. He had a master he served, and it wasn’t Mr. and Mrs. Potiphar. It was the Almighty.
Joseph’s key to staying on track is our answer when external conditions present the perfect packaging for either right or wrong. Self-focus will always be in favor of indulging in temptation. It prefaces decisions with “I have a right to…” or “It’s MY body” or “It’s MY life.” But having a God focus takes the attention off of self and its whims. A God focus approaches choice with “I’m not my own” or “He’s worthy” or “I want to love, worship, and serve God with my choice.”
God-focus sees freedom and chooses to use it to serve others and raise the responsibility on self. It subjects itself to greater humility in order to honor God because it recognizes that God is trustworthy, generous, and kind, that He is a Father who grants His children access to His kingdom and withholds no good thing from them.
Within every circumstance, God provides a way to unlock the door to all the blessings He has in store for us. The conditions are set, but the choice is ours. He extends a key, trusting us to do what is right with it. God-focus is that key, and using it to place our trust in Him honors His trust in us.
Tip/Tidbit: How do you view your circumstances today? Do you see them as an excuse to give in to temptation or as an opportunity to serve God more diligently?
We have similar freedoms. We are afforded perfect scenarios that create the ideal conditions to support whatever choice we make. I’ve had single friends who used their lack of a mate as the excuse to let go of their moral convictions while other single friends used their marital status as a reason to raise the bar on their devotion to God. I’ve beheld opposite approaches to finances as two people who felt they didn’t have enough money made decisions about giving. One said having so little prevented the ability to give. The other said having so little demanded that they give. The first saw giving as losing what was theirs. The other saw giving as returning to God what was His, like planting a seed and watching it multiply in the hands of the Source of their supply. Spiritual disciplines have also been held in opposing views, with some folks approaching Bible study, church attendance, personal convictions, and prayer time as “GET TO” and others sighing a “HAVE TO.” Perception of their freedom of choice dictated the outcome.
Joseph’s key to right perspective was the object of his focus. “There is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Joseph’s reply to his mistress’s temptation reveals his focus. He had a master he served, and it wasn’t Mr. and Mrs. Potiphar. It was the Almighty.
Joseph’s key to staying on track is our answer when external conditions present the perfect packaging for either right or wrong. Self-focus will always be in favor of indulging in temptation. It prefaces decisions with “I have a right to…” or “It’s MY body” or “It’s MY life.” But having a God focus takes the attention off of self and its whims. A God focus approaches choice with “I’m not my own” or “He’s worthy” or “I want to love, worship, and serve God with my choice.”
God-focus sees freedom and chooses to use it to serve others and raise the responsibility on self. It subjects itself to greater humility in order to honor God because it recognizes that God is trustworthy, generous, and kind, that He is a Father who grants His children access to His kingdom and withholds no good thing from them.
Within every circumstance, God provides a way to unlock the door to all the blessings He has in store for us. The conditions are set, but the choice is ours. He extends a key, trusting us to do what is right with it. God-focus is that key, and using it to place our trust in Him honors His trust in us.
Tip/Tidbit: How do you view your circumstances today? Do you see them as an excuse to give in to temptation or as an opportunity to serve God more diligently?
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