Meditate On
It’s Not What You Have but Who You Have
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an
officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the
Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was
a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
Genesis 39:1–2
Would you consider the young man Joseph, who was about to
be sold into slavery, “a successful man”?
Of course not!
Yet, God says in His own words that Joseph was a
successful man.
God’s definition of success is contrary to the world’s
definition. Corporate America measures success based on what you have done,
what you have accomplished and what you have accumulated. It is based entirely
on you focusing all your time, energy and resources in meriting titles and
collecting accomplishments.
My friend, I want to encourage you to begin to see that
the world’s model of success is unstable and built upon a foundation that is
shakable. It may have the appearance of the good life, but it is temporal, and
we have all seen for ourselves how the world’s transient wealth can dissipate
like smoke and easily slip away like the shifting sands in the desert.
From Genesis 39:2, it is clear that success is not what
you have, but rather who you have! Joseph literally had nothing materially, but
at the same time, he had everything because the Lord was with him. The material
things that you have accumulated or are feverishly trying to amass do not make
you a success. It is the presence of the Lord in your life that makes you a
success!
We need to learn to stop pursuing things and to start
pursuing Him. God sees your relationship with Him as the only thing that you
need for every success in your life. I can’t imagine starting in a worse place
than Joseph. He was completely naked. He had nothing! No bank accounts, no
educational qualifications, no natural connections with people of influence,
nothing. Thank God the Bible records a picture of Joseph who began with
nothing, so that you and I can have hope today. If you think that like Joseph,
you have nothing, well, you can start believing in the power of the presence of
the Lord in your life. Start looking to Jesus and claim that promise in that
scripture for yourself!
Say, “The Lord is with ME, and I am a successful person.”
Say it a hundred times if you have to, and begin to see
this as your reality. Stick this promise on your mirror, and every morning when
you brush your teeth, remind yourself that today, as you go to work, as you go
to school, as you start the day caring for your children at home (or do
whatever it is that you need to do), the Lord is with you. And because He is
with you, YOU ARE ALREADY A SUCCESS! When you have Jesus in your life, you are
no longer trying to be a success; you ARE a success!
BLESSINGS
JOSEPH PRINCE
