Successful Joe

Some people measure success by money. Some people measure success by power. Some people measure success by public opinion. I believe many people have the wrong idea about success.

There is a joke about a Woman who was married 4 times. She married a Banker, a Famous Actor, a Pastor and then finally an Undertaker. When asked, she felt her life was pretty successful.
Her reasoning for this:
She explained, “One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and four to go!”

It’s a joke of course… or is it? Aren’t some people this way? Maybe not to this extreme but hopefully you get my point. Success should not be measured by money. Success should not be measured by popularity. Success should be measured by God.

One of my favorite, Men of God (and action) was Joseph. Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelite’s 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.” (Gen. 39:1-2)

Joseph was a young Israelite man. He ran into conflict with his brothers and they sold him to a group of Ishmaelite traders who in turn sold him into Egypt. In the middle of that bad situation God called Joseph a success. If Joseph could be a slave in the land of Egypt and still be a success, there is hope for all of us.

Do you have faith?

Real faith involves a personal relationship whereby we know the assurance of God’s abiding. In verse 2 it states, “The Lord was with Joseph” a personal relationship. Faith involves the realization that everything you have and everything you own belongs to God.

In Chicago, there was a boy named James. His desire was to be the most famous manufacturer and salesman of cheese in the world. He planned on becoming rich and famous by making and selling cheese and began with a little buggy pulled by a pony named Paddy. As the months passed, the young boy began to despair because he was not making any money, in spite of his long hours and hard work.

One day he pulled his pony to a stop and began to talk to him. He said, "Paddy, there is something wrong. We are not doing it right. I am afraid we have things turned around and our priorities are not where they ought to be. Maybe we ought to serve God and place him first in our lives."
Every time you take a take a bite of Philadelphia Cream cheese, cook a pot of Macaroni & Cheese, spread some Grey Poupon, slurp down some Jell-O or eat the cream out of the middle of an Oreo cookie. Remember a boy and his pony named Paddy, and the promise little James L. Kraft made to serve God and work as He directed.

James Kraft became who he was because God put him there. Everything you have comes from God.

Are you faithful?

Joseph was faithful to God, even in a hostile environment. He was a slave! He was living in Egypt!

Remember the saying, “It’s not whether you win or lose but how you play the game?”

God does not call us to win or lose but to become more Christ-like. Life is not a game but becoming more Christ-like should be yours. He calls us to be faithful. God will give us the strength to be faithful to our circumstances.

Being faithful to our circumstances is like this other joke I heard. These doctors wanted to learn more about optimism and pessimism. They took one boy and stuck him in this room full of Horse manure and a shovel. The boy wined and cried and sat in the corner crying and saying, “This is my lot in life, I ask for toys they give me manure!” They removed him from the room. It was obvious, he was a pessimist.

The stuck the second boy in the room who promptly grabbed the shovel and started flinging manure all around the room and laughing. When the doctors asked him why he did this he explained, “With all this manure, there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”

This may be an exaggerated story but it makes a point. We need to be faithful to our circumstance no matter what! Which boy are you?

Are you focused?

Joseph remained focused on God’s plan for his life. Yes, he was a slave in Egypt. Yes, he faced a bum rap. Yes, he had a bad situation. However, he focused on the sovereignty of God in his life. Focus is such a powerful force.

The successful person is the person who believes that God can take the hurts, the pains, and the disappointment of your life and use them to help others and bring glory to His name.

If you live by faith, remain faithful, and focus on God’s sovereign will for your life you will be a success.