2.God-giv…
Genesis(39:20-23)
Would you agree that Joseph had a God-given gift for business administration that blossomed, whatever the context?
.At this point, is there anything obviously spiritual about any of the activities that Joseph is undertaking?
Reflection.
Joseph was clearly gifted at business, whatever the circumstances. Everywhere he went, his God-given abilities bore fruit.
Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness ness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warder.
So the warder put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warder paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
The Lord was with Joseph. Whatever the context, his gift of business administration bore fruit.
Do you know what your abilities are? List them here.
1 . Are your abilities bearing fruit in business?
Do you recognize your abilities in business as God-given gifts?
Can you recall when these gifts were given?
During the early years in Egypt, Joseph was being prepared for the role that lay ahead. We have seen that long before his gift of interpreting dreams would begin its work, the gift of administration was blossoming, developing, and being refined. This was a gift that could not be repressed by circumstances.
As long as there were opportunities, and people to recognize his gift, it prospered. We too need to recognize that, whatever our circumstances, God’s gifts long to bear fruit in our lives. Whenever we see consistent fruitfulness, we can be sure that God is at work.
However, our gifts will never achieve a great work of God, bearing spiritual fruit, unless we complement our gifting with an equal measure of humility. If we are to be truly successful, we must learn to acknowledge God as the source of our gifts. Humbly relying on God is the essential ingredient of spiritual success. Joseph learned this the hard way. We will now see how.
Teaching.
2.2 The essential ingredient for success.
During his time in prison, Joseph’s more widely recognized gift emerged…the gift of interpreting dreams.
Teaching.
An essential attribute, if we are to see God working through us, is to genuinely desire to serve God and others with our gifts. On first impressions, it would seem that Joseph had this desire. He showed clear compassion towards his fellow prisoners and offered to interpret their dreams as an act of kindness. On this occasion, both the cupbearer and the baker
Genesis& 14
After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men- the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison- had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.
So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, ‘Why do you look so sad today?’ ‘We both had dreams,’ they answered, ‘but there is no one to interpret them.’
Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams…But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.’
of the king of Egypt were troubled by dreams and desired an interpretation. We don’t know how, but Joseph clearly believed that he could interpret their dreams and offered to do so for both men. It must have felt like quite a risk. This suggests that Joseph already had a strong sense of confidence in his second
gifting.
Joseph began by acknowledging that only God can interpret dreams. The passage says; ‘Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.’‘ (Note the emphasis is on ‘me’).
There is a subtle but significant hint of arrogance in his statement which, as we will see, revealed that he was not yet fully reconciled to the principle that all good gifts come from God and it is God that should receive the glory for their use. It reveals that he was not yet fully submitted to God.
Discussion.
Do you think these men might have thought it was Joseph rather than God who was able to interpret the dream?
Once Joseph knew the dream’s interpretation, he sought to use it for his own benefit. Do you think this self-interest was a significant mistake?.
Teaching.
In interpreting the cupbearer and bakers’ dreams, Joseph fails to draw a clear distinction between God and himself. This may sound harsh but, as we will see, two years later, this is a distinction he made very clear when he eventually stands before Pharaoh. It is an essential distinction.
Genesis(41:15-16)
Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.’ ‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh,‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’
When Pharaoh demands that Joseph interprets his dream, his reputation has preceded him and Pharaoh attributes the gift of interpreting dreams, not to God, but to Joseph.
This suggests that the cupbearer had missed God’s hand in Joseph’s gifting. However, Joseph’s response to Pharaoh is fundamentally different from two years earlier in the
dungeon. This time he does what every servant of God must do in each new relationship if it is to bear fruit for the King dom of God, and the earlier the better.
He makes it clear that God is the one who interprets dreams and that he is merely His agent; ‘‘I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’’ Joseph recognizes God’s hand in his ability and makes it clear that his ability to interpret dreams is a gift of God.
This is one of those seminal moments in any believer’s life, particularly if we want our work to be our ministry. This is the moment we come out for God, acknowledging His power and, in humility, our dependency on Him. This is the moment God is fully let in and the moment our ministry truly begins. From this moment, the glory will go to God.
Discussion.
How had Joseph’s attitude to the source of his gift changed by the time he saw Pharaoh? What is the key distinction?
1.Real humility leads a person to be curious about and concerned for others, not fixated on how others can lead to one’s own enrichment.
2. Humility is about true service, not self-congratulation.
3.In admitting an error or acknowledging that one is wrong, the humble person not only apologizes but also changes course.
4. Real humility builds up; false humility tears down.
5. The more responsibility or power one has, the more humility one need.
Reflect on Joseph’s story up to this point. Do you think he had learned real humility?
Why is it so essential for those who are gifted to have real humility?
Reflection.
Joseph’s life seemed to go through a series of ups and downs. His early life was like a discipleship course; each time his gifts resulted in promotion, he received a lesson in humility.
However, regardless of his circumstances, his gifts bore fruit. They could not be held down. He learned to be both gifted and humble; the essential ingredients of success.
HUMILITY GATEWAY
Reflect on how the events of Joseph’s early life nurtured his gifts and shaped his character. How has God used the events of your life to nurture and shape you? Describe a little of your journey into business.
Joseph’s God-given gifts could not be fully fruitful until, in complete humility, he gave all the glory to God. Then Joseph was not only released from prison but also into his ministry.
Having passed through the gateway of humility, it was all onwards and upwards with his life’s work. He was ready to fulfill God’s purposes in his generation.
Reflection.
Are you humble with your God-given gifts?
Are you able to publicly acknowledge God as the source of
your gifts?
Never 、 Always。
Acknowledging God as the source of our gifts is essential if God is to be glorified through a significant leadership role.
‘Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.’
Matthew(10:32-33)
If we hope to succeed in business, we need to allow God to nurture humility within us. It is the essential
a complement to our God-given gifts.
Discussion.
How might you take a practical step this week to acknowledge God before others?
2.3 Achieving God’s purposes through business
Prepared VISION
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean.
I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
‘In my dream I saw seven ears of corn, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other ears sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin ears of corn swallowed up the seven good ears. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.’
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of corn are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless ears of corn scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
Genesis(41:17-31)
‘It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe.’
Teaching.
Pharaoh’s dream was prophetic and revealed both a challenge and an opportunity. Joseph used his gift of interpretation and described what was about to happen. Together, Joseph and Pharaoh declared God’s word to their generation.
Joseph could have stopped after interpreting the dream, but then his other gift came into action. Joseph’s gift of business to the administration could not be contained and he immediately Prepared.
responded to the prophetic dream and set out a business plan that would leverage the situation and realize the opportunity.
Pharaoh and his officials would have been full of fear at the prospect of approaching famine. Joseph’s response was clear and succinct. It was the plan of a God-gifted business person. It was God’s plan. It was also a business plan which would itself enable the fulfillment of the prophecy and God’s purposes.
Genesis(41:33-36)
‘And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.’
Activity.
Joseph’s gifts were central, not only to the interpretation but also to the fulfillment of Pharaoh’s dream. Once appointed to deliver his plan, Joseph proactively set out to ensure the dream was fulfilled.
Genesis describes Joseph’s key action plan for fulfilling the dream. Look at the following scriptures and come up with relevant modern business terms that might describe what Joseph is doing.
Prepared
Genesis(41:48-49a)
Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city, he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea.
Genesis(41:46b)
Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled
throughout Egypt
Genesis(41:56-57a)
When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph…
Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people.
Genesi
‘But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children. So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt – still in force today – that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh.
47:24,26a Joseph’s 5-point action plan , Fruit that will last Perpetuate a sustainable 5 SYSTEMS system God-inspired RESEARCH TO ENSURE A LEGACY Business plan God-given vision 2 PREPARATION
4 OVERSIGHT & GOVERNANCE 3 TRADE 1
Discussion.
By the end of his life, Joseph finally came to understand God’s purposes in all that had happened. What did Joseph believe was the primary purpose of his life’s work?
How did Joseph’s 5-point action plan combine to achieve the purposes of God in his generation?
2.4 Prepared
Genesis50:19-20
But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’
Which of Joseph’s spiritual gifts contributed most to achieving God’s purpose, and why?
Reflect on the relationship between Joseph’s practical actions and their spiritual outcomes. What does this suggest about the God-given role of business in society?
Reflection.
At the end of his life, Joseph was aware that he had achieved what God intended, and it was good. his work had saved many lives. In the prophetic, his father, Jacob, also foresaw that far greater fruit was to come through the line of Judah, whose life had been saved from the famine by Joseph’s actions.
The record below the purpose of your company.
Are these God’s purposes for your company?
Joseph only struggled to interpret his own childhood dreams. As a young man, his prophetic dreams led only to the arrogance that ironically led to the beginning of their fulfillment.
Things did not work out the way he or his brothers could ever have imagined when Joseph’s brothers jealously led them to sell Joseph as a slave. It was more than Joseph could ‘ask or imagine’. Are you able to rest,
Genesis49:10
‘The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.’
Matthew2:6
‘But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah…out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’
secure in the knowledge that God can achieve more than you ask or imagine?
Teaching.
At the heart of this story is a key moment. It is essential in every Christian’s life. Because Joseph gave the glory to God, acknowledging God as the source of his gifts, God is recognized by others as the source of his abilities and wisdom.
Genesis41:37-40
The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.’
At the heart of this passage is one of the greatest compliments that a Christian can ever receive; ‘‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’’ Pharaoh recognized the inspiration behind Joseph’s interpretation and subsequent business plan. He saw that the hand of God was at work in Joseph.
This is so important. If the gifts and achievements of Christians in business are never recognized as the work of God’s spirit then there is little, if any, discernible difference between us and our non-Christian peers. As Christian entrepreneurs, we need to be known as those ‘in who is the Spirit of God.’ This is the essential hallmark of a Kingdom Entrepreneur.
Discussion.
Do you recognize that you are ‘one in whom is the Spirit of God?
Do other people?
Teaching.
Joseph was spiritually gifted for business. Once he learned the essential ingredient of success and walked through the gateway of humility, his spiritual gifts were able to bear much fruit and achieve the real purpose for which they were intended; the saving of many lives.
Joseph can be considered a great Kingdom Entrepreneur. His career in business
demonstrates how God can build His Kingdom through gifted business leaders. For Joseph, business was a ministry.
At the end of his life, Joseph came to recognize that he has achieved God’s purposes through his God-given gifts. The same can be true for us.
Prayer.
Close the session with a short time of prayer. Thank God for your spiritual gifts and ask Him for the opportunity to humbly use them to pursue His purposes in this generation.
