Genesis 39&40, Matthew 11

Genesis 39 & 40

Most of us are familiar with the story of Joseph and how God blessed him in captivity. However two things stood out to me today: How fickle the loyalties of human beings are and how transient the promotion that comes from humans is. Potiphar loved Joseph one day and despised him literally, the next. It is also heart warming to see how God can bless you anywhere ( i.e in captivity and in prison).

V. 7,8 - Joseph was a principled man. We all have a 'good' excuse to sin. The choice is always ours. As Job said , "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully upon a young woman..." (Job 31:1)

Chapter 40:23

Human beings will forget you! Your source and sustenance must always be the Lord.

Matthew 11

V. 18, 19

Again, the flawed nature of us human beings. We cannot be pleased and we tend to judge or condemn each other either way. John the baptist was condemned for being too rigid and weird (he ate only honey and wild locusts) and Jesus was condemned for being too liberal and permissive (feasted a lot and with tax collectors and other unsavory characters to boot).

We cannot please the world, so why do we try? Our duty is to please God and to try to serve him in a way that offends as little as possible, but it will offend someone. And that's okay, I think.