Praiseworthy

Hi Everyone!
Today is a day off work for me, and I decided what better time to write a post for my blog readers that have probably kind of forgotten about my existence? :D Today's post is based on my notes from a few weeks ago...I have recently been filling in teaching Children's Bible Study (Sunday School) at my church. We have about 10 kids on average, all children of the church members, so the majority of the older ones are saved and can listen on a functional level. The little ones, not quite so much. ;) Having a mixed age class has been a bit of a challenge, but it's really fun to try to teach deeper concepts for the older ones, but using language that the littles can understand. :) 

I am teaching the class along with another lady, and we've been going through Phillipians 4:8 and the things we should be focusing and dwelling on throughout the day. Each 'whatsoever'...true, honest, just, pure, etc. has been our "word of the week" and the central point of that week's lesson.

It was my turn to teach, and I got the word focus "Praiseworthy". (...and if there be any praise, think on these things.) By definition, it means deserving of approval or admiration, exemplary, or commendable. As I studied this word, one person in the Bible stuck out to me the most as being a praiseworthy person, and that was Joseph. He lived up to this character trait in so many ways! Here are a few thoughts I had in relation to Joseph's life.

1. He had an Obedient Spirit.
Genesis 37:13, "And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I."

Joseph was faithful to obey his father without murmuring or dispute. Even though he and his older brothers had a pretty poor relationship, and they made no secret of their disdain for him, he didn't drag his feet and balk against his father's request. He may not have felt like doing the task, but he did it with a willing spirit, as indicated by his response of "Here am I."

2. He had a faithful Servant's Heart.
Genesis 39:1-6 "And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. And Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured."

Joseph was sold into bondage by his own brothers. These were his immediate family! Of all the people in his life, he should have been able to trust them, but no...they sold him. How much hurt must he have had to overcome in God's strength! It is clear, however, that Joseph did not become bitter and hardened by this massive trial in his life. He didn't have a "poor me, my brothers are such jerks, my life is horrible" attitude. Instead, he served humbly and faithfully in the house of the man he was sold to. This reminds me of the little girl in the story of Naaman. Instead of doing as little as possible and rebelling under these hard circumstances, Joseph and the little girl both served their masters to the best of their abilities. This passage says that God specifically had His hand of blessing on Joseph. God does not specially bless people who are not walking in His will. Obviously, Joseph must have been walking with The Lord with all his heart and striving to please Him. Because of this, God even blessed Joseph's unsaved master! How interesting to note that when our lives are aligned with God's Word and we are walking by His side, He can not only bless us greatly, but those around us as well! Sometimes, our testimony can even be used of God to bring others to salvation. It is both exciting and sobering to come to the realization of how much our actions and spiritual walk can affect the people we are in contact with.

3. He resisted temptation and sin with all his might.

Genesis 39:9-10 "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? And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her."

Joseph was 100% determined and purposed that his life would stay pure and holy in the sight of God. Even when temptation quite literally came knocking at his door, day after day after day, he refused to be worn down by it. He didn't weaken and begin to compromise as some would have easily been tempted to do, but instead grew even firmer in his refusal to sin. Even to the point of physically removing himself from the situation with all haste, he was willing to go to great lengths to protect his heart, soul, and body from evil. How vehement are we in fighting against the daily temptations we face? Personally, I know there are areas in my life that I have weakened on over time, simply due to the continual nature of the temptation. It is so easy to become complacent or uncaring about certain sins because I see them so. much. And yet, that's when it becomes even more important to fight against them! How will others be affected by my testimony if I become complacent about wrong? 

4. He truly cared for others above himself.

Genesis 40:6-7 "And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?"

We know the story; Joseph was falsely accused by the evil woman who had tried and failed to seduce him, and was now rotting in prison for an indefinite amount of time. At this point, I think most of us would have thrown in the towel, so to speak! What possible purpose could God have in the seemingly endless string of injustices he was having to endure? And yet, even now, in the darkest time of all, Joseph's attitude and integrity were such that he was placed in a position of authority within the prison. God had not forgotten him, but was setting the stage for great and mighty things. We can see that now, reading these passages from Genesis, but Joseph was in the middle of it. He didn't know the end result, or what God was doing, and yet he still remained submitted to whatever God's will was. 

He performed his duties in the prison well, and we can see from this passage that he truly cared about those under his jurisdiction. He could have done the bare minimum, delivering food to the prisoners and whatever else he was called on to do, speaking as little as possible. Instead, he chose to engage and show compassion on these men when he saw that they were distressed about something. He empathized with them, and sought out whether or not he could help in any way. This is such an amazing display of a Christlike attitude! This is part of the reason I love this story so much...Joseph's life is such a strong example to me! How often do I rush through my duties and the demands of life without taking the time or effort involved to truly care about others? I can see them, but do I actually see them? Do I look at them through Christ's eyes, searching out the hurt and showing compassion? 

5. He was humble and gave glory to God for his gifts.

Genesis 41:15-16 "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it. And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace."

By this time, two years later, the butler had finally remembered him, and Joseph had been brought before Pharaoh to interpret a dream. This is a fairly impressive gift to have...obviously there was no one else in the kingdom able to do the task. Joseph could have become self focused and puffed up with pride over this God-given ability, but instead, he deflected the glory and honor back to The One who had bestowed it. His heart was humble and focused on the right thing--The Lord and his walk with Him.

6. He held no bitterness, and forgave freely.

Genesis 50:19-20 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Even after all the evil they had done to him, Joseph didn't hold a grudge against his brothers. He didn't seek revenge, though as the second most powerful man in the world at that time, he could have done so with a snap of his fingers. His kindness and grace to them was evident to all involved. He fully lived up to the verse that commands us to love our enemies! His view of all that had occurred was not skewed by his personal feelings or emotions...he acknowledged the fact that every circumstance in his life was orchestrated by the mighty hand of God, for a very special purpose. 

In all of these areas and more, Joseph's actions, words, and attitudes were praiseworthy and righteous. How praiseworthy are my day to day actions and interactions? Referring back to Phillipians 4:8, God's Word tells us that we should be dwelling on the things that are praiseworthy. There's another thought. Do I look for the good in what others are doing and focus on that? Or am I picking apart their lives, thinking and speaking about the bad, not seeing the beam in my own eye, so to speak? May I grow daily more and more like Christ in my own life, and look for the praiseworthy in the lives of others!

Mykaela