The Life of Joseph is a portrait of a man of integrity and forgiveness. Joseph was a highly talented guy. In today’s vernacular, we’d say he was “crazy smart”. His strongest gifting from God was his ability to interpret dreams, yet his greatest ministry to mankind would not utilize his strongest gift.
Gifting and the Call of God
Our gifts and calling to serve in particular ways are irrevocable: “…for God’s gift and His call are irrevocable” (Romans 8.29). Irrevocable – used 4 times in the NT – is translated “no regret” twice and “irrevocable” 2 other times. It literally means “feeling no pain of mind on account of something done (or experienced) in the past; especially with no wish that it had been any different.” So, in Romans 8.29, what Paul is saying is that God does not regret giving you your gifts and your call – no matter what happens or how bad you screw up your life. Once you accept Christ as your Savior, your gifts and callings are irrevocable. Period. End of conversation.
When we abuse our gifting, God doesn’t take our gifting away. Yet the continued use of our gift doesn’t imply that everything else is right with us. The reality is that we can continue to use our gift while harboring sin in our lives.
Joseph Abused His Gifting
Out of his arrogance and pride, Joseph told his brothers his first dream and then expanded his audience to include his father when he relayed his second dream (Genesis 37). In both instances, all he managed to do was to drive a wedge between himself and his brothers. They already distained him because he was their father’s favorite. Now, his dreams that claimed he would be their master and that they would bow down to him drove them to hate him. Joseph must have thought that they would admire him and come to recognize how talented and smart he really was. Arrogance always needs to be admired – to be noticed – to be “up front”. Joseph was no different. In his arrogance, he was trying to get his brothers to see how great he would become. Joseph was all about Joseph. And his father encouraged it by making him his favorite and making him a coat of many colors.
Do you have a need to be noticed? To be admired? Do you quietly harbor this notion that one day you’ll be discovered and many will clasp their hands and say “what a talented and great man (or women)”? There are Christian business owners who will share their dreams, hopes and ambitions thinking it will coalesce their staff around a common vision when all they are really doing is trying to manipulate their way into being admired by everyone around them. Some Christian business owners share so much about God without regard to how it comes across to their employees that they actually drive people away from God.
Entrepreneurs are known for being people of great confidence who assume risk to grow businesses that create jobs and profits. But for many of them, you can’t tell them anything. Their confidence has coalesced into pride. Christians in business are just as susceptible to this as anyone else. If you’re business is all about you – if people are giving you good advice and you usually shrug it off because you know better – then beware: the day will come when your most trusted advisors will turn and walk away. You’ll feel betrayed and alone. Yet you’ll have no one to blame but yourself. Your pride and arrogance will have killed your business.
While Joseph went too far with his brothers and father – who can deny that an authentic work of God was initiated in Joseph by God? In spite of what we read in Genesis 37, we get this notion that God had begun a great work in Joseph. Yet we also sense that God would need to change Joseph so he could be of real use to God. In a very real sense, God had shown Joseph that He was going to use him in significant ways.
Usually when God shows us that He is going to use us, we think it will be in the next week or two. We think we’re quite ready. Yet, often times, it is a long time before we’re ready to be used by God in mighty ways and this includes growing an influential business. Consider the examples in Scripture of how long it took God to prepare some for significant ministry:
- Joseph was 17 when he was betrayed – it would be well over a decade before God could use him
- Moses spent 40 years in the desert
- David spent nearly 20 years running from Saul
- Nearly all of the minor prophets were old men when they prophesied
- Christ spent 30 years getting ready for His public ministry
- Paul spent 3 years in the desert
Maybe God has called us to do something and has gifted us for it. The fact that we have a gift doesn’t mean we have the wisdom or the common sense to use it. Flaunting a gift comes from our need to be admired – but it nearly always results in others disliking us.
Maybe you’re older and have been in business for many years. Maybe you have yet to see God’s greater purpose in your life. Perhaps you’re ready to give up. You thought you were going to be used – but it hasn’t worked out. Be encouraged: God isn’t done with you yet – keep going – keep being faithful to Him.
We must die to ourselves
To be used greatly by God, we must first die to ourselves. We must jettison the notion that our business is about us. We need to rid ourselves of our need for money and admiration. We need to downsize our lifestyles and learn to live on less. We need to under-size our appetites for the finer things in life. We need to submit the enjoyment of creating profits and jobs to our enjoyment of God’s presence. Our ambitions need to become about using our businesses to further the Kingdom of God. In short, we need to die to ourselves.
Easier said than done – yes. Some will understand what I’ve written. Many will not. And it’s a message you’ll *never* hear in any MBA program, even those that are Christian based.
His Brother’s Sin
When his brothers put him in the pit and then later sell Joseph to the Ishmaelite’s, they demonstrated their own sin and commitment to keeping that sin in their lives. Let’s not think that his brothers were without sin. Here’s some of their sin:
- Jealousy
- Conspired to kill Joseph
- Mocked Joseph
- Lied to Jacob
- Self-Justified
- Respectable neutrality
- Sold their brother into slavery (Gen 37.27)
Often, your competitors and sometimes, your own staff will engage in these sins. Perhaps your second-in-command is jealous of your success. Perhaps your competitors mock you at trade shows for your faith in God. Some will lie to you and then justify their lies creative ways. Even as you try to live for the Lord in your business, bear in mind that others may live in sin and their sin will hurt you. You will feel betrayed – as Joseph did. And God will have you where He wants you – in a pit where all you can do is pray and trust Him.
One of the most difficult things for an entrepreneur to do is to give up his self-sufficiency and fully trust God. Yet if we don’t do this, God will strip away everything we trust and have so that all we can do is pray and trust Him. He cares little about our business. He cares most about our character and relationship with him.
Summary
Joseph was not ready to be used by God. He abused his gifting and used his strongest gifting to drive people away from him. He needed to be admired because he was so arrogant. What Joseph needed was preparation and polishing.
Are you gifted and called? Is God still preparing you? Can you make your business “all about God?” Will you allow God to commence His work of chipping away at anything in you that doesn’t conform to the image of Christ? Will you submit your business to the Lordship of Christ?
I pray that God will raise up an army of Christian business owners who operate in humility, righteousness and full dependence on God Himself. Only then will we see an awakening in the American marketplace.
Bill English
