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Not for Sale

Words of Faith Final

Not for Sale
Words of Faith 7-11-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 39
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, [7] and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!"
[8] But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. [9] No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" [10] And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
[11] One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. [12] She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
[13] When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, [14] she called her household servants. "Look," she said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. [15] When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."
[16] She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. [17] Then she told him this story: "That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. [18] But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."
[19] When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, "This is how your slave treated me," he burned with anger. [20] Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.

Remember the really BIG deal? God was with Joseph. But that did not keep all temptation away. That did not prevent bad things from happening to him. Some difficult times were ahead!
Joseph found himself in a place of terrible testing. Potiphar's wife took notice of Joseph and set out to have him. Whether or not she was attractive to him, the easy and expedient thing for Joseph would have been to sleep with her.
There were many reasons that Joseph might have used to rationalize giving in to the seduction. After all, he was far away from home. Who would know the difference back in Canaan? Potiphar's wife had great power. Didn't it make sense to go along? This behavior may have even been expected in Egyptian culture. When in Egypt, do as the Egyptians.
But Joseph would have nothing of it. He knew that he was God's man and not a "boy toy" for an Egyptian. He had the integrity to remain pure even if it meant being imprisoned.
Joseph cited two critical things. 1) He could not sin against a master who had entrusted so much to him. He was faithful and trustworthy in human relationships. 2) He could not sin in this way against God. No matter how expedient, he would be faithful to God.
The response of Joseph stands in rather a stark contrast to that of Judah in chapter 38. Judah moved 15 miles down the road and married the first Canaanite woman to strike his fancy. Later, when Judah was lonely and confronted with the temptation of a woman he thought was a shrine prostitute, he quickly gave in.
There is a saying, "Character is who you are when no one is watching." How we behave when we are away from home, family and public scrutiny is much more revealing than the public testimonies we give or the prayers we say at church.
Joseph had discovered an even more profound truth: "Character is who you are when you THINK no one is watching." Joseph knew that God was always watching. Even if he could "get away" with betraying his boss and family, God would see. And Joseph would see.
Character and integrity are expensive commodities. It cost Joseph a great job! It could have cost him his life. Many scholars believe that Potiphar knew his wife was lying, otherwise, he would have had Joseph executed. So for all his integrity, Joseph ended up in prison instead of on top of the world. But the story is not yet over.
A famous illustration regarding integrity is often used in seminars to make the point here. The story is degrading at its core, so I will clean it up.
A wealthy executive asks a bookkeeper to falsify financial records for the price of $1 million. The colleague is flabbergasted but considers the huge payment and finally agrees. Then the executive asks if the bookkeeper will falsify the records for $25. Of course, the bookkeeper is deeply offended and asks, "What do you think I am?" The executive responds, "We have already established what you are. We are now just haggling over the price."
The world would say every man or woman has their price, so just negotiate until you find it.
The question for us: At what price are you willing to sell your character and integrity, or are these things simply not for sale? Joseph had established his price-- NOT FOR SALE. No price. Period.
Christian believers are familiar with the concept that were already "redeemed," bought at a great price. As a person of faith, we are NOT FOR SALE (1 Cor. 6:20, 7:23). This must be established as the bedrock of our lives.
Have you been selling your character a little bit at a time? Has the lure of the world or the false assurance of anonymity eroded your integrity over time? Perhaps it is time to come home to Jesus and reaffirm that you are redeemed, bought with a price, and you are not for sale.

Father God, I give thanks for the gift of Jesus and the high price You paid for my redemption. I am NOT for sale. Give me strength to resist the enemy's temptations and the world's lure. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.