Joseph Said No 10/15/2015

Good Morning,

I am not sure who all might read this today but my thoughts are this. I wish I could share my Door County Autumn Spice Coffee with you along with some toast, bacon and eggs. I bet we could find something to talk about or someone or something to pray for. Wouldn't that be a nice morning?

Genesis 39:7-12New King James Version (NKJV)
⁷ And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”
⁸ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. ⁹ There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”
¹⁰ So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
¹¹ But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, ¹² that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside.

Here we find a young man captive in a rich man's home through no fault of his own. The rich man's hot wife comes on to the young man and through what he was taught as a child he realized that to give into his lust would be sin against God. This was not just a one time thing. She pursued him "day by day". He refused to give into evil.

Just think what a world we could live in if people would just say no to impulse and sin. Joseph could easily have given in and probably tried to justify it by saying "I am in captivity. I did no wrong. I am owed a little pleasure. I'll show the man who owns me a thing or two." But he didn't. He had respect for himself, the authority over him, and most of all for God.

I believe it was the fact that he would be sinning against God, which kept him from pursuing this woman. Notice, when it got even hotter and heavier, he ran.

Do you walk away nonchalantly from sin or do you sprint like a track star? Or do you hang around just to see how much trouble you can get into without getting caught? Hanging around sin is very dangerous, when you know you should run.

So put those running shoes on today when tempted and run like a deer.

God bless,

Marty