There's a biblical principle that we rarely hear taught. It is illustrated in Genesis 39:1-7. [All quotes from The Voice Bible unless otherwise noted. The Voice Bible prints words not in the original text in italics.]
Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, himself an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there to sell along with their goods and wares. The Eternal One was with Joseph, however, and he became successful in his own right as a slave within the house of his Egyptian master.
Potiphar could not help but notice that the Eternal One was with Joseph and caused everything Joseph did to prosper. Joseph became the favorite of the household and rose in the ranks to become Potiphar’s personal attendant. In time, Potiphar made Joseph overseer of the entire household and put him in charge of everything he owned. From that moment, the Eternal One blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake, a blessing which seemed to cover everything Potiphar possessed from house to field. Potiphar entrusted everything to the care of Joseph. With him in charge, Potiphar had no concern about anything except for his private affairs, such as the food he chose to eat!
What is the principle?
Just being in proximity to genuinely godly people may produce a blessing!
Potiphar did nothing to deserve God's blessing - except give employment to Joseph! It didn't seem to take Potiphar long to recognize that "the Eternal One was with Joseph and caused everything Joseph did to prosper." As a result of this observation, Joseph "rose in the ranks to become Potiphar's personal attendant...he put Joseph in charge of everything he owned." Wise man!
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Do you remember Psalm 1?
God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn:
when you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in wicked schemes,
When you avoid sin’s highway,
when judgment and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse.
2 For you, the Eternal’s Word is your happiness.
It is your focus—from dusk to dawn.
3 You are like a tree,
planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry.
Your fruit ripens in its time;
your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun.
No matter what you do, you prosper. [vs.1-3]
If you - as a non-believer - had a neighbor or co-worker that was truly dedicated to faithfully serving God, wouldn't it be wise to make a friend of them? After all,
- they don't delight in wicked schemes
- they avoid sinful activity
- they don't judge
- they don't resort to sarcasm
- they're grounded and firm
- they're fruitful
- they seem to prosper in whatever they do
According to this principle, you may catch the overflow of their blessedness just by living or working near them, or by hanging out with them!
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Examples:
- Lot clearly benefitted from being in association with his uncle, Abram.
- King Saul's kingdom became stronger after he associated with David.
- Elisha got his 'calling' as a result of travelling with Elijah.
- Young Timothy certainly gained direction in his life as a result of staying close to the Apostle Paul!
- Just imagine all of the people who benefitted because they crossed paths with Jesus, or Peter, or Paul, or any of the other apostles.
To the contrary, in I Corinthians 15:33 we read: "Bad company corrupts good morals." [NASB]. It's really common sense! We become like those we spend the most time with. In Solomon's book of Proverbs, the wisest man who ever lived advises to avoid the sluggard and his ways. Why? Obviously, because if we associate with sluggards, we will take on their characteristics and suffer their consequences!
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Are you positioning yourself wisely as you live your life from day-to-day? Do you deliberately associate with genuinely godly people? Are you catching the overflow of their blessedness?
Better yet!
Are you that genuinely godly person? Do people prosper simply because of their proximity to you? Are you honoring God with every aspect of your life? Are you catching His blessing and distributing it to others?
THINK ON THESE THINGS!
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