SOMETIMES IT HAS TO BE A NO
Genesis 39:7-9
Then after a time his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, Lie with me. But he refused and said to his master's wife, See here, with me in the house my master has concern about nothing; he has put all that he has in my care. He is not greater in this house than I am; nor has he kept anything from me except you, for you are his wife. How then can I do this great evil and sin against God?
Human life revolves around the little, tiny decisions of the everyday life. Whether we like it or not, we are alive because of decisions that we or others make or made days or years ago. We are alive because God decides to keep us alive through the day.
Decisions of today are the makers and breakers of tomorrow. The things we say or do today have a long way of getting us fixed or destroyed whether now or in the future. Joseph in our text verse was a man whose looks gave him out as a lady's man. He was successful and had an unusual pedigree of excellence. He had it all while as a slave in a strange land. When Potiphar's wife accosted him and made sexual advances towards him, all he had to do was say yes and it'll all be a little moment of sexual pleasure and gratification. No one would have known and everything would simply have gone back to what they used to be, or so it seemed. But beyond the pleasure that he saw today, Joseph saw a future that was either reinforced or destroyed by his actions today. So that you will understand just what today's decisions can mean to tomorrow, compare two stories: Joseph and David.
JOSEPH'S TODAY: was handed an opportunity to have sex with a woman. JOSEPH'S DECISION: No
JOSEPH'S TOMORROW: went to jail, promoted IN jail, then promoted TO the number two position Egypt, then saved his family from the famine, then saved many lands from dying.
DAVID'S TODAY: was handed an opportunity to have sex with a very beautiful woman.
DAVID'S DECISION: Yes
DAVID'S TOMORROW: incest in his household, death of his two sons due to internal struggles, exile from his kingdom by his very own son, divine destruction of the land of Israel for 3 days.
Surely, that was a steep enough price for making the wrong decisions. What more can we say about Gehazi, servant of Elisha? Or Joshua, who made a decision to stand with and for God against popular opinion? Today's decisions, I say again, today's decisions can and will determine tomorrow's victors and victims.
I have made a lot of mistakes in my life today-products of wrong decisions. Each day, the Lord shakes me up about the things/decisions I make. For this reason, I am eager to partner with God in all that I do or desire to do. A bad decision is nothing but any decision that does not pass the test of divine approval. Make the right decisions today.
Father, let every decision in my life whether small or great revolve around Your perfect Will. I refuse to do it my own way. Let the decisions that I make today count in my favour tomorrow in Jesus Name.
Great post, no might upset them but it will set you free
No would take the place of yes at the right time and right situation.
Hmm, serious moral lesson to be learnt