This week I’m attending a class going over the entire account of Joseph in the Hebrew. It’s really a fascinating account isn’t it?

First his brothers wanted to kill him, instead his own brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt. There, in a foreign country, all alone, in a strange place, with a language he doesn’t seem to know, God arranges things that he ends up in Potiphar’s house. God blesses him so he’s put in charge of Potiphar’s estate. But then Potiphar’s wife wants to sleep with him. How should he handle this? He’s alone, he’s a slave, what should he do?

The devil knows when you and I are weak and he wants nothing less than for you and I to sin because he knows that sin – any sin- drives us away from God. And all sin has consequences. Think about what’s at stake with Joseph. God will work the preservation of the family through whom the Savior will be born into the world through…Joseph! What would happen if he sinned?

We can learn a few things about dealing with temptation from Joseph. First, notice that he’s devoted to his master, he’s thinking about others when temptation comes alluring. Second, he ends up fleeing her, just fleeing the source of temptation. But finally, it all boils down to this verse. Sin is a sin against God. He had an awareness of the presence of God.

Think about that next time temptation comes alluring. Who is my God? I have a God who loved me so much to become a human like me, to live the perfect life I should have, and to die on a cross for every time I’ve given into temptation. All so that I can live with Him in heaven forever! Wow! How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against such a God?

Living with an awareness of my gracious God, just like you,

pastor