Whenever my family is on a road trip, the question we ask ourselves is not “Where will we stop to eat,” but instead, “Which Chick-fil-A do we want to stop at?” Clearly we are big fans of this restaurant. We love Chick-fil-A for the same reason many of you probably do: it is consistent every time. As a result of their consistency, we know that each time we go to Chick-fil-A, we can expect good food, good service, and that we will hear the words, “My Pleasure!” Chick-fil-A’s consistency is a reminder to all of us the importance of living consistently, where our character remains true in all areas of life. In fact, when we study Scripture, it becomes clear that consistency is a part of living faithful lives.
Genesis 39 shows us that even though he was wronged and his world was turned upside down, Joseph had consistency. Jealous of Joseph’s dreams which made it clear that one day they would be serving him, his brothers ultimately sold him into slavery in Egypt. Alone, in a new country, and made to become a slave, Joseph could have been bitter. He could have been a terrible servant and thought about how angry he was at his brothers. Instead, Joseph showed consistency of character. He worked hard, lived faithfully to God, and honored God through his actions. His integrity, hard work, and consistency eventually earned him the role of Potiphar’s personal assistant. Potiphar was the captain of the guard for the King of Egypt (verse 1). For a time, things went well for Joseph. This lasted until Potiphar’s wife attempted to get Joseph to have an affair with her. Joseph refused, and out of retaliation, Potiphar’s wife got Joseph thrown in prison. If there was ever a time to become frustrated, it was now. Even still, Joseph’s character remained consistent. He impressed the warden of the prison so much that Joseph was put in charge of all other prisoners. Throughout all of this, Scripture teaches that “The Lord was with [Joseph] and caused everything he did to succeed” (verse 23). Are you recognizing a pattern here? Joseph was the same person whether at home, in Egypt as a slave, in positions of power, and in prison. What a picture of his faithfulness!
Joseph’s faithfulness is a model to us today of what it looks like to be consistent. Like Joseph, faithfulness requires us to remain consistent, whether in a palace, prison, or even a pandemic. May you and I live consistently with our character shining through all situations, always pointing others to Christ.
Take a few moments to examine your life. Is there an area where you have not been as consistent? If so, write those areas down. Take them to God, committing to grow consistently in those areas. Ask Him to help you as you seek to grow consistently faithful.
When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!
Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.
But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”
She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.
When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled, she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.”
She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said. “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!”
Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained. But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden. Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.
