Integrity
Joseph and Potiphar's Wife
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!"
8 But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
11 One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
Reflection of Bee:
Having personal integrity in the eyes of God is important. When temptations come our way, our integrity or fear of God will keep us from falling. Though others may not know what we do but God knows. That's why Proverb 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom". Our fear of sinning against God will help us to be wise.
Dear Lord,
Cleanse me from all my sins tonight. Teach me to fear and honour You that I may not sin against You in any way.
In Jesus' name I ask. Amen.
Reflection of Tommy:
If we were to put weak excuses like “not to hurt/harm others” or “not to bring trouble or sin against our selves”, it’s easy to give in to temptation under pressure. But, we can learn from how Joseph responded when tempted. Instead of relying on all kind of excuses, we should view our act as sinning against God; an act of disobedience against God. This brings us into the right perspective when dealing with temptation.
Dear Father, thank You for showing to me how giving in to any kind of temptation is an act of disobedience against You- sinning against You. Thank You for teaching me that at times, merely trying to avoid temptation is not enough, I must ‘turn’ and ‘run’ from all things that may lead me to sin and stop making weak excuses that can be easily rationalized under pressure. Lord, I continue to pray for wisdom and strength to guide my every way each day. I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
