What Is Success

What Is Success "The Lord was with Joseph, and he prospered; and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master." Genesis 39:2 Many people struggle with the term success, and value it greatly in life. To be successful in our life is something that we all pursue and desire, in one form or another. The funny thing is that each us has a slightly different definition of what success is. Success for some might be to have enormous wealth and material possessions. For another success might be a grand title after their name. Others may want to be famous and be recognized for their achievements. For another success may be to be president or CEO of your own business or company. One thing I can guarantee you is that not a single one of us would include being a slave in that definition. But take a look at the verse above, as we see Joseph being a slave for much of his life. Notice that Joseph was a successful man in our Bible, all while being in the house of his master. Joseph was sold into slavery. He was forced to be a servant... first for Potiphar and then directly under Pharaoh. Never in his days in Egypt did Joseph live independently of his Egyptian masters. And yet the Bible says repeatedly that Joseph found favor with God and that everything he put his hand to prospered. You see, God can still show us His favor, even if we're not in what we feel like are the best circumstances. We just need to let Him be in control of our life, and He will use us in the way He chooses and fulfill the plan He has for us. We need to shake off the world's definitions of success and take on God's definitions for success. But most importantly, we need to learn to be content where God has placed us in life. Only when we learn to be content and thankful for where we are, and what we have, will God see fit to prosper us. This is not sometimes an easy thing for us to do and accept, but it's what God desires for us. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven November 21