Emmanuel Okoro (aka MrLift)

Haste makes waste  "Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. But Joseph [first] shaved himself, changed his clothes, and made himself presentable; then he came into Pharaoh 's presence. (Gen.41.14 AMP) Too many of us are too in a hurry to make it. Nothing truly great happens in a hurry. It takes time, process, planning and then execution. We are so in a hurry that our haste create waste.  Pharaoh sent for Joseph and he was brought out of prison in a haste. That hasty actions were on the part of Pharaoh's officials. Joseph knew better. He did not allow their haste rush and push him. He found the time to shave, change his clothes and made himself presentable. Only after he had done this did he come into Pharaoh's presence.  A lot of people lost out because they did not make themselves presentable. People see you before they meet you. They judge you, accept or reject you before they accept or reject you. Egyptians do not like b...

Saves the best for last "Then the king's cup-bearer spoke up. "Today I have been reminded of my failure," he said. (Gen.41.9 NLT) Two full years was no small time to suffer amnesia. To forget the fingers that fed you? The destiny helpers God sent your way?  Let's backtrack for a bit - it is possible that if Joseph had not interpreted the head cupbearer's dream, Pharaoh still would have restored him. But since we were not told the timeline between when the dream was interpreted and when he was released, we could say that the interpretation gave him hope. And this was the same hope that Joseph sought - "just maybe if Pharaoh hears my side of the story, I would be released from this prison."  Only remember me when things are going well with you again--tell Pharaoh about me and get me out of this place. I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. And since I've been here, I've done nothing to deserve being put in this hole." (Gen.40.14-15...

If you want to go far...  "Two years passed and Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile River." (Gen.41.1)  If you want to go fast go alone but if you want to go far, go with others. This axiom rings true when you consider our text today.  The text simply says that Pharaoh had a dream. Let's pause there. Knowing what we know, it was the interpretation of this dream that propelled Joseph from prison to palace, from a prisoner to a prime minister.  It was true that Joseph had a dream of his own. But his dream wasn't going to amount to much except he succeeds at interpreting Pharaoh's dream.  We may individually have dreams, but not until our dreams finds synergy with others it may not amount to much. It was in servicing Pharaoh's dream that Joseph's dream came to reality. It may appear as though you are putting your own dream aside, or behind but we truly only become great when our dreams serve others.  As an employee, you have dreams of your own bu...

Men will forget  "But the head cupbearer never gave Joseph another thought; he forgot all about him. (Gen.40.23 MSB) It is human nature to forget things, especially when it is all dandy and rosey for them. Pain has a way of making us remember things we ordinarily should not remember. But in our pain, if we gain the right perspective we can learn.  I believe that it was in forgetting Joseph by the head Cupbearer that Joseph learnt to not just interpret dreams but to add a solution to it. But God will not forget. God always remembers.  The Bible says that God is always with us, that is, He never leaves nor forsake us. One major lesson we must take out of this is not just the forgetfulness of man but to learn not to put our trust in man. Joseph trusted that man was going to come through for him but man never gave Joseph a fighting chance. Man left Joseph in prison for two full years (see Gen. 41.1) Timing was another crucial factor that we cannot rule out. While Joseph was s...

The humanity of Joseph  "Only remember me when things are going well with you again--tell Pharaoh about me and get me out of this place. I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. And since I've been here, I've done nothing to deserve being put in this hole." (Gen.40.14-15) It is very important for us to sometimes remind ourselves that even the best of us Is but a man. And the story of Joseph illustrates this succinctly.  The Bible replete with the extraordinary example that Joseph was. Yet it does not fail to show us that he was also a man. And as a man some times succumb to his humanity.  Joseph in our text tells the Cup-bearer to remember him, that he was kidnapped and brought here and has not done anything that deserves for him to be in jail. So tell Pharaoh about me and get me from this place, he says.  I wanted us to see Joseph for who he really was - a man with fears, feelings and frailties just as you and I but yet trusted God. He did not allow his humanit...

It was a set up "On one of these days he came to the house to do his work and none of the household servants happened to be there." (Gen.39.11)  It was clear that Joseph was wise enough to avoid Pptiphar's wife. Despite her daily pestering, he avoided her until this very day that God had deem suitable for Joseph's setup.  When he got into the house to do his duties, none of the other men of the house were present. This is how we know it was a setup because the other men of the bouse would have been there but not one was there.  Interesting the God Who never leaves us was always with him.  "GOD was still with Joseph: He reached out in kindness to him; he put him on good terms with the head jailer." (Gen.39.21)  Not only was God with him, God put him in good terms with the head jailer. Do you remember Job's story, it was God Who initiated the conversation regarding his trial. God orchestrated Joseph jail experience because he wanted him to put him in touch...

My own vs our own   "But Onan knew that the child wouldn't be his, so whenever he slept with his brother's widow he spilled his semen on the ground so he wouldn't produce a child for his brother. (Gen.38.9 MSB) Growing up you hear people say "my own and our own' is not the same thing. I didn't understand it until much later. There is an adage that says, 'it is the other person's buttocks that tears the mat'. Meaning, when others want to sit on your mat, you refuse them saying you do not want the mat to be torn.  That is the lesson in our text today. How we treat others versus how we treat ourselves. The Bible says Er, the firstborn of son of Judah offended God and he was killed (see Gen. 38.7) and then the onus fell on his brother Onan to raise a seed for Er but every time he slept with Er's widow - Tamar, he would spill his semen on the ground so he wouldn't produce a child for his brother.  The only reason he spilled his semen is beca...

Stand your ground  "She pestered him day after day after day, but he stood his ground. He refused to go to bed with her." (Gen.39.10)  The devil do not only present sin to the believer he "persist" sin to us. Our text says that "she pestered him day by day. The reason some people become victims of sin, is not only because of its attraction but also the insistence of the enemy. The devil is at it until you give in but you do not have to and should not. Like Joseph you must and should "stand your ground"  The Bible says that Joseph stood his ground. Some believers are too easily swayed by the enemy. And one reason why this so is because believers do not know who they in Christ, what Christ has done and what they have in Christ. Stand your ground. The Bible say we have not yet resisted sin to the point of death.  "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Heb.12.4 NIV) When the devil pester you wit...

The Lord was with Joseph  "The LORD was with Joseph and blessed him greatly as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. (Gen.39.2 NLT) It is clear that the way God judges success is far from the way man judges it. Joseph was a slave in a foreign land, living with strangers and yet the Bible says "things went very well with him" (MSG) Another translation says "he was successful and prosperous man(AMP)  One then wonders what constitutes success and being prosperous in the sight of the Lord. The verse shows us very clearly. It say" The Lord was with Joseph". The Lord being with Joseph constituted success and prosperity, even though we know that as a slave Joseph had no right to ownership whatsoever,yet he was called successful and prosperous.  Jesus puts it this way, that a man's success does not consist of the things he possesses.  "Speaking to the people, he went on, "Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not...

The difficult route  "In Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, manager of his household affairs. [Gen.37.36] God does not always lead us in a straight, easy-going, trouble free route to the place of our destinies. He sometimes takes us through the difficult route.  Case in point, would it not have easier to deliver the three Hebrew boys, was it necessary to let go through the fire? What about Daniel, what was the point of the lion's den or couldn't Jesus have died a normal death, did he have to be shamed, go through the pain and the cross?  God did not lead Israel from the slavery of Egypt through the easy route.  "It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn't lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the shortest route, for God thought, "If the people encounter war, they'll change their minds and go back to Egypt." (Exod.13.17)  Could Joseph have become the Prime ...

Go and see...  "He said, "Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing and bring me back a report." He sent him off from the valley of Hebron to Shechem." (Gen.37.14)  Imagine if you will as a parent, sending your child off to fetch something and you were expecting the child back but that would be the last time, you would see that child. Just thinking about it leaves me shaken up.  Joseph will not return to this land and that will be the last time his beloved father would see him in a long while. Painful as this was, we know that it was God Who was at work. When you are submitted to God, and seeming painful events overtake you, do not despair, trust that God knows what God is doing. Joseph told is brothers that God was behind it. And that should help somebody deal with guilt and self blame.  "But don't feel badly, don't blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. God has sent me here to keep ...

Children get jealous but fathers, ponder "Joseph 's brothers envied him and were jealous of him, but his father observed the saying and pondered over it." (Gen.37.11 AMP) The difference between a child and an adult is as clear as day and night. The difference is seen in both their thoughts and actions. Length of days do not guarantee maturity but you need length of days in order to mature. Children act before thinking, adults think before they act.  The act of thinking, pondering is trait possessed mainly by adults. The Bible says while Joseph's brother were being envious and jealous, their father Jacob pondered over the matter. To think is a lost act. We live in a fast paced world that requires quick actions. But the impact of our actions are solely dependent on depth of our thoughts.  God is mighty in deed because He is first great in counsel (seeJer:32:19) Gods ways are higher than ours because His thoughts are higher than ours. Elevate your thought life and you wi...

Hate don't stop us "He had another dream and told this one also to his brothers: "I dreamed another dream--the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to me!" (Gen.37.9)  Hate don't stop us. Hate is a negative emotion, it motivate a lot of people to do the wrong thing. You can hardly do the right thing motivated by hate. Hate don't motivate us and hate don't stop us.  The story of Joseph is a clear example for us. He had a dream for which his brother hated him. For some, the hate of others would have been reason enough to not dream again, to quit. People have stopped laudable projects because some other people are not with them on it or because they do not see to eye on the matter.  Like Joseph you must not let their hate stop you. You may say, "well it is not hate per se, but they do not encourage me or they do not believe in me". Do not let them stop you. As long as you know that God is in it with you.  The Apostle Paul says it this way: ...

The legacy sons "Meanwhile Jacob had settled down where his father had lived, the land of Canaan." (Gen.37.1)  Who starts a sentence with 'meanwhile' unless it was contracted with an earlier stated idea. Jacob, we are told settled where his father Isaac had lived. Which also was where Abraham lived. But the blessings of the first born had passed not to Esau but to Jacob. This may account for why Jacob was in such a hurry to get back home.  Eusa and his family however, had to relocate from the vicinity.  "Esau gathered up his wives, sons and daughters, and everybody in his household, along with all his livestock--all the animals and possessions he had gotten in Canaan--and moved a considerable distance away from his brother Jacob."(Gen.36.6) But when we pick up the story in verse 2, this time it continues with Joseph.  "This is the story of Jacob. The story continues with Joseph, seventeen years old at the time, helping out his brothers in herding the fl...

Be careful when you mourn "While he was there, Reuben slept with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and someone told Jacob about it. These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob" (Gen.35.22 NLT) Mourning is a difficult time and they are inevitable. If you live long enough you will encounter something that cause pain and results in mourning and if one is not careful, mourning periods leaves one vulnerable and susceptible to attacks.  Because at this time, one lets down ones guard.  In our text we are told the story of how Reuben slept with Bilhah his father's concubine. Jacob had just lost his wife Rachel and they didn't really have time to mourn as they should because they were on their way to see Isaac just before he dies. God had instructed Jacob to go back home.  Belhah was Rachel's maid and she must have been pained at the death of her mistress and this would have left her vulnerable. People in mourn do all sorts of strange things, perhaps to compensate fo...

Don't stop moving "Rachel died and was buried on the road to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem.Jacob set up a pillar to mark her grave. It is still there today, "Rachel's Grave Stone." Israel kept on his way and set up camp at Migdal Eder." (Gen.35.19-21)  Let your resolve be such that no excuse or reason is good enough to stop you from achieving God's agenda for tour life. One wonders at the sense of urgency that aided Jacob as he rushes back home to see his father before his father dies.  On his way back home, his daughter was raped, his wife dies, he hurriedly buried her and would not sit down and mourn. He would not let the passing of his beloved wife, for whom he worked fourteen good years deter him from God's agenda for his life. His wife died but he kept moving.  "Finally, Jacob made it back home to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath Arba, present-day Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived. Isaac was now 180 years old. Isaac breathed his l...

Leave Bethel "Leaving Bethel, they traveled on toward Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). But Rachel's pains of childbirth began while they were still some distance away." (Gen.35.16 NLT) One would wonder why God would ask Jacob to leave Bethel when He was the One that asked Jacob to go and stay there in the first place. We must understand that God is a God of purpose and that He never does anything without purpose. Purpose that may not be obvious to us at the time.  God sometimes takes us through, in order to bring us to. Bethel was a place Jacob needed to go through in order to come into the promises of God. Sometimes, God let's us go through stuff so He could reveal an aspect of Himself to us. He allows us go through those seeming difficult situations, only for Him to show us an aspect of Himself we would never find out otherwise.  They had to leave Bethel.  Why?  So that they can come into the age-long promise that God had handpicked him for.  "the land I gave Abr...

Go back to Bethel "God spoke to Jacob: "Go back to Bethel. Stay there and build an altar to the God who revealed himself to you when you were running for your life from your brother Esau." (Gen.35.1)  This is a clarion call to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ - "Go back to Bethel". Bethel when translated means the house of God and God spoke to Jacob asking him to go back to the house of God. There at the house of God, Jacob encountered God personally, God revealed himself to Jacob at Bethel.  Bethel symbolically is that place where you find God for yourself. It is the place where God is real to you. Job, at some point came to this place and he said: "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee." (Job.42.5 KJV) Bethel is the place where you experience God firsthand. God told Jacob not only to go back there but "to stay there and build an alter". He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High. If we...

Don't marry for wealth "This is a very good deal for us--these people are very wealthy with great herds of livestock and we're going to get our hands on it. So let's do what they ask and have them settle down with us." Everyone who was anyone in the city agreed with Hamor and his son, Shechem; every male was circumcised." (Gen.34.23-24)  For many people, marriage is transactional. They said to themselves "this is a very good deal for us". They were not looking at what they were bringing to the table but what they were going to be taking away.  And then they added, "These people are very wealthy". This is a blinding factor for most people. They refuse to see the person for who the person is but for what the person has. The person's wealth now becomes a blindfold over their minds and eyes such that they cannot see his or her faults, failings and faltering.  "we are going to get our hands on it" they opined. Greed has replaced g...