Genesis | Pt. 40 God's Slingshot

In life you cannot force the hand of God but you can position yourself to be touched by the hand of God.
What we will see today is how Joseph was positioned for a touch of God's hand
Turn to Genesis 40
1st Peter 2:20
This verse is a summary of Joseph's life
Thrown in a pit, sold as a slave, accused of rape and tossed in prison while doing good
Through all this Joseph positioned himself for the hand of God to move for him to walk in his purpose
God takes all these bad things and works them together for the good of Joseph
We understand Rom 8:28 wrong
God’s purpose comes before my preference
God’s purpose comes before my plans
Good here means purpose not preference
Plans of man and providence of God are two different things
Many are the plans of men but the purpose of God prevai
Genesis 40:1
These two guys were once employees of Pharaoh but now find themselves in prison with Joseph.
The cupbearer was the one who tasted the food and drinks before Pharaoh just in case they were poisoned.
If there was poison down goes the cupbearer but Pharaoh would live on.
In ancient times the cupbearer and the king would always have a tight relationship because of how much time was spent together.
If you will remember Neimah was the cupbearer for the king of his day, which lead to a very close relationship.
There was trust between the cupbearer and the king.
But something happened between Pharaoh and this cupbearer and it probably included the baker since their jobs were intertwined. We are not sure what happened.
All we know is they both got thrown in prison with Joseph.
Isn’t it interesting how God works? Joseph winds up in prison with a man who once had a very close relationship with the king. And God will use this person to help Joseph get to his destiny.
Verse 4-8
Now if anyone had the right to be dejected and upset and depressed about his or her circumstances it was Joseph.
I mean every way he turns something bad happens to him, but he positioned himself by not getting bitter about his circumstances and even in the midst of his prison he was willing to listen and minister to these two guys who were really upset.
Joseph was not so consumed with a victim mentality that he could not be used by God, but instead he kept away from resentment and was used by God to minister to these two people and this is where the story gets really good.
But if Joseph would have been bitter about his life and so focused on how bad his situation was he would have missed the opportunity of a lifetime here with these dreams of these two men.
Bitterness is the trap of the enemy; like the African tribes catching a monkey
Because Joseph h remained free from bitterness he was ready for God to use him.
He was still willing to be used by God in order to serve others.
Don’t let the hurts of life cause you to stop serving people.
When you serve other people in the midst of your pain you are positioing yourself for the hand of God to touch you
Joseph could have said well it was a dream that got me in here; therefore I want nothing to do with your dreams.
Instead Joseph put aside his past hurt and was willing to serve in the present.
You may have been hurt in your past but don’t allow that to stop you from being used by God.
Serving God by serving people is so vital to position yourself for the hand of God to touch you
Serve
Remember back to when Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac
I find it so interesting that Rebekah's destiny was forever changed because of what most would say was an insignificant act of service
This insignificant act will change everything for Rebekah
She will marry Isaac, give birth to twins, and through her the messiah would enter the world
She reached her destiny by serving
We think we will reach our destiny by working our way to the top or some lucky break
God has installed a kingdom principled that you serve your way to the top
In our culture Serving is insignificant
When you serve God in the insignificant a new level of favor is released in your life just like Joseph and just like Rebekah
Rebekah didn't have to water those camels; she went the extra mile for a stranger
Look for ways to bless others even if it seems small or insignificant
Here is why
On the journey to reach your destiny and calling there is NO ELEVATOR
You will reach your destiny with many small, insignificant steps of serving others
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
Rebekah did something she thought was small but in reality it was big
If she wouldn’t have done the small thing of watering the camels she would have been identified to do the big thing of becoming Isaacs wife
The insignificant leads to the significant
Let me give you another example
1st Samuel 16 = Samuel annoints David with oil to be King
David goes back to taking care of a few sheep
1st Samuel 17 = David is asked to deliever sandwiches to his older brothers
David had a heart after God; David had a heart to serve