Last week, I introduced the concept of biblical stewardship. In the Bible, anytime you read about stewardship, it refers to someone as a manager of entrusted gifts and responsibilities—someone who is given the responsibility to take care of something on behalf of someone else.

For example, the managers mentioned in Scripture were often like managers in today’s world, overseeing accounts, households, and businesses. So, whenever we see the word “steward,” we can replace it with the biblical synonym of “manager.”

For each one of us as Christians, this relates to our faith and how we respond to God’s grace in our lives in everything we do and are responsible for, like your life, family, church, and jobs.

How are we managing our lives and everything do and own?

I have learned and observed over the years that once people know God loves them and dwell and live out in that love, they become better managers of everything they have. Once they realize the love and grace God has bestowed upon them, they become grateful and visionaries about making the world a better place. Whether it is by being nice to others, compassionate to those suffering, providing to those in need, whatever may be the case, they know they have a calling to a higher purpose as managers of God’s favor upon them.

Do you know that as children of God, God’s favor is upon each one of us? Yes, it is true. I know sometimes we feel more like cursed because of all of the bad things that happen to us or around us, but God’s favor is upon us despite all of that. The Bible teaches us that this is true for those who love and trust him.

There is a story in the Bible about a man who had God’s favor upon his life yet still had to overcome many trials. His life highlights the importance of good stewardship in all circumstances to not squander God’s favor in our lives. I am talking about Joseph of Egypt.

Who was Joseph? Joseph was the eleventh son of the thirteen Jacob had. Although at that time, he was the youngest and his father favored him, he was disliked and rejected by his older brothers out of jealousy.

One day, Joseph was sent from home by his father to check on his brothers. When he found them, the Bible tells us that “they conspired against him” to kill him but settled in selling him as a slave to Egypt. Then, they lied to their father, telling him that a wild beast had killed him.

Joseph’s life was radically changed at that moment. He went from being the beloved son of Jacob to become a slave in an unknown land.

In Egypt, he became a servant in the house of an Egyptian official named Potiphar. Genesis 39:4-6 tells us how Joseph fared during those trial times and how God’s favor in his life was present in him through everything,

So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him (his master, Potiphar); he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge; and, with him there, he had no concern for anything but the food that he ate.

Joseph’s story is one of the most well-known and fascinating stories from the Bible and teaches us a great deal about God’s favor and stewardship. Even though he was hated by his jealous brothers who seized him and sold him as a slave to Egypt, there he rose as a trustworthy servant and was successful in everything he did.

Listen again to this, “From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake.” Joseph was a good manager, a hard-working and faithful servant. God was with him and made him prosperous and successful despite the tragedies and suffering he had endured.

But this did not last long. In fact, it is just the beginning.

If you continue reading Genesis 39, this is what says next, “Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on him.” Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph repeatedly, but every time he rejected her. The last time that happened, Mrs. Potiphar accused him of sexual assault. Angered by his wife’s allegation, Potiphar had Joseph thrown into prison.

This was a great injustice. Joseph could have thought, “why does this stuff keep happening to me! First, my brothers, now this! I am a cursed man!”

Wouldn’t you do the same? I know that when we are going through a bad season, those kinds of thoughts may cross our minds and we are tempted to become bitter and resentful, which would be understandable considering the circumstances. But if we allow that to happen, we dig deeper and deeper into the pit of desolation in our hearts and minds.

Thankfully, that is not what happened to Joseph. He did not become resentful and bitter. Instead, this great injustice would lead Joseph closer to his greater task of stewardship. All these ups and downs (just like in our lives) were bolstering Joseph’s character and preparing him for his greater task of stewardship.

Here is what happened next after being thrown in jail falsely accused of committing a crime,

“But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.” (Genesis 39: 21-23)

First, he was betrayed by his brothers and sold as a slave; then, he was falsely accused and thrown into jail. As a slave, he became in charge of his master affairs; as a prisoner, he ran the prison—in a good way. Why? “Because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.”

It is incredible how Joseph could not be robbed of his anointing and the favor God placed upon his life; and no matter where he was or what happened to him, he was always standing firm on God’s promises. And whether he was treated as a slave or object or a criminal, he never stopped being what God made him be: a good, faithful servant. That is why he always prospered despite the people against him and the injustices done to him.

Let me ask you, have you ever had people against you or suffered unjustly because of someone else’s choices in life? Of course, we all have. This is a significant observation because when we talk about God’s favor, promises, anointing, prosperity, and success, we do not mean that we always get what we want but that we accomplish God’s purposes for our lives. That is why no evil or power or injustice in the world could stop Joseph from being blessed and becoming everything he was meant to be.

Do you see what is happening here? No matter who is against you and what they bring against you, no one can’t stop God’s favor over your life when you are a faithful steward.

See yourself in this story in place of Joseph. You are a child of God and God’s favor is upon you. As a mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, in all that you are, God is with you and wants to prosper you in good, kind, and gentle ways.

Now, you need to stand firm on God’s promises for your life too. This means that as much as you need to know and be confident that there is nothing this world can do to you that would take away God’s favor and anointing from you, you also need to make sure you become a good manager of what God has entrusted to your care and you don’t compromise who you are as a child of God. The only person with the power to derail your life is you.

For this, your responsibility as a steward of God’s favor is to keep working and managing well what God has entrusted to you, beginning with your life, faith, family, church, job and/or school.

I know sometimes it is hard to see and feel the favor, anointing, and blessing of God in our lives (I mean, think of Joseph and how many times he might have thought he was cursed!), yet God continues to carry us through so we can fulfill and accomplish God’s purposes as children of God. Even if sometimes we may endure trials and setbacks, we will always get back every time because God is with us, and God will prosper us once again.

This is part of the miracle in Joseph’s story and ours: that our lives will never end in a bad chapter because we stand on God’s promise of life forever.

What does this mean to us? We are halfway through this impossible journey of Joseph to become one of the most powerful and prosperous persons in Egypt—only second to Pharaoh. There is a lot more to learn from him next week. But what we know so far is that when we are good stewards, when we are trustworthy and responsible, we don’t have to worry about where our next blessing is going to come from or if God is working in our lives to bless us because all that is a promise. As children of God, we stand, live, and have our being in God’s promises of a good and abundant life.

I finish with this: How is this going to change your life today? How are you managing your life, family, church, job, or school? It is not a question of whether God wants to prosper and bless you, but if we are going to contribute to that success by being good managers too.

Remember, Joseph was a faithful steward, and everywhere he went and everything he was involved with prospered. So, today’s learning is that faithful stewardship overcomes all adversity and ultimately leads to prosperity and wellness.