”But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” ◄ Deuteronomy 8:18 (KJV)
Congratulations and welcome to another brand new week.
Two weeks ago, we began a series titled: Gateways to Financial Fortune and so far in the series, we established that serving God and the interest of His kingdom with one’s resources is gateway to a world of financial fortune. Continuing with the series this week, I will like to begin by saying that no circumstance on earth can nullify any biblical covenant (Ps. 37:18-19).
In Genesis 42, the Bible has an account of Joseph, who had previously suffered injustice at the hands of his brothers, Potiphar; and Potiphar’s wife, at the helm of affairs in Egypt. 20 years previously, Joseph had a dream where he saw 11 plants bowing down to him. He also saw 11 stars bowing down, and the sun and the moon, perhaps his mother and father. But the 11 certainly referred to his brothers. When he told this dream to his elder brothers, they were infuriated and sold him off to slavery. One event led to another and suddenly Pharaoh had a very disturbing dream and Joseph was sent for to give him an interpretation. Joseph’s accurate interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dream was taken seriously and things were planned accordingly. As a reward for his strong skills, Joseph was made the prime minister and given a seal of authority.
While Joseph prospered, the entire region of the Middle East was hit by a famine. During this difficult period, Joseph’s father, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt because he knew that the country had stored grain. When 10 of his brothers got to Egypt, they unknowingly met with their long-lost brother Joseph. They did not recognize who he was so in Genesis 42:6, the Bible records that “they bow(ed) down before him with their faces to the ground.” - exactly the way Joseph had dreamed about in Chapter 37.
Inspite of the injustices Joseph suffered in the hands of his brothers, Potiphar and his wife, Joseph lived a life of integrity and was faithful to God in the midst of prosperity and adversity. As a result, Joseph enjoyed divine favour (Psa. 35:27/ Psa. 102:13-15) and was supernaturally fruitful (Exo. 23:25-26/ 2 Kings. 4:8-16). In the words of V. Raymond Edman (1900-1967), "delays (can) never thwart God’s purposes; it only polishes His instrument." Kingdom wealth is entrusted by the true giver of wealth, which is God to the people He trusts so as I sign off this week, my prayer for you is that you will remain committed to kingdom advancement investment because when you do, I have it on good authority that God will cause you to flourish supernaturally (Psa. 35:27/Psa. 102:13-15).
Kingdom wealth is an entrustment, not an achievement
John Adelekan
Resident/State Pastor