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How to keep achieving your goals
By.Dr.Sammy D.James
I like to define success as the progressive realization of a worthy goal. The purpose of this message is to tell you of a wonderful way to keep realizing -- to keep achieving -- your goals, one after another, in the years ahead.
A goal sometimes seems so far off, and our progress often appears to be so painfully slow, that we have a tendency to lose heart. It sometimes seems we'll never make the grade. And we come close to falling back into old habits that, while they may be comfortable now, lead to nowhere.
Well, there's a way to beat this. It's been used successfully by many of the world's most successful people, and it's been advocated by many of the greatest thinkers. It's to live successfully one day at a time!
The building blocks of a successful life
A lifetime is comprised of days, strung together into weeks, months and years. Let's reduce it to a single day, and then, still furthermore, to each task of that day.
A successful life is nothing more than a lot of successful days put together. It's going to take so many days to reach your goal. If this goal is to be reached in a minimum amount of time, every day must count.
Think of a single day as a building block with which you're building the tower of your life. Just as a stonemason can put only one stone in place at a time, you can live only one day at a time. And it's the way in which these stones are place that will determine the beauty and the strength of your tower. If each stone is successfully placed, the tower will be a success. If, on the other hand, the stones are put down in a hit-or-miss fashion, the whole tower is in danger. Now this may seem to be a rather elementary way of looking at it, but I want to make my point clear -- and it's a good and logical way of looking at a human life.
Putting this idea into practice
All right, then, let's take it one day at a time, from the time we wake up in the morning until we drop-off to sleep at night, keeping our goal in mind as often as possible.
Now, each day consists of a series of tasks -- tasks of all kinds. And the success of a day depends upon the successful completion of most of these tasks. If everything we do during the day is a success -- that is, done in the best fashion of which we are capable -- we can fall asleep that night in the comfortable knowledge that we've done our very best, that our day has been a success, that one more stone has been successfully put into place.
Do each day all that can be done that day. You don't need to overwork -- or to rush blindly into your work, trying to do the greatest possible number of things in the shortest possible amount of time. Don't try to do tomorrow's or next week's work today. It's not so much the number of things you do, but the quality, the efficiency of each separate action that counts. Gradually, you'll find yourself increasing the number of tasks and performing them all much more efficiently.
This is the way to really live!
Want to be more successful? Develop an attitude of service
According to the late self-help expert Earl Nightingale, our success in life is directly proportional to the number of people we serve and the quality of that service. While this life principle may seem to be so simple as to be-self-evident, it's surprising the number of people who don't seem to be unaware that it applies to them. But, like any natural law, it does apply, to everyone.
Let's take a closer look at the relationship between your service and your compensation in life, and then explore some creative ways that you can enrich others -- and yourself -- by increasing your service to them.
Measuring your service
Earl Nightingale was a fan of visual metaphors as a tool for communicating important principles and concepts. To illustrate the relationship between service and compensation, he used the image of an apothecary scale -- the type of measuring device once used in pharmacies in the early part of the 20th century. It consisted of two bowls, hung from a horizontal arm. In one bowl, the pharmacist placed the medicine to be weighed. In the other bowl, he or she placed precisely calibrated metal weights, until the two sides of the scale were in balance -- in other words, until the arm was perfectly horizontal.
What does an old pharmacy scale have to do with our comparison of success and service? Imagine that one of the bowls is marked "compensation" and the other is marked "service." According to Nightingale, we only need to focus on the quality of the service we provide and the number of the people whom we serve -- the service side of the scale. The compensation will follow, in proportion to the service we offer to others. As you sow, so shall you reap.
Focus on service, not compensation
Many people, Nightingale complained, are too focused on increasing their compensation, without providing a commensurate increase in their service. Many people fall prey to an attitude of, "My employer isn't paying me enough, so I won't do any more for them." Others may feel stuck on the same job, year after year, but never make a personal commitment to learn more about their job or profession, and therefore increase their ability to serve their employer, and therefore their value.
Many organizations offer credit for continuing education as part of their compensation packages, yet these benefits are often chronically underutilized by workers. In short, the vast majority of people who complain about the lack of pay, fulfillment and opportunity in their careers are victims not of their jobs, but of the attitudes they hold about their jobs. In other words, these people are focusing their attention on the wrong side of the scale.
In order to increase our compensation, you must develop creative ways to increase your service -- and in so doing, set in motion a positive "boomerang effect" of increasing returns to yourself. For those who understand this principle, life is a grand adventure. These unique souls focus on the service side of the scale, and superior compensation follows in turn, in proportion to their service.
Strategies for improving your service
So how can you increase your service, and therefore your compensation? There are many creative ways to do this. One of the best strategies is to engage in continuous, ongoing learning in your field of study as well as other areas of interest to you. By developing a mindset of continuous learning, you are constantly feeding the raw material pile of your mind, which it can then draw upon when you're brainstorming.
For example, one of my "occupational hobbies" has been business creativity and innovation. I read every book and article I can get my hands on, I subscribe to creativity newsletters and I purchase and use tools designed to help me develop more and better innovative ideas. The results in my career have been outstanding, and my expanded ability to think creatively has had a very positive influence on all areas of my life. It is also resulted in a launch of the InnovationTools Web site you are visiting right now!
People who engage in continuous learning naturally tend to outgrow their jobs over a period of time, often resulting in promotions or better job offers. Most often, people are promoted because they have outgrown their current position, not because they have repeated the same level of experience year after year.
Another way to increase your service is to cultivate what's called an "insight outlook." In other words, learn from your experiences and your ongoing education, but always with an eye toward how you can apply it or adapt it to your current situation. Companies are always in need of fresh ideas, insights and outlooks, and they will pay the people who provide them and who can solve problems creatively.
Align yourself with opportunity
In addition, Earl Nightingale believed (and I agree) that people who concentrate on the service side of the scale find themselves profiting from all sorts of unique opportunities that others dismiss as "luck."
To use another metaphor, opportunities and ideas don't come into your life dressed as shiny gems or diamonds. Rather, they tend to appear like diamonds in the rough, or as opportunities dressed in work clothes. In other words, it's easy to look right at a situation that contains a potential opportunity, and overlook it. On the other hand, if you know what you're looking for, you can uncover these opportunities, often right under your own nose. You must then use your creative thinking and problem solving skills to hone them and shape them into the successes they will one day become.
Conclusion
As you can see, your success in life depends, in large part, on cultivating an attitude of service, and by providing value to others. If you want to be more successful, stop focusing on how much you're being compensated today. Instead, using the strategies you've read about in this article, spend some time brainstorming new ways to increase your service to your employer, your family and the other people whom you serve in your life. I think you'll be delighted by the results. After all, as you sow, so shall you reap.
Success strategy: The Law of the Farm
Most knowledge in any area resembles a mosaic of facts, principles and applications, with each expert building upon and enhancing the ideas of others in that field. In the same way, the ideas and principles of self-help authors often overlap and intersect in remarkable ways. One recent connection I discovered is that between Steven Covey's "Law of the Farm" and the late Earl Nightingale's concept of considering each day as the basic "building block" of a successful life.
The Law of the Farm
The concept behind the Law of the Farm is simple: As in farming, success in life comes from regular disciplined, daily effort. Jesus expressed this life principle in the Bible, when he told us that as we sow, so shall we reap.
A farmer cannot expect to reap a bumper crop by being lazy for three months and then "cramming" to catch up. Similarly, the greatest successes in life are built slowly and deliberately through focused, consistent, high-quality efforts on a daily basis.
The basic unit of success: The day
Covey's Law of the Farm principle is strikingly similar to a concept presented by the late Earl Nightingale in one of his audiotapes. In Nightingale's mind, success is built upon the most basic building block of time -- the day. Success comes not from sudden, sporadic bursts of activity but through the cumulative effect of disciplined, daily effort.
Looking back upon a successful life, Nightingale asserted, a person would usually discover that no one individual day was responsible for turning the trick. Rather, it was the successful succession of days, lived as best as one can, one day at a time, that was responsible for his or her ultimate success.
There are no shortcuts
Today, it seems like many people want instant wealth and success. They want the rewards of life, but don't really want to put forth the effort and creativity it actually takes to become successful. The metaphor of "cramming" Nightingale referred to could be compared today to those people who are constantly on the lookout for "get rich quick" schemes -- shortcuts to material success which are usually too good to be true, or which may involve some moral or ethical compromises.
If these people only knew about the Law of the Farm, they would realize that they can only reap what they have sown. So if you want to increase your harvest, increase the quality of your efforts in tending to the garden plot of your work and home lives.
Conclusion
In short, success comes not from finding an easy shortcut or by taking advantage of one's fellow man, but from daily, disciplined, focused effort, directed tirelessly toward a desirable goal. Try putting the Law of the Farm to work for you on a daily basis; you'll be amazed with the results over time!
How to creatively meet customer needs, and grow your business,your Church,your
Country,your Organization,your Party Political, in the process
These days we hear a lot about surviving big businesses and how important it is to be big and survive. There's nothing wrong with big business and one of the most interesting things about it is that no matter how big it might be today -- it started small.
One of the largest corporations in the United States was started with about thirty thousand dollars of borrowed money and after ten years of operation had only six thousand dollars in the bank. A good thing to remember is that every business, no matter how far-flung or how many thousands of employees and skyscraper office buildings it might have, got its start in the mind of one human being.
Find a need and fill it!
Committees and groups are good when it comes to solving problems, but every good idea had to start in the mind of one human being and usually is the result of something observed. One could start a business of their own this year that in twenty or thirty years will be a big far-flung business, too!
There are people who think all the good businesses are taken or that there are not opportunities anymore, but they are full of hot air. There are quite a few of them running around. They make one want to quote Shakespeare's classic line, "He jests at scars that never felt a wound."
Six words lie at the root of any business success: FIND A NEED AND FILL IT! The extent of your success will be determined by your ability to fill a need and by the need's importance.
Anytime we see a business that is thriving and successful we realize that it is filling a need. If it were not, it would stop thriving and close shop. The size of a business is controlled by the number of people it serves. For example, a store that can accommodate 500 people must be larger than a business that accommodates 100.
Undiscovered opportunities exist in any kind of business
I know a man who made a small gas station into a really big business. He was watching a customer and noticed that while the customer's car was being serviced, he simply waited. The customer had money to spend and there were undoubtedly things he would buy or needed -- but they were not available. My friend started adding things and kept adding them until he ended up with a big sporting goods store alongside a large, modern gas station. While servicing a car at his station, one could buy anything from a pack of gum to a $200 fishing rod. On any given Friday or Saturday, he rings approximately forty or fifty thousand dollars in sales from waiting customers.
My friend's business is not different from any other gas station in the country, but he thought about his business and had an idea. He saw a need and filled it. He could sell his business today for a few million dollars.
The fact is -- there is more opportunity today than ever before -- we just have to see it!
A lot of people want to try new things but are too afraid of change. Remember … it is impossible to reach second base without taking your foot off of first.
River people vs. goal people
By Chuck Frey
The late self-help expert Earl Nightingale once explained that there are two types of people: river people and goal people. Both types of people can experience personal fulfillment and success in life, although in different ways.
Goal People
Most of us are undoubtedly familiar with goal people. They are the individuals who write down their objectives and timetables for reaching them, and then focus on attaining them, one by one.
By laying out a roadmap of future achievements in front of them, goal people give their creative minds a clear set of stimuli to work on. Their subconscious minds can then get to work incubating ideas and insights that will help them to reach their goals.
To use a football analogy, goal people need an end zone or a set of (what else?) goal posts, upon which they can focus their creative energies.
River People
River people, on the other hand, don't like to follow such a structured route to success. They are called river people because they are happiest and most fulfilled when they are wading in a rich "river" of interest -- a subject or profession about which they are very passionate. While they may not have a concrete plan with measurable goals, river people are often successful because they are so passionate about their area of interest. This, in turn, helps them to recognize breakthrough opportunities that may not even be visible on the mental radar screens of the more narrowly focused goal people.
River people are explorers, continually seeking out learning opportunities and new experiences. For river people, joy comes from the journey, not from reaching the destination -- exactly the opposite of goal people.
From the standpoint of creativity, river people are more likely to benefit from serendipity, because they tend to be more open to new ideas, points of view and insights than single-minded, focused goal people.
Recognizing both qualities in yourself
Most people are a combination of these two personality types. I know I am. In my full-time job, I am expected to be goal oriented. I have specific personal and departmental objectives for which I'm responsible.
At the same time, however, I get the most "juice" out of being an explorer, learning new skills, collecting information and writing about innovation and technology -- and nurturing this growing Web site! So at different times, I embody characteristics of both a goal person and a river person. Likewise, most of you embody traits of both personality types at one time or another.
The important point is to recognize and nurture both aspects of your personality. Joyce Wycoff, in her new book, "A Year of Waking Up," tells a story that illustrates this in a memorable way. When she reached the age of 50, she felt curiously unfulfilled. At the same time, a little, persistent voice inside her was urging her on to explore new activities and experiences. She answered that call, taking art classes, keeping a personal journal, writing poetry and pursuing other artistic endeavors. It has been a marvelous, exciting, enlightening journey ever since.
"This journey has made me wonder anew how much there is to ourselves that remains undiscovered," she reflects. "Are we like a fractal (image) that, as we zoom in, reveals ever more patterns, each wonderful and beautiful?"
Indeed, there is so much to explore and so much to know that we ought to make time in our lives for both our goal and river personas. Both bring richness and fullness to our lives, like yin and yang sides of our personality.
If you're predominantly a goal person, why not slow down and smell the roses, as our friend Joyce Wycoff did? Take an art class, just for the fun of it. Try reading different magazines. Talk to different people, or go to different seminars or classes outside of your core competencies, with the goal of opening yourself up to new experiences. I think you'll be amazed at the richness these new inputs bring to your life.
If you're predominantly a river person, you may want to try brainstorming a handful of goals for yourself, to give yourself a bit more focus and direction. For example, you may want to jot down lists of books you'd like to read, knowledge or skills you'd like to acquire or places you'd like to visit.
Finally, be on the lookout for new experiences and learning opportunities on a daily basis. You never know when they're going to appear -- the key is to recognize them when they do!
The Strangest Secret
When we say "nearly five percent of men and women achieve success" then we have to define success. The following is the best definition we've found: "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal."
If a person is working toward a predetermined goal and knows where to go, then that person is successful. If a person does not know which direction they want to go in life, then that person is a failure.
"Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal."
Therefore, who succeeds?
The only person who succeeds is the person who is progressively realizing a worthy ideal. The person who says, "I'm going to become this"… and then begins to work toward becoming it.
Have you ever wondered why so many men and women work so hard and honestly without ever achieving anything in particular? Why others do not seem to work hard at all and yet get everything? We sometimes think it is the magic touch or pure luck. We often say, "Everything they touch turns to gold." Have you ever noticed that a person who becomes successful tends to continue this pattern of success? Or on the other hand, how a person who fails seems to continually fail?
Well, the answer is simple -- those who succeed have established personal goals.
Success is not the result of making money; making money is the result of success and success is in direct proportion to our service.
Here are five steps that will help you realize success:
Establish a definite goal.
Stop running yourself down.
Do not think of all the reasons why you cannot be successful -- instead think of all the reasons why you can achieve success.
Trace your emotions back to childhood -- discover where you first got the negative idea you would not be successful -- face your fears.
Renew your self-image by writing a description of the person you want to become -- Act the part -- You are that person!
George Bernard Shaw said:
"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them."
Well, that is pretty apparent, isn't it? And every person who discovered this believed – for a while – that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.
Now, it stands to reason that a person who is thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal is going to reach it, because that's what he's thinking about. And we become what we think about.
Conversely, the man who has no goal, who doesn't know where he's going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion and anxiety and fear and worry, becomes what he thinks about. His life becomes one of frustration and fear and anxiety and worry.
And if he thinks about nothing…he becomes nothing.
So decide now. What is it you want? Plant your goal in your mind. It's the most important decision you'll ever make in your entire life. All you've got to do is plant that seed in your mind, care for it, and work steadily toward your goal, and it will become a reality.
How do you begin?
First: It is understanding emotionally as well as intellectually that we literally become what we think about; that we must control our thoughts if we're to control our lives. It's understanding fully that…"as ye sow, so shall ye reap."
Second: It's cutting away all fetters from the mind and permitting it to soar as it was divinely designed to do. It's the realization that your limitations are self-imposed and that the opportunities for you today are enormous beyond belief. It's rising above narrow-minded pettiness and prejudice.
Third: It's using all your courage to force yourself to think positively on your own problems, to set a definite and clearly defined goal for yourself. To let your marvelous mind think about your goal from all possible angles; to let your imagination speculate freely upon many different possible solutions. To refuse to believe that there are any circumstances sufficiently strong to defeat you in the accomplishment of your purpose. To act promptly and decisively when your course is clear. And to keep constantly aware of the fact that you are, at this moment, standing in the middle of your own "acres of diamonds."
And fourth: Save at least 10 percent of every dollar you earn.
It's also remembering that, no matter what your present job, it has enormous possibilities – if, you're willing to pay the price by keeping these four points in mind:
You will become what you think about.
Remember the word "imagination" and let your mind begin to soar.
Courageously concentrate on your goal every day.
Save 10 percent of what you earn.
Finally, take action – ideas are worthless unless we act on them.
Dr.Sammy D.James
President of WVMI.World Vision Ministries International.
17 ene 2010
Purpose Driven Leader.By Dr.Sammy D.James
I,Dr.SammyD.James,i have a Clear Vision.
As a student and mentor of leadership for many years, one of my driving ambitions has always been to find what stirs people not only to succeed--but also to make a positive contribution to the world. How can we inspire leaders "to do well while doing good," in ways that stick and do not attenuate over time? My own experience and study after study show that the most successful leaders, and the truly great ones, balance their personal ambition with a dedication to a greater cause--what is known as a purpose driven leader. Some leaders may get by in being overly self-interested in the short run, but not over the long haul. If you look at the litany of derailed business and political leaders over the last decade, the one thing they have in common is overly self-interested ways of being. Check it out for yourself.
Take Wall Street as an example: Its purpose is to serve its customers and the American economy by providing well-functioning capital markets for producing goods, services, and innovation; but over the last decade, banks lost much of their liquidity by over-investing in risky assets to making their executives rich. Wall Street leaders lost their sense of purpose, and their actions led to the crashing of our economy. Tuesday's New York Times has an article, for example, on how Goldman Sachs' traditional ethos of customer service has faded in favor of simply making money. In contrast, Steve Friedman, a former CEO of Goldman Sachs, recently spoke at Cornell's Johnson School and said that while the truly great leaders on Wall Street are driven to make money, they also are motivated to serve something greater--a purpose other than themselves. As Henry Ford once said, "Any business that is just about making money is a poor kind of business."
Now let's look at Joe Lieberman: His purpose is to serve as an elective representative of the constituency of his state. Constituents in that state favor the public healthcare option, but Lieberman just announced he is against the Medicare buy-in version of that plan--even though he supported it just three months ago. Why? Self-interest, plain and simple. Rather than to serve his elected purpose, he feathers his nest with large contributions from rich insurance companies in his state with pharmaceutical lobbyists in Washington. He also gets to pay back liberal voters who refused to support him when he lost his primary in 2005. In waiting to the last minute, he has hijacked the process and magnified his power and influence as never before. As a result, he has made his position about himself and not about the people he serves.
What's the real reason our political process is so maddening? Our elected officials put the interests of their party, and their own re-election, above everything else. So we get gridlock and watered down healthcare bills at best. It's a sad state in our democratic process when one man can derail legislation for his own personal gain or thwart the public good for sake of special interests.
We need a new kind of leader, ones that are more purpose-driven.
Early on in the program I direct at Cornell's Johnson School, I ask students to develop personal mission statements through a process of several reflective exercises. Almost without fail, what they come up with statements that lead them to want to make a positive impact on the world. One of them reads, "I will work for the success and betterment of myself, my family, my community, my nation, and my world. I will wake up every day wondering how I can do this. I will work hard to learn as much as I can, because with knowledge and understanding comes influence and strength. I will stay true to my beliefs. Looking back on life, I will be proud of what I've done, who I've spent time with, and how I've spent my time. If I have achieved this, I have achieved success." If he maintains that sense of purpose, I bet his chances of success, as well as happiness, are pretty good.
I also bet if Wall Street executives and our politicians had a similar purpose, and tied that to their companies and their legislative processes, we could have avoided some of the periodic upheaval and political gridlock of our time.
Joseph: The Man with a Divine Purpose.
Joseph had a lot of things going his way in life at first. He was handsome. He was the first son born to Jacob through Rachel, and therefore, he was his father’s favorite son. He had great dreams that made him feel good about himself. But then one day his entire life changed. Can you imagine how it must have felt to know your brothers hated you so much that they would sell you out of their lives? He was forced to leave the comfortable life he had known, full of love from his parents, and go forth into the unknown. How frightening that must have been for a boy of 17. Yet, God had His hand on Joseph. God had a divine purpose for this young man. Joseph didn’t know why God had chosen this path for his life until the very end, yet he never seemed to waver. God was always in control. Joseph kept his eyes on God, and He used Joseph greatly. What an encouragement to us. Let God use you where you are. Let Him use you in the hard times, as well as the good times.
The story of Joseph spans many chapters, Genesis 37-50. We could actually do an entire study just on the life of Joseph, but because of time limitation, we will just focus on the key events in his life.
Lord, thank you for the lessons you teach me through Joseph’s life. Encourage me through his life to seek you more intimately and to trust you for every situation that comes into my life. Keep me mindful that you are always in control.
DAY 1: Joseph and His Family
Looking to God’s Word
Genesis 37
1. How would you describe Joseph’s relationship with his brothers?
2. Could Joseph have prevented the jealousy of his brothers? Why or why not?
3. How would you describe his relationship with his father Jacob?
4. In verses 21-27 Reuben and Judah came to Joseph’s defense. Why would these two, of all the brothers, try to save Joseph?
Looking Upward
5. How do you see God’s sovereign hand at work throughout this chapter?
6. How do you see God’s hand at work in your own life?
Looking Deeper
•We are told in Genesis 37:3 that Jacob made Joseph a varicolored tunic. What was the significance of this tunic and what impact might that have had on his brothers?
•How was God already developing Joseph’s gifts at the age of 17?
Looking Reflectively
God “broke” Joseph by taking him out of comfortable circumstances
and stretching him. God often has to “break” us before He can use us.
•How has God “broken” you? How did it “strengthen” you?
•Are you willing to let God do whatever He needs to in your life to make you usable to Him? If not, why? Be honest with the Lord, and ask Him to make you willing, trusting His loving and sovereign hand in your life.
DAY 2: Joseph’s Early Life in Egypt
Chapter 38 seems like an “interruption” to our story of Joseph in Egypt, but it is a narrative of what took place back in Canaan during this time, especially concerning the life of Judah. We pick up our narrative of Joseph in Chapter 39.
Looking to God’s Word
Genesis 39
1. How did God use Joseph’s captivity for good (vv. 1-6)?
2. How was Joseph able to resist the temptation of Potiphar’s wife day after day (vv. 7-18)?
3. Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and Potiphar believed his wife over Joseph, resulting in his imprisonment. Yet, how did God use this for good?
4. What was one “mistake” that Joseph made that perhaps could have prevented the false accusation against him?
5. What does it mean that the Lord was “with Joseph”?
Looking Upward
6. Does God’s favor mean prosperity? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever been falsely accused? How did you handle it? What resulted from it?
Looking Deeper
•What does Stephen have to say about Joseph and what God did for him in Acts 7:9-10?
•As you look back over this chapter, note the times God’s favor and blessing on Joseph is mentioned. How does one gain favor?
Looking Reflectively
Joseph lived a life of integrity and was faithful to God in the
midst of prosperity and adversity. He is a great example for us to follow.
•Are you living faithfully in the midst of prosperity and adversity?
•Do others around you see Christ in you?
DAY 3: Joseph’s Rise To Power
Looking To God’s Word
We will not be able to look at every verse of every chapter, so I will try to summarize as we skim the following chapters.
Genesis 40:1-8
1. The king’s cupbearer and baker offended him, resulting in their being thrown into prison with Joseph. What do you learn about Joseph from the way he responded to them in prison?
2. The rest of the chapter tells of their dreams, Joseph’s interpretation of the dreams, and how the interpretations were later fulfilled. In Genesis 40:14-15 and 20-23, how was life once again “unfair” to Joseph?
Genesis 41:1-8 tells us of Pharaoh’s dream and his inability to find someone able to interpret it. In verses 9-14, the cupbearer finally remembers Joseph and his interpretation of their dreams in prison, and Pharaoh called for Joseph to come and interpret his dream. Joseph interpreted the king’s dreams, which foretold of the coming seven years of great abundance in Egypt (41:29) and the following seven years of famine (41:29). Joseph proceeded to tell Pharaoh what should be done (41:32-37).
3. Why did Pharaoh place Joseph in charge of Egypt (41:38-45)?
4. How old was Joseph at this point (41:46)?
Looking Upward
5. How had God worked in Joseph’s life during his captivity (see 40:8 and 41:16)?
6. How can you keep a proper perspective when you know you have been “wronged” by others and you are paying the unjustified consequences?
Looking Deeper
•Who are some other people in the Bible who had “delays” in their lives?
Looking Reflectively
There is no mistake in where God has you.
Allow Him to use you where you are.
•How are you allowing God to use you right where you are?
There is often a delay before seeing God work through us.
Delays are a necessary time of spiritual preparation.
•How do you see God’s hand in the “delays” in your life?
Josephs’ life teaches us that disappointments are vital to spiritual growth
because they demand faith and resting all hope upon God.
V. Raymond Edman wrote, “Delay never thwarts God’s purposes;
it only polishes His instrument.”1
•How is God “polishing” you?
DAY 4: Joseph’s Reconciliation With His Family
Looking To God’s Word
Genesis 42
1. Jacob sent his sons, with the exception of Benjamin, to Egypt to buy grain during the famine. When his brothers came before Joseph, why didn’t he just tell them who he was and why do you think he recognized them but they did not recognize him?
2. Why do you think Joseph responded to his brothers in the way he did?
3. Describe what his brothers were feeling in verses 21-23?
In Genesis 42:29-38, the brothers returned to Canaan to retrieve their younger brother Benjamin, having left Simeon back in Egypt. Jacob first refused to let them take Benjamin, but after all the grain was eaten, he sent his sons back to Egypt with Benjamin (43:1-15). When Joseph saw Benjamin, he responded with emotion (43:16-34). In Genesis 44, Joseph sent his brothers back to Canaan and played a little trickery on them. He “threatened” to keep Benjamin as his slave, and Judah pleaded with him to keep him instead of Benjamin. This brings us to Chapter 45, when Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers.
Genesis 45:1-8
4. What was Joseph’s perspective on what his brothers had done to him when he was seventeen?
5. What emotions were his brothers most likely experiencing when they realized this was indeed Joseph?
Looking Upward
6. How do you view painful or hurtful events in your life? How have hurtful events molded your life?
7. How is one able to gain the type of perspective that Joseph had about his life?
Looking Deeper
Read the entirety of Genesis 42-45. Trace Joseph’s actions throughout these chapters toward his brothers. Why did he do what he did?
Looking Reflectively
We must trust God with our emotions when we are
face to face with those who have hurt us deeply.
•Is there someone who has wounded you deeply? How have you handled it? Can you trust God’s sovereign hand in the midst of it?
•Is there someone you need to forgive?
DAY 5: Joseph’s Last Days
In Genesis 46-47 Jacob moved his family to Egypt. God once again spoke to him, encouraging him to not be afraid to go to Egypt and reminding him of His promise to make him a great nation (Gen. 46:1-4). Genesis 48-49 records Jacob’s final days. Today we look at Joseph’s last days after his father Jacob died.
Looking to God’s Word
Hebrews 11:22
1. How did Joseph show his faith in God’s promise to Abraham?
Genesis 50:15-26
2. How has Joseph changed in his relationship with God and his family since he was a young boy?
3. What stands out to you about Joseph’s life and the way he dealt with life?
4. How old was Joseph when he died (v. 22)?
Looking Upward
5. How does harboring an unforgiving spirit affect us?
6. What makes it difficult to trust God’s sovereignty?
Looking Deeper
Reread Genesis 50.
•What was Joseph trying to convey to his family in verse 24?
•Why would he want his bones carried back to Canaan?
Looking Reflectively
God is in control even when it seems that your world is
spinning madly out of control.
•Is there something going on in your life today that is hard for you to understand? Take it to the Lord and trust His hand.
God uses even the negative motives of others to bring about His perfect purpose.
•Meditate on Genesis 50:20. “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”
Joseph had a divine purpose. His life was not always easy and was filled with ups and downs. Yet Joseph found favor with God and he allowed God to use him wherever he went. Where does God want to use you? What is His divine purpose for your life? Are you focused on Him, or are you focused on your circumstances and the situation in which you find yourself? Let God use you to accomplish His divine purpose through you.
As a student and mentor of leadership for many years, one of my driving ambitions has always been to find what stirs people not only to succeed--but also to make a positive contribution to the world. How can we inspire leaders "to do well while doing good," in ways that stick and do not attenuate over time? My own experience and study after study show that the most successful leaders, and the truly great ones, balance their personal ambition with a dedication to a greater cause--what is known as a purpose driven leader. Some leaders may get by in being overly self-interested in the short run, but not over the long haul. If you look at the litany of derailed business and political leaders over the last decade, the one thing they have in common is overly self-interested ways of being. Check it out for yourself.
Take Wall Street as an example: Its purpose is to serve its customers and the American economy by providing well-functioning capital markets for producing goods, services, and innovation; but over the last decade, banks lost much of their liquidity by over-investing in risky assets to making their executives rich. Wall Street leaders lost their sense of purpose, and their actions led to the crashing of our economy. Tuesday's New York Times has an article, for example, on how Goldman Sachs' traditional ethos of customer service has faded in favor of simply making money. In contrast, Steve Friedman, a former CEO of Goldman Sachs, recently spoke at Cornell's Johnson School and said that while the truly great leaders on Wall Street are driven to make money, they also are motivated to serve something greater--a purpose other than themselves. As Henry Ford once said, "Any business that is just about making money is a poor kind of business."
Now let's look at Joe Lieberman: His purpose is to serve as an elective representative of the constituency of his state. Constituents in that state favor the public healthcare option, but Lieberman just announced he is against the Medicare buy-in version of that plan--even though he supported it just three months ago. Why? Self-interest, plain and simple. Rather than to serve his elected purpose, he feathers his nest with large contributions from rich insurance companies in his state with pharmaceutical lobbyists in Washington. He also gets to pay back liberal voters who refused to support him when he lost his primary in 2005. In waiting to the last minute, he has hijacked the process and magnified his power and influence as never before. As a result, he has made his position about himself and not about the people he serves.
What's the real reason our political process is so maddening? Our elected officials put the interests of their party, and their own re-election, above everything else. So we get gridlock and watered down healthcare bills at best. It's a sad state in our democratic process when one man can derail legislation for his own personal gain or thwart the public good for sake of special interests.
We need a new kind of leader, ones that are more purpose-driven.
Early on in the program I direct at Cornell's Johnson School, I ask students to develop personal mission statements through a process of several reflective exercises. Almost without fail, what they come up with statements that lead them to want to make a positive impact on the world. One of them reads, "I will work for the success and betterment of myself, my family, my community, my nation, and my world. I will wake up every day wondering how I can do this. I will work hard to learn as much as I can, because with knowledge and understanding comes influence and strength. I will stay true to my beliefs. Looking back on life, I will be proud of what I've done, who I've spent time with, and how I've spent my time. If I have achieved this, I have achieved success." If he maintains that sense of purpose, I bet his chances of success, as well as happiness, are pretty good.
I also bet if Wall Street executives and our politicians had a similar purpose, and tied that to their companies and their legislative processes, we could have avoided some of the periodic upheaval and political gridlock of our time.
Joseph: The Man with a Divine Purpose.
Joseph had a lot of things going his way in life at first. He was handsome. He was the first son born to Jacob through Rachel, and therefore, he was his father’s favorite son. He had great dreams that made him feel good about himself. But then one day his entire life changed. Can you imagine how it must have felt to know your brothers hated you so much that they would sell you out of their lives? He was forced to leave the comfortable life he had known, full of love from his parents, and go forth into the unknown. How frightening that must have been for a boy of 17. Yet, God had His hand on Joseph. God had a divine purpose for this young man. Joseph didn’t know why God had chosen this path for his life until the very end, yet he never seemed to waver. God was always in control. Joseph kept his eyes on God, and He used Joseph greatly. What an encouragement to us. Let God use you where you are. Let Him use you in the hard times, as well as the good times.
The story of Joseph spans many chapters, Genesis 37-50. We could actually do an entire study just on the life of Joseph, but because of time limitation, we will just focus on the key events in his life.
Lord, thank you for the lessons you teach me through Joseph’s life. Encourage me through his life to seek you more intimately and to trust you for every situation that comes into my life. Keep me mindful that you are always in control.
DAY 1: Joseph and His Family
Looking to God’s Word
Genesis 37
1. How would you describe Joseph’s relationship with his brothers?
2. Could Joseph have prevented the jealousy of his brothers? Why or why not?
3. How would you describe his relationship with his father Jacob?
4. In verses 21-27 Reuben and Judah came to Joseph’s defense. Why would these two, of all the brothers, try to save Joseph?
Looking Upward
5. How do you see God’s sovereign hand at work throughout this chapter?
6. How do you see God’s hand at work in your own life?
Looking Deeper
•We are told in Genesis 37:3 that Jacob made Joseph a varicolored tunic. What was the significance of this tunic and what impact might that have had on his brothers?
•How was God already developing Joseph’s gifts at the age of 17?
Looking Reflectively
God “broke” Joseph by taking him out of comfortable circumstances
and stretching him. God often has to “break” us before He can use us.
•How has God “broken” you? How did it “strengthen” you?
•Are you willing to let God do whatever He needs to in your life to make you usable to Him? If not, why? Be honest with the Lord, and ask Him to make you willing, trusting His loving and sovereign hand in your life.
DAY 2: Joseph’s Early Life in Egypt
Chapter 38 seems like an “interruption” to our story of Joseph in Egypt, but it is a narrative of what took place back in Canaan during this time, especially concerning the life of Judah. We pick up our narrative of Joseph in Chapter 39.
Looking to God’s Word
Genesis 39
1. How did God use Joseph’s captivity for good (vv. 1-6)?
2. How was Joseph able to resist the temptation of Potiphar’s wife day after day (vv. 7-18)?
3. Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and Potiphar believed his wife over Joseph, resulting in his imprisonment. Yet, how did God use this for good?
4. What was one “mistake” that Joseph made that perhaps could have prevented the false accusation against him?
5. What does it mean that the Lord was “with Joseph”?
Looking Upward
6. Does God’s favor mean prosperity? Why or why not?
7. Have you ever been falsely accused? How did you handle it? What resulted from it?
Looking Deeper
•What does Stephen have to say about Joseph and what God did for him in Acts 7:9-10?
•As you look back over this chapter, note the times God’s favor and blessing on Joseph is mentioned. How does one gain favor?
Looking Reflectively
Joseph lived a life of integrity and was faithful to God in the
midst of prosperity and adversity. He is a great example for us to follow.
•Are you living faithfully in the midst of prosperity and adversity?
•Do others around you see Christ in you?
DAY 3: Joseph’s Rise To Power
Looking To God’s Word
We will not be able to look at every verse of every chapter, so I will try to summarize as we skim the following chapters.
Genesis 40:1-8
1. The king’s cupbearer and baker offended him, resulting in their being thrown into prison with Joseph. What do you learn about Joseph from the way he responded to them in prison?
2. The rest of the chapter tells of their dreams, Joseph’s interpretation of the dreams, and how the interpretations were later fulfilled. In Genesis 40:14-15 and 20-23, how was life once again “unfair” to Joseph?
Genesis 41:1-8 tells us of Pharaoh’s dream and his inability to find someone able to interpret it. In verses 9-14, the cupbearer finally remembers Joseph and his interpretation of their dreams in prison, and Pharaoh called for Joseph to come and interpret his dream. Joseph interpreted the king’s dreams, which foretold of the coming seven years of great abundance in Egypt (41:29) and the following seven years of famine (41:29). Joseph proceeded to tell Pharaoh what should be done (41:32-37).
3. Why did Pharaoh place Joseph in charge of Egypt (41:38-45)?
4. How old was Joseph at this point (41:46)?
Looking Upward
5. How had God worked in Joseph’s life during his captivity (see 40:8 and 41:16)?
6. How can you keep a proper perspective when you know you have been “wronged” by others and you are paying the unjustified consequences?
Looking Deeper
•Who are some other people in the Bible who had “delays” in their lives?
Looking Reflectively
There is no mistake in where God has you.
Allow Him to use you where you are.
•How are you allowing God to use you right where you are?
There is often a delay before seeing God work through us.
Delays are a necessary time of spiritual preparation.
•How do you see God’s hand in the “delays” in your life?
Josephs’ life teaches us that disappointments are vital to spiritual growth
because they demand faith and resting all hope upon God.
V. Raymond Edman wrote, “Delay never thwarts God’s purposes;
it only polishes His instrument.”1
•How is God “polishing” you?
DAY 4: Joseph’s Reconciliation With His Family
Looking To God’s Word
Genesis 42
1. Jacob sent his sons, with the exception of Benjamin, to Egypt to buy grain during the famine. When his brothers came before Joseph, why didn’t he just tell them who he was and why do you think he recognized them but they did not recognize him?
2. Why do you think Joseph responded to his brothers in the way he did?
3. Describe what his brothers were feeling in verses 21-23?
In Genesis 42:29-38, the brothers returned to Canaan to retrieve their younger brother Benjamin, having left Simeon back in Egypt. Jacob first refused to let them take Benjamin, but after all the grain was eaten, he sent his sons back to Egypt with Benjamin (43:1-15). When Joseph saw Benjamin, he responded with emotion (43:16-34). In Genesis 44, Joseph sent his brothers back to Canaan and played a little trickery on them. He “threatened” to keep Benjamin as his slave, and Judah pleaded with him to keep him instead of Benjamin. This brings us to Chapter 45, when Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers.
Genesis 45:1-8
4. What was Joseph’s perspective on what his brothers had done to him when he was seventeen?
5. What emotions were his brothers most likely experiencing when they realized this was indeed Joseph?
Looking Upward
6. How do you view painful or hurtful events in your life? How have hurtful events molded your life?
7. How is one able to gain the type of perspective that Joseph had about his life?
Looking Deeper
Read the entirety of Genesis 42-45. Trace Joseph’s actions throughout these chapters toward his brothers. Why did he do what he did?
Looking Reflectively
We must trust God with our emotions when we are
face to face with those who have hurt us deeply.
•Is there someone who has wounded you deeply? How have you handled it? Can you trust God’s sovereign hand in the midst of it?
•Is there someone you need to forgive?
DAY 5: Joseph’s Last Days
In Genesis 46-47 Jacob moved his family to Egypt. God once again spoke to him, encouraging him to not be afraid to go to Egypt and reminding him of His promise to make him a great nation (Gen. 46:1-4). Genesis 48-49 records Jacob’s final days. Today we look at Joseph’s last days after his father Jacob died.
Looking to God’s Word
Hebrews 11:22
1. How did Joseph show his faith in God’s promise to Abraham?
Genesis 50:15-26
2. How has Joseph changed in his relationship with God and his family since he was a young boy?
3. What stands out to you about Joseph’s life and the way he dealt with life?
4. How old was Joseph when he died (v. 22)?
Looking Upward
5. How does harboring an unforgiving spirit affect us?
6. What makes it difficult to trust God’s sovereignty?
Looking Deeper
Reread Genesis 50.
•What was Joseph trying to convey to his family in verse 24?
•Why would he want his bones carried back to Canaan?
Looking Reflectively
God is in control even when it seems that your world is
spinning madly out of control.
•Is there something going on in your life today that is hard for you to understand? Take it to the Lord and trust His hand.
God uses even the negative motives of others to bring about His perfect purpose.
•Meditate on Genesis 50:20. “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”
Joseph had a divine purpose. His life was not always easy and was filled with ups and downs. Yet Joseph found favor with God and he allowed God to use him wherever he went. Where does God want to use you? What is His divine purpose for your life? Are you focused on Him, or are you focused on your circumstances and the situation in which you find yourself? Let God use you to accomplish His divine purpose through you.
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