Lifelong Leadership Development

Lifelong Leadership Development
Genesis 39:20-23

Lifelong leadership development requires different skills. Let me ask you: Have you ever felt like there are skills that you have used in every job you have had? Are there a set of skills that you see being repeatedly used in different context and for different people?

The Bible teaches that God uses my gifts and abilities by letting me develop them in different ways and in different places. As one moves through life, God helps a person use and improve those skills so that they can be used to their maximum effect.

In this passage we see that Joseph is thrown into prison based on an accusation from the Pharaoh’s wife. Yet, while in prison God uses Joseph. Psalm 105 describes the circumstances with these words:

“He had sent a man ahead of them— Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with shackles; his neck was put in an iron collar. Until the time his prediction came true, the word of the Lord tested him.” (Psalm 105:17–19, CSB)

It says that “God was with Joseph” a cue that God was protecting Joseph for a greater purpose. While one usually associates Joseph with interpretation of dreams as his primary spiritual gift, his primary ability was clearly organizational leadership. God stirred up the gift of leadership and organization in Joseph, even while he was in prison. He was the “Executive Pastor” to the entire prison ward, just under the Warden.

Notice some ways that we see this leadership develop:

God gives me the testing ground for my leadership talents to grow (Genesis 39:20)

“and had him thrown into prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.” (Genesis 39:20, CSB)

Prison would not normally be considered a great testing ground to test the leadership talents of a person. The entire point of prison is that you must submit to the leadership of someone over you the entire time you are there. Yet, in this case, God gave Joseph the perfect environment to test his leadership qualities.

Incarceration as a Testing Ground

Like Joseph, some have experienced preparation for ministry as a result of undeserved incarceration. John Sung, though not as well known as some of his contemporaries, was one of the great revivalists of the twentieth century. His pivotal role in the Chinese revival from 1927–1937 earned him the epithet the “John Wesley of China.” Sung was converted to Christianity as a boy and in his late teen years came to study in America. In a little over five years, he earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, even though he had to work full time to support himself. At the same time, however, his seminary studies led him away from his childhood faith into the critical skepticism of his professors.

When John Sung finally took a step back and looked at who he had become, he realized that he was a person of doubt, not of faith, and that he had lost his love of the Lord. He recommitted his life to Christ and began preaching to his classmates and professors with a fervent zeal. As a result, they concluded he was mentally unstable, and he soon found himself committed to an asylum for the mentally impaired. For six months he was thus unjustly imprisoned with only his Bible.

This turned out to be a time of spiritual incubation that was instrumental in his preparation for ministry. He emerged with a strong resolve and fiery zeal that launched a decade of revival in China. He died of tuberculosis at the age of forty-three, just a few years before the communist takeover in that country, but his work can be said to have laid the foundation for the church in China to survive the dark days that lay ahead.

Wicked People as God’s Tools

“Do you know why Satan is so angry all the time? Because whenever he works a particularly clever bit of mischief, God uses it to serve his own righteous purposes.”
“So God uses wicked people as his tools?”
“God gives us the freedom to do great evil, if we choose. Then he uses his own freedom to create goodness out of that evil, for that is what he chooses.”
“So in the long run, God always wins?”
“Yes”
“In the short run, though, it can be uncomfortable.”

There are testing grounds that God gives me to give me the chance to “kick the tires” of my leadership potential. The environments are generally not idea to the ambitions of the leader: small groups, people with no upward mobility, no chance to move to a better position. Yet, God still wants to use you, even if you are not destined to go to some grand place for leadership. God tests your leadership wherever you are.

God gives me favor with the right relationships (Genesis 39:21)

“But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor with the prison warden.” (Genesis 39:21, CSB)

Joseph can develop the right relationships with the right people to maximize his leadership potential. Here, we see that God helped Joseph by giving him “favor.” This is a word that means that Joseph was naturally able to build the right relationship with the right person. In this case, God allowed Joseph to build a relationship with the head warden of the prison.

God gives me a responsibility that fits my talents (Genesis 39:22)

“The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph’s authority, and he was responsible for everything that was done there.” (Genesis 39:22, CSB)

Next, we see that Joseph is placed with a responsibility over prisoners. The warden was delegating responsibility to Joseph. Joseph was so talented in the warden’s mind that Joseph was given responsibility over everyone in the prison. Joseph had the run of the entire prison. In the movies, this makes it look like the prisoner is the “top dog” but in this case, it showcased the natural leadership talent that Joseph had.

God gives me the ability to allow my talents to flourish (Genesis 39:23)

“The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did successful.” (Genesis 39:23, CSB)

The key phrase here is that “the chief of the prison did not bother about anything.” This tells you how good Joseph was in his role. He was so good that the warden didn’t worry about how Joseph did the job. The warden gave Joseph free reign with his organizational skills. The warden knew that Joseph was good. As a result, the warden was wise enough to give Joseph the room he needed to get the work done.

This illustrates the effective leadership of the warden. He knew when to leave someone doing a good job alone. While the warden clearly showed some wisdom in how he worked with Joseph, God was the one who allowed Joseph to be successful.

We see later that God uses the supernatural gift of interpretation of dreams, alongside the natural gift of organizational leadership to prepare Joseph for the purpose of overseeing the people of Egypt during a time of crisis, to quote Mordecai “for a such a time as this” (Genesis 41:32-46).

God used Joseph and his lifelong leadership skills to be used for the proper time. He will also do the same with you as well.

Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash