MAKES YOU FRUITFUL IN THE LAND OF HUMILILATION (Part 2)

And the name of the second, he called Ephraim: "For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction"

With all the pain and humiliation Joseph was subjected to, there was strength and grace from the Lord to invest this pain and turn it into a blessing and fruit and achieve a profound change in his life. Thus, the Lord wants to make you fruitful even in the land of your pain or the land of your humiliations!

3. Investment of slavery and exposure to forced labor.

Joseph lived almost thirteen years in bondage and forced labor, which means that he worked every day, all day, some of the night, all week, all month, and all year! He did not choose when he had chance to rest or take a vacation because these expressions do not exist in the slave dictionary!! Joseph worked diligently and persistently every day, and he succeeded amazingly in being trained to have a great ability to bear responsibility. It is a wonderful investment to see the slave labor grow into maturity and a wonderful built for his personality, and to see that working under pressure and this conditions that are not good and without encouragement turns into a strength of self-control, abstinence, and perseverance.

4. Investment in long waiting times

Joseph was “spoiled child” who used to get what he wanted right away, no matter the cost, no matter how bad the timing was. There were many features that point to this error in Joseph's personality in the early years of his life.

How would Joseph become, one day, responsible for all of Egypt as a nation and lead it in a time of famine while he was still suffering from this dangerous weakness of being a spoiled child?

The great hand of the Lord used many of the “waiting times” that Joseph went through to change him and transform his life in an amazing way. During his journey of pain, Joseph learned how to wait for almost everything. When he was hungry, he had to wait to eat, he should wait to eat after his master, and secondly after many duties which he had to complete no matter what. He had to wait to have time to take a rest from the continuous, unended work. He had to wait when he wanted to speak or express himself. He had to wait, contrary to his will, for many things in his life. This intense training in waiting made the features of “spoiling” fade away and disappear, and instead of being spoiled, you could see a strong person appear, obedient to his heavenly master whatever the cost is. And when the woman of his master, Potiphar, seduced him to fall into the temptation of an emotional and sexual relationship with her, he declared his strong rejection of this experience, and he was telling himself: “she's the wrong person, at the wrong time, in the wrong place, I can wait for God till I meet my wife, the right person, at the right time in the right place, sure I can wait!”

5. Investment of humiliation and loss of recognition

Joseph lived in his father's house, and he enjoyed the first place because of his father's favoritism and pampering. Getting used to the first place is a great danger for those who follow and serve the Lord. Jesus says: “If I, the Master and Teacher, have washed your feet, then you must wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14) and: “But I am among you as the one who serves.”

(Luke 22:27)

The “bottom of the well” into which Joseph fell was the beginning of the road to be far from the first place, but he continued to march on this path until he finally reached a place that was not expected at all. Joseph became a servant of the imprisoned in the land of Egypt, which is the lowest social and moral status ever that a person can reach! There was strong evidence that tell us that he was responsive to God, agreeing and welcoming this state of humility, and accepting the last place! Humiliation and loss of recognition turned to be, by God’s graceful hand, to be wonderful humility.