The Leadership ChallengeSample

Challenge 2

JOSEPH, A TRUSTWORTHY SERVANT

READ: Genesis 39:1—41:40

The famous story of Joseph is found in the last chapters of Genesis. The story starts out rocky. In Genesis 37 we meet a young and talented boy who might come across as self-centered, even spoiled. In a fit of jealousy, his own brothers sell Joseph into slavery, never expecting to see him again. But God is with him. Joseph’s character is tempered through his suffering and by the time we see him in this reading his integrity and commitment to excellence have created a bond of trust with his masters, first with Potiphar and then Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. Through a series of integrity-testing events, Joseph ends up second-in-command of Egypt just in time to save multitudes from starvation in a famine. When you have time, read on for the rest of his story. The famine hits his family, and the brothers who sold Joseph into slavery arrive in Egypt to buy food. Joseph refuses to use his authority to exact revenge for past wrongs. In a show of maturity and graciousness, he reminds them that what they meant for evil, God meant for good (Genesis 50:19–20).

A key component of development a military team is building trust. What qualities does Joseph exhibit in this passage that build trust with those over him? How will you develop the qualities necessary to be a trust-building leader?