We see in this chapter that Joseph’s power and influence comes from the anointing God has placed on his life and his desire to use that power and influence to serve others and improve upon their position. Joseph, having learned from his past, now sees himself as a tool in the hands of God to serve and benefit others. On the contrary, Potipher’s wife has gained her power and influence simply from being married to a man who has power and influence. Potipher’s power has been given to him from Pharaoh, who himself has gained power by dominating and enslaving others. This power trickles down to Potipher as he himself operates as one who rules through intimidation and enslavement. Therefore, it should be no surprise to us as readers that Potipher’s wife also seeks to toss her weight and influence around from a sense of entitlement and aims to use others for her own benefit rather than using her power to benefit others.

The motivation behind Joseph’s authority is to glorify God through humble, servant, leadership. The motivation behind Potipher’s wife’s authority is to glorify herself through abuse of power and manipulation at the expense of others.

The temptations that seek to influence the way we lead and influence others today are no different than the ones that tempted Joseph and Potipher’s wife thousands of years ago. It is the same temptations that befell Adam and Eve. It is the temptation to be seen as significant, the temptation to decide what is right and wrong for ourselves, the temptation to seek our own glory rather than the glory of God. The ways in which that comes to us in our modern cultural context are the lures of pleasure, comfort, titles, and perceptions of others. We are tempted to use our influence to seduce others into doing what benefits us. We are tempted to use our power to make life easier for us, regardless of what it costs someone else. We are tempted to use our positions to gain a reputation and respect in the eyes of others.

All of this is rooted in the same seed bed of fear. The voice of the enemy, or our own insecurities, continually speak to us telling us we are not enough, we don’t have what it takes, there is nothing in us that is inherently lovable and, therefore, we seek to draw out the love we so desire from others through force and coercion through the things we do and the way we perceive others perceive us.

As 1 John 4:18 tells us, “Perfect love drives out all fear.” The only way to decrease the power of temptation towards self-serving influence and increase the desire and love for God is to first understand how much He has loved us. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.” This seems counterintuitive, but the way we increase our desire and love for God is by reflecting on His desire and love for us. As Romans 5:8 tells us, “God demonstrates His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” It is in this knowledge that Jesus loved me when it was most difficult and least deserved, in the understanding that when I deserved nothing but wrath and rejection Jesus pulled me close to His side in grace and mercy, that the fear of rejection from others begins to melt away in the heat of God’s unconditional love.

Dr. Tim Keller put it this way, “The more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying and amazing God’s grace appears to you.”

In the world’s economy we have to prove ourselves, we have to earn the respect, we have to demonstrate that we are worthy of love and affirmation. In the world’s system we perform in order to gain a verdict. However, in God’s Kingdom economy and system, and only in God’s Kingdom, the verdict is rendered before the performance is given. The verdict handed down by Christ is that we are loved, accepted, desired, affirmed, we belong to Him. Out of that verdict we can then “perform” or live life from a place of security that leads to a kind of bold humility in which we can willingly lay down our lives and use our power and influence to benefit others without expecting anything in return because we already have all we could ever need in the eyes and arms of our great God and Savior.

The way the Gospel empowers us to do this is simply this…when you see what Jesus, God the Son, willingly went through in his suffering on your behalf, when you see it for what it truly is, your heart can’t help but be undone by that kind of love. The Ruler of the Universe willingly dying the death of a traitor, suffering the humiliation and rejection we all deserved, all so we could be given the love and authority of this King… There is no greater love.