How do I live a Godly Life? Taking inspiration from the life of Joseph

 

How do I live a Godly life? Taking inspiration from the life of Joseph

How do I live a Godly life is a question I’ve been considering lately. The start of the new year affords the time to look at what your values are, what you’re seeking to do with your life and why you do what you do. So let me take a different approach this week, rather than the 5 key areas that I’ve looked in the last 2 weeks (heart, soul, mind, strength, others). I promise this will still help you Grow and Go. 

Let’s look at this question: How do I live a Godly life? I look to Joseph in the Old Testament. You could look at many a people from the Scriptures (Jesus, Paul, Deborah, Esther, Peter), but at this point I’ve been considering this man, Joseph.

If you want to live a Godly life, I think the values that underpin your life are pivotal. So then what are the ingredients that make Joseph who he is? Imagine for a moment you’ve opened one of those cookbooks or searched online for a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. There are two things you’ll find. Firstly you’ll see a list of ingredients and secondly you’ll see a method or a recipe that will take those ingredients and explain how to make the perfect dish.

Let me boil down the values that underpinned Joseph’s life. I’m calling them the INGREDIENTS.

How to live a Godly Life by looking at Joseph:

THE INGREDIENTS:
When I consider the person of Joseph in the book of Genesis, here’s the list I see:

-          A man who had a calling on his life (Genesis 37:5-9)

-          A man of integrity (Genesis 39:8)

-          A man who prospered because the Lord was with him (Genesis 39:2)

-          A man who found favour in the eyes of others (Genesis 39:4)

-          A man who the Lord helped to be successful in all he did (Genesis 39:3)

-          A man who had discernment (Genesis 41:39)

-          A man who had wisdom (Genesis 41:39)

-          A man who worked strategically and intentionally in making a difference (Genesis 41:46-57)

-          A man who saved lives (Genesis 45:5)

Let me ask you: What are the values that characterise your life? They may differ a little from Joseph. I remember being asked that question over the years. I’d generally be sitting in some sort of leadership day apart, and someone would hand me a document with about 200 values on it, and they would say, “Circle the 5 most important values to you…”

Some of us value creativity, passion, solitude, an evangelical heart, reconciliation, honesty, faithfulness and the list goes on. Above are the ingredients directly found in the life of Joseph through the Scriptures. Take a moment and consider what the ingredients are for you to live a Godly life.

THE RECIPE:

So, if these are the ingredients for a Godly life (from the perspective of Joseph), I ask, what’s the recipe? What do we glean from Joseph’s life to help us on our own journey:

1. Grab a hold of a Godly dream that will underpin the direction of your life.

2. Express the following characteristics in your life everyday:

a.       Integrity

b.       Discernment

c.       Wisdom

3. Work strategically and intentionally to make a difference in the world

4. As you do that, you will see the following begin to be outworked in your life:

a.       A life that prospers

b.       A life with favour from the Lord

c.       A life that is successful in fulfilling the Lord’s mission

5. And the Lord will then use you to save lives, by his mercy and grace.

This is a snapshot of the life of Joseph. This is a short version of deep work that happened in his life, so that he could live a Godly life himself.

I wonder, do you have a list of ingredients that would characterise aspirational values that you want to express through your life? If you have that, then why not take a few moments and consider the recipe. In order to live a Godly life, what are the steps God is calling you to make? Take those ingredients, and flesh it out a little more.

“Because I seek to be a man of integrity, I will…”

“Since I value compassion, when ________ happens, I will…”

“To live a life of generosity, I need to…”

So, there you have it today. Two key steps on how to live a Godly life. Firstly, articulate the ingredients (values) that are the foundation of your life. Secondly, write the recipe (and live it out the best you can, with the help of the Lord!).

I’m keen to know, what are your ingredients?

How to make the most of 2025

The start of a new year might be an opportunity to try something new. Let's spend time this year to GROW and GO.

Heart: As you reflect on the year that’s been, you may have a couple of different thoughts. One might be that you’re proud of how far you’ve come, and you want to keep your daily habits strong. On the other hand, you might feel disappointed and a little disillusioned on the year that’s been, because you were hoping for more fruit. In today’s Grow and Go newsletter, I want to encourage you: This year is another opportunity to do your best, strengthen your faith in God, and make a difference in the world.

Soul: “One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” – Luke 5:1-6

Mind: What does it look like, in 2025, to throw your net on the other side of the boat? What could look different this year? Remember the old saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” If you desire new results, you’re going to have to change it up a bit.

Strength: Give yourself permission to try and fail. Maybe you’re sore after that bit of exercise, or disappointed in what you ate the other day. I say, get up again and keep going. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the best habits are not developed over night. Try again. Maybe you’ll fail again too, but keep going. Keep trying.

Others: I’ve been reading through some of Alan Kohler’s book (2024), “The Great Divide”, which speaks of Australia’s housing crisis, that has grown progressively worse over the years. He says, that, “the price of a house has gone from three to four times income to seven to eight times [our annual] income in the course of a generation.” Effectively, owning a house is getting tougher as the years go on, in Australia (though I don’t think it’s much different in other OECD countries). Housing affordability deeply affects the low to middle class of our society; whether we are renting, trying to buy a home, or trying to move up from a caravan park to more adequate housing. Having a secure roof over our head is a human right, and someone should tell the rich real estate gurus to cut the rest of us some slack.  

_______

What will it look like for you to make the most of 2025? 

Grow and Go - 5 Key Areas to Flourish

In 2025 I want to encourage you to GROW and GO. Grow in your faith; Go into the world and make an impact. I'm highlighting for you 5 keys areas today to help you flourish.

Progress is made one step at a time. Let’s look at five key areas right now.

Heart: Take a deep breath. Let the anger dissipate. Let the cynicism be silent for a few moments.

Soul: “ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” – Ezekiel 36:26. I pray that God will soften your heart. There are many moments in life that cause us to harden our hearts. Soften yours today. Life is too short to walk around with regrets, hurts and bitterness. God help us.

Mind: You were not called to sit back and simply watch the world be shaped by others. You can choose to help shape it.  

Strength: When you consider being healthy, for some the goal is so far away, it feels almost meaningless to start. But if you don’t start, you’ll never finish. The goal will always seem too far to reach. The best time to start is right now; today.

Others: We look around and we see global instability. It’s hard not to be concerned. We hear of Russian oligarchs flexing their muscles; missiles going off in the Middle East; the rise of populist leaders in the west and a slow rising of anti-immigration sentiment creeping into our everyday vernacular. While there might be global instability, may we build our own lives upon the rock; the rock of Jesus Christ.

--> If these words were helpful for you, please let me know: Shoot me a comment or an email response. Bless you today.

My book is now available on Amazon: Who Am I to Change the World?: From a comfortable couch to a courageous calling eBook : Brookshaw, Peter: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store