But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.
One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.
Genesis 39:8-12
During 2026, Peachtree Church is inviting everyone into Cultivate, a churchwide discipleship plan centered on the fruit of the Spirit and the kind of life God longs to grow in us. Throughout the year, we’ll explore how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control take shape in everyday life through the Spirit’s work. Cultivate brings together worship, Scripture, group guides, and meaningful practices designed to meet you where you are and support growth in ways that fit your season. These twice-weekly devotionals are one way to stay connected, offering reflection and grounding for daily life with God. Whether you engage in many ways or just one, you’re invited to be part of this shared journey of becoming more rooted in who God has created and called you to be.
Devotional
One of the most famous lines in comic book history is Uncle Ben’s advice to Peter Parker, who would soon become Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” In these words, Uncle Ben sought to impress upon his nephew that the blessings that we each receive require that we use them, that we honor God with how we use them, and that we must always take care to not abuse our blessings. While many of us are able to see and understand this idea on the comic book scale of unreality, it can be much harder to put it into practical use.
Joseph had been entrusted with the care and upkeep of everything in Potiphar’s home, and in this role, he is sharing God’s blessing with all of his master’s household. There was just one problem: Potiphar’s wife had decided that she wanted Joseph to sleep with her. Joseph knew that it was his responsibility to ensure that everything in his master’s home was well taken care of, and it was his responsibility to not take advantage of his role within the household, especially where his master’s wife was concerned.
So he did what was responsible, and he refused her advances, even as she continued to show her desire for him. Joseph exercised self-control in the midst of a situation that was untenable: he knew the right thing to do, he knew what his master’s wife wanted him to do, and he knew that should he continue to do the right thing, yet he would ultimately land astray of both Potiphar and his wife when she sought to avenge herself upon him.
Great responsibility, especially responsibility in response to the blessings of God, can require sacrifices, which we can see in Jesus’ words to his disciples in John 15, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13). One of the most difficult decisions that any of us can make is to follow the path of self-control, the path of responsibility, when we know that the immediate response to that decision will be one that is sacrificial.
For Reflection
- Where in your life have you made the right decision that has still resulted in you being punished or receiving what feels to be unfair treatment?
- How can we support one another to act in self-control even when we know that the results will not be what we desire that they would be?
Prayer
Lord, help us to be a people of self-control who understand that with the blessings that you have bestowed upon us that we should respond to them by acting responsibly. Strengthen us that we might be willing to show your sacrificial love as we desire to follow you more closely.
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Devotionals