J.A. Matteson
It is better to walk with integrity and to have little than to tread the pathway of fools and possess much. "The LORD was with Joseph, so he became a successful man" (Gen. 39:2). It should never be the ambition of saints to be successful, as the world measures success, but to be faithful to the LORD. And in so doing, and if it be His will, He will exalt you in due season. God will not be mocked, a man shall reap that which he sews. He who sews unto the flesh will, in due season, be forced to eat the bitter fruit of his folly. He who sews unto the Spirit shall reap glory, blessing, and honor from the LORD. As the proverb notes, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Prv. 14:12). The fool who does not know the LORD brazenly schemes to distort his image before men, pursuing illegitimate gain by concealing truth. Saints survey the landscape of men, pondering how it is that the wicked prosper while so often the righteous suffer. As sons of the day, children of the Light, grace allows the saints to behold foolish men from the LORD's perspective, so rather than being filled with envy saints are burdened with pity, knowing that unless the fool repents divine calamity will surely visit him. It was well pleasing in the sight of God that His servant Joseph should find favor in the eyes of his master. Integrity of reputation is a jewel earned over time, but can be lost in a moment. The world may steal your possessions, bare false witness against you, impune your motives, mock your God, marginalize you from its fellowship, but it can never strip you of your integrity nor your intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ. He knows where you are at this moment and the circumstances buffeting you. As Joseph continued to trust in the LORD his God when rejected by men, in the foul depths of a dungeon, saints can rest in the everlasting arms of Him who bled and died so that they might live. It is a small thing to suffer for His namesake as you maintain your integrity by walking in righteousness. In due season He will exalt you as you humbly walk before Him in obedience.
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