PARTICIPANT GUIDE
We’re closing our Entrusted series by asking one final question: What is everything God has placed in our hands ultimately for? Through Joseph’s story, we discover that purpose is formed through faithfulness, is always bigger than ourselves, and is fulfilled through faithfulness rather than recognition. From Genesis 50 to Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, the call is the same: faithfully use what God has entrusted to you for His purposes.
ICE BREAKER
- What is something someone has entrusted to you that you took very seriously?
- What is one job or responsibility you once thought was insignificant but later realized taught you something important?
- If you could see one season of your life more clearly in the “rearview mirror,” which season would it be?
SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES
Genesis 45:4–8
Genesis 50:20
Luke 16:10
Hebrews 11:22
Matthew 25:14–30
Genesis 50:20
Luke 16:10
Hebrews 11:22
Matthew 25:14–30
BIG IDEA
Purpose is faithfully using what God has entrusted to us for His purposes.
SERMON SUMMARY
Joseph’s life changed dramatically throughout his story. He went from being a favored son to a slave, manager, prisoner, and eventually second in command over Egypt. Yet in every season, Joseph had something God was asking him to steward faithfully.
Eventually Joseph understood why God had positioned him in Egypt: “the saving of many lives.”
Step 1: Purpose is formed through faithfulness in every season. Joseph was faithful with small responsibilities long before he was given great authority.
Step 2: God’s purpose for me is always bigger than me. God blessed and positioned Joseph so that other people could live. What God gives us is often intended to bless others too.
Step 3: Purpose is fulfilled by faithfulness, not recognition. God does not measure our lives by fame, titles, or applause. Kingdom success is faithfulness.
Matthew 25 reminds us that God has entrusted each of us with something. One day the Master returns and asks what we did with what He placed in our hands.
Our goal is simple: may we be found faithful.
Eventually Joseph understood why God had positioned him in Egypt: “the saving of many lives.”
Step 1: Purpose is formed through faithfulness in every season. Joseph was faithful with small responsibilities long before he was given great authority.
Step 2: God’s purpose for me is always bigger than me. God blessed and positioned Joseph so that other people could live. What God gives us is often intended to bless others too.
Step 3: Purpose is fulfilled by faithfulness, not recognition. God does not measure our lives by fame, titles, or applause. Kingdom success is faithfulness.
Matthew 25 reminds us that God has entrusted each of us with something. One day the Master returns and asks what we did with what He placed in our hands.
Our goal is simple: may we be found faithful.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What has God entrusted to you in your current season?
- Where is it difficult for you to see God’s purpose right now?
- How can you be faithful with something “small” this week?
- How might something God has brought you through help someone else?
- What would it look like for you to measure success by faithfulness instead of recognition?
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
(Live It Out)
Choose one thing God has entrusted to you and intentionally steward it this week for His glory, your growth, and the good of others.
PRAYER FOCUS
- Faithfulness with what God has placed in our hands.
- Trust when we cannot yet understand what God is doing.
- Opportunities to use what God has given us to bless others.
DEVOTIONAL PLAN
Memory Verse of the Week
Genesis 50:20
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Genesis 50:20
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Day 1 — God is Working in Every Season
Memory Verse of the Week:
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Scripture: Genesis 45:5
“And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
Devotional Thought:
Joseph could finally see something at the end of his story that would have been nearly impossible to see in the middle of it: God had been working through every season. The pit did not look purposeful. Slavery did not feel purposeful. Prison certainly did not seem purposeful. But when Joseph eventually stood in a position to save his family from famine, he could look backward and recognize the hand of God.
That does not mean everything that happened to Joseph was good. His brothers sinned against him. He experienced injustice, betrayal, false accusation, and disappointment. But none of those things were powerful enough to cancel what God intended to accomplish through his life.
We often want purpose to be immediately visible. We want God to explain what He is doing while He is doing it. But Joseph reminds us that purpose is often clearer in the rearview mirror than through the windshield.
You may be living in a chapter today that does not make sense. Maybe you are wondering why a door closed, why a season has lasted so long, or how something painful could possibly fit into God’s plan. Do not judge the purposes of God by an unfinished chapter.
Your responsibility today is not to understand the whole story. Your responsibility is to faithfully steward the part God has placed in your hands.
The same God who was with Joseph in Potiphar’s house was with him in prison and was with him in the palace. His surroundings changed. God’s presence did not.
Ask the Holy Spirit today for grace to trust God before you can trace God. The chapter you are living now may someday become part of the story God uses to bring life to someone else.
Reflection Questions:
- What season of your life is hardest for you to understand right now?
- Where can you identify God’s faithfulness in previous seasons?
- What would faithfulness look like in the chapter you are living today?
Suggested Reading: Genesis 45:4–8
Prayer:
Father, help me trust You in the chapters I cannot yet understand. Give me grace to faithfully steward what You have placed in my hands today. Holy Spirit, help me recognize that You are working even when I cannot see the whole story. Amen.
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Scripture: Genesis 45:5
“And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
Devotional Thought:
Joseph could finally see something at the end of his story that would have been nearly impossible to see in the middle of it: God had been working through every season. The pit did not look purposeful. Slavery did not feel purposeful. Prison certainly did not seem purposeful. But when Joseph eventually stood in a position to save his family from famine, he could look backward and recognize the hand of God.
That does not mean everything that happened to Joseph was good. His brothers sinned against him. He experienced injustice, betrayal, false accusation, and disappointment. But none of those things were powerful enough to cancel what God intended to accomplish through his life.
We often want purpose to be immediately visible. We want God to explain what He is doing while He is doing it. But Joseph reminds us that purpose is often clearer in the rearview mirror than through the windshield.
You may be living in a chapter today that does not make sense. Maybe you are wondering why a door closed, why a season has lasted so long, or how something painful could possibly fit into God’s plan. Do not judge the purposes of God by an unfinished chapter.
Your responsibility today is not to understand the whole story. Your responsibility is to faithfully steward the part God has placed in your hands.
The same God who was with Joseph in Potiphar’s house was with him in prison and was with him in the palace. His surroundings changed. God’s presence did not.
Ask the Holy Spirit today for grace to trust God before you can trace God. The chapter you are living now may someday become part of the story God uses to bring life to someone else.
Reflection Questions:
- What season of your life is hardest for you to understand right now?
- Where can you identify God’s faithfulness in previous seasons?
- What would faithfulness look like in the chapter you are living today?
Suggested Reading: Genesis 45:4–8
Prayer:
Father, help me trust You in the chapters I cannot yet understand. Give me grace to faithfully steward what You have placed in my hands today. Holy Spirit, help me recognize that You are working even when I cannot see the whole story. Amen.
Day 2 — Be Faithful Here
Memory Verse of the Week:
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Scripture: Luke 16:10
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…”
Devotional Thought:
Joseph did not suddenly become faithful when Pharaoh gave him authority over Egypt. He had already practiced faithfulness in places nobody would have chosen. Potiphar placed his household under Joseph’s care. Later, the prison warden placed other prisoners under Joseph’s responsibility. Neither assignment looked like the fulfillment of Joseph’s childhood dream, yet both were preparing him for what was coming.
A household. A prison. Eventually, a nation.
Different assignments. Same faithfulness.
We sometimes imagine our “real purpose” will begin later. When we have the right job. When the ministry grows. When the kids are older. When the financial pressure eases. When somebody finally notices our abilities. Joseph’s story challenges that thinking.
Purpose is formed through faithfulness in every season.
God is doing something in you while you are doing what is in front of you. The small assignment is not necessarily a distraction from your purpose. It may be preparation for it.
Jesus said that whoever is faithful with little can also be trusted with much. Kingdom responsibility usually grows out of everyday faithfulness.
So look at what is in your hands today. A family to love. A job to do well. A person to encourage. Resources to steward. A ministry assignment that seems small. A commitment nobody applauds.
Do not despise it.
Responsibility prepares you for opportunity.
Rather than continually asking, “God, when will You give me something bigger?” perhaps the better prayer is, “God, help me faithfully steward what You have already given me.”
The Holy Spirit can make ordinary obedience spiritually significant. You do not have to wait for someday to live with purpose.
Be faithful here.
Reflection Questions:
- What responsibility has God placed in your hands right now?
- Are there any “small” assignments you have been tempted to undervalue?
- How might your current responsibilities be preparing you for something God wants to do later?
Suggested Reading: Genesis 39:1–6, 20–23
Prayer:
Lord, make me faithful with what You have given me today. Forgive me for overlooking small assignments while waiting for something bigger. Holy Spirit, help me serve with excellence, humility, and joy wherever You have placed me. Amen.
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Scripture: Luke 16:10
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…”
Devotional Thought:
Joseph did not suddenly become faithful when Pharaoh gave him authority over Egypt. He had already practiced faithfulness in places nobody would have chosen. Potiphar placed his household under Joseph’s care. Later, the prison warden placed other prisoners under Joseph’s responsibility. Neither assignment looked like the fulfillment of Joseph’s childhood dream, yet both were preparing him for what was coming.
A household. A prison. Eventually, a nation.
Different assignments. Same faithfulness.
We sometimes imagine our “real purpose” will begin later. When we have the right job. When the ministry grows. When the kids are older. When the financial pressure eases. When somebody finally notices our abilities. Joseph’s story challenges that thinking.
Purpose is formed through faithfulness in every season.
God is doing something in you while you are doing what is in front of you. The small assignment is not necessarily a distraction from your purpose. It may be preparation for it.
Jesus said that whoever is faithful with little can also be trusted with much. Kingdom responsibility usually grows out of everyday faithfulness.
So look at what is in your hands today. A family to love. A job to do well. A person to encourage. Resources to steward. A ministry assignment that seems small. A commitment nobody applauds.
Do not despise it.
Responsibility prepares you for opportunity.
Rather than continually asking, “God, when will You give me something bigger?” perhaps the better prayer is, “God, help me faithfully steward what You have already given me.”
The Holy Spirit can make ordinary obedience spiritually significant. You do not have to wait for someday to live with purpose.
Be faithful here.
Reflection Questions:
- What responsibility has God placed in your hands right now?
- Are there any “small” assignments you have been tempted to undervalue?
- How might your current responsibilities be preparing you for something God wants to do later?
Suggested Reading: Genesis 39:1–6, 20–23
Prayer:
Lord, make me faithful with what You have given me today. Forgive me for overlooking small assignments while waiting for something bigger. Holy Spirit, help me serve with excellence, humility, and joy wherever You have placed me. Amen.
Day 3 — Purpose is Bigger than Me
Memory Verse of the Week:
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Scripture: Genesis 45:7
“But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
Devotional Thought:
When Joseph first dreamed of his brothers bowing before him, he probably could not imagine what the dream would eventually mean. At seventeen, the dream could easily have sounded like it was about Joseph becoming important.
Years later, Joseph understood something much bigger. The dream was not ultimately about people bowing. It was about people surviving.
God had positioned Joseph so his family could live through a devastating famine. And even that was part of something larger. God had made a covenant with Abraham. Through this family would come Israel, and ultimately through the line of Judah would come Jesus.
Joseph saw a famine. God saw generations.
Joseph saw his family. God saw redemption.
That is one of the great lessons of stewardship: God’s purpose for me is always bigger than me.
The abilities God gives you are not simply for your advancement. The resources He places in your hands are not merely for your comfort. The influence He gives you is not simply to make your name known.
The palace was not Joseph’s trophy. The palace was Joseph’s responsibility. God placed something in his hands because other people were going to need it.
The same is true for us. What God teaches you may someday strengthen someone else. What God brings you through may equip you to walk beside another person. The resources He provides may become the answer to someone else’s prayer.
Ask the Holy Spirit to enlarge your view of purpose. Instead of only asking, “What does God want to do for me?” begin asking, “God, what do You want to do through me?”
A life entrusted to God becomes a life available for His purposes.
And His purposes are always larger than ourselves.
Reflection Questions:
- Where might God have blessed or equipped you for the benefit of someone else?
- How does thinking of purpose as “bigger than me” change the way you view your gifts?
- Who could benefit this week from something God has placed in your hands?
Suggested Reading: Genesis 12:1–3
Prayer:
God, enlarge my understanding of why You have entrusted things to me. Keep me from making Your blessings only about myself. Holy Spirit, show me how my life can become a blessing to others and advance Your purposes. Amen.
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Scripture: Genesis 45:7
“But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”
Devotional Thought:
When Joseph first dreamed of his brothers bowing before him, he probably could not imagine what the dream would eventually mean. At seventeen, the dream could easily have sounded like it was about Joseph becoming important.
Years later, Joseph understood something much bigger. The dream was not ultimately about people bowing. It was about people surviving.
God had positioned Joseph so his family could live through a devastating famine. And even that was part of something larger. God had made a covenant with Abraham. Through this family would come Israel, and ultimately through the line of Judah would come Jesus.
Joseph saw a famine. God saw generations.
Joseph saw his family. God saw redemption.
That is one of the great lessons of stewardship: God’s purpose for me is always bigger than me.
The abilities God gives you are not simply for your advancement. The resources He places in your hands are not merely for your comfort. The influence He gives you is not simply to make your name known.
The palace was not Joseph’s trophy. The palace was Joseph’s responsibility. God placed something in his hands because other people were going to need it.
The same is true for us. What God teaches you may someday strengthen someone else. What God brings you through may equip you to walk beside another person. The resources He provides may become the answer to someone else’s prayer.
Ask the Holy Spirit to enlarge your view of purpose. Instead of only asking, “What does God want to do for me?” begin asking, “God, what do You want to do through me?”
A life entrusted to God becomes a life available for His purposes.
And His purposes are always larger than ourselves.
Reflection Questions:
- Where might God have blessed or equipped you for the benefit of someone else?
- How does thinking of purpose as “bigger than me” change the way you view your gifts?
- Who could benefit this week from something God has placed in your hands?
Suggested Reading: Genesis 12:1–3
Prayer:
God, enlarge my understanding of why You have entrusted things to me. Keep me from making Your blessings only about myself. Holy Spirit, show me how my life can become a blessing to others and advance Your purposes. Amen.
Day 4 — God Gets the Final Word
Memory Verse of the Week:
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Scripture: Genesis 50:20
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Devotional Thought:
Genesis 50:20 may be one of the clearest summaries of Joseph’s entire life: “You intended to harm me…”
Joseph does not pretend the evil was good. His brothers had intentions. Their actions wounded him deeply. Joseph was betrayed, sold, separated from his family, falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten. Then Joseph adds four life-changing words: “But God intended it…”
His brothers had an intention. God had an intention. And God’s intention was bigger.
This does not mean God celebrates evil or that everything painful that happens is something He desires. It means that human brokenness does not have enough authority to cancel the redemptive purposes of God. The evil done to Joseph did not get the final word. God did.
Maybe somebody else’s decisions have affected your story. Maybe there are chapters you would erase if you could. Scripture never asks us to rename evil as good or pretend wounds did not hurt. But Scripture invites us to believe in a God who redeems.
What God brings us through is rarely intended to terminate on us. Paul wrote that God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others. God can take places of pain and, through His healing grace, turn them into places from which ministry flows.
Joseph’s scars became part of somebody else’s survival. That is redemption.
Do not give your worst chapter the authority to write the ending of your story. Bring it honestly before Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit to heal what was wounded and redeem what was lost.
You may not yet know how God will use it. Joseph did not either.
But when everything else has spoken, God still gets the final word.
Reflection Questions:
- Is there a painful chapter of your life that you struggle to believe God can redeem?
- What is the difference between calling something good and believing God can bring good from it?
- How could something God has brought you through become a source of encouragement to someone else?
Suggested Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:3–4
Prayer:
Jesus, I bring You the parts of my story that still hurt. Heal what needs healing and redeem what I cannot change. Holy Spirit, use even my difficult seasons for Your glory and for the good of others. Amen.
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Scripture: Genesis 50:20
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Devotional Thought:
Genesis 50:20 may be one of the clearest summaries of Joseph’s entire life: “You intended to harm me…”
Joseph does not pretend the evil was good. His brothers had intentions. Their actions wounded him deeply. Joseph was betrayed, sold, separated from his family, falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten. Then Joseph adds four life-changing words: “But God intended it…”
His brothers had an intention. God had an intention. And God’s intention was bigger.
This does not mean God celebrates evil or that everything painful that happens is something He desires. It means that human brokenness does not have enough authority to cancel the redemptive purposes of God. The evil done to Joseph did not get the final word. God did.
Maybe somebody else’s decisions have affected your story. Maybe there are chapters you would erase if you could. Scripture never asks us to rename evil as good or pretend wounds did not hurt. But Scripture invites us to believe in a God who redeems.
What God brings us through is rarely intended to terminate on us. Paul wrote that God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others. God can take places of pain and, through His healing grace, turn them into places from which ministry flows.
Joseph’s scars became part of somebody else’s survival. That is redemption.
Do not give your worst chapter the authority to write the ending of your story. Bring it honestly before Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit to heal what was wounded and redeem what was lost.
You may not yet know how God will use it. Joseph did not either.
But when everything else has spoken, God still gets the final word.
Reflection Questions:
- Is there a painful chapter of your life that you struggle to believe God can redeem?
- What is the difference between calling something good and believing God can bring good from it?
- How could something God has brought you through become a source of encouragement to someone else?
Suggested Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:3–4
Prayer:
Jesus, I bring You the parts of my story that still hurt. Heal what needs healing and redeem what I cannot change. Holy Spirit, use even my difficult seasons for Your glory and for the good of others. Amen.
Day 5 — May We Be Found Faithful
Memory Verse of the Week:
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Scripture: Matthew 25:21
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Devotional Thought:
The Entrusted series began with a story Jesus told in Matthew 25. A master went on a journey. Before leaving, he placed his possessions into the hands of his servants. Jesus says he “entrusted his wealth to them.” Then the master returned. And when he returned, accounts were settled.
The question was not whether every servant had received the same amount. They had not. The question was what each servant had done with what had been entrusted to him.
That brings Joseph’s story—and ours—into focus. God has entrusted you with a life. You have abilities, relationships, experiences, opportunities, resources, influence, and responsibilities. You have even walked through seasons you never would have chosen.
The question of purpose is not primarily, “Did I accomplish something impressive?” It is: “Was I faithful with what God placed in my hands?”
Joseph stewarded dreams, adversity, responsibility, purity, waiting, influence, and power. His assignments changed dramatically, but his calling to faithfulness remained. Near the end of his life, Joseph was still trusting God’s promise. Hebrews 11 remembers him not simply because he administered Egypt, but because he finished believing.
That is Kingdom success.
Paul described his own finish by saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
May that become our prayer.
Not “God, make me famous.” Not “God, make everyone recognize what I accomplished.” But: “God, make me faithful.”
One day our stewardship will be complete. The Master will return. And there are no words more valuable than: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Whatever God puts in your hands, steward it for His glory, your growth, and the good of others.
May we be found faithful.
Reflection Questions:
- What has God uniquely entrusted to you in this season?
- If faithfulness is the measure of Kingdom success, what needs to change in how you measure your life?
- What would you love to be able to say you faithfully stewarded when your life is complete?
Suggested Reading: Matthew 25:14–30
Prayer:
Father, everything I have ultimately belongs to You. Help me steward my life faithfully for the purposes for which You entrusted it to me. May my life bring You glory, produce growth in me, bless others, and one day hear, “Well done.” Amen.
Genesis 50:20 “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
Scripture: Matthew 25:21
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Devotional Thought:
The Entrusted series began with a story Jesus told in Matthew 25. A master went on a journey. Before leaving, he placed his possessions into the hands of his servants. Jesus says he “entrusted his wealth to them.” Then the master returned. And when he returned, accounts were settled.
The question was not whether every servant had received the same amount. They had not. The question was what each servant had done with what had been entrusted to him.
That brings Joseph’s story—and ours—into focus. God has entrusted you with a life. You have abilities, relationships, experiences, opportunities, resources, influence, and responsibilities. You have even walked through seasons you never would have chosen.
The question of purpose is not primarily, “Did I accomplish something impressive?” It is: “Was I faithful with what God placed in my hands?”
Joseph stewarded dreams, adversity, responsibility, purity, waiting, influence, and power. His assignments changed dramatically, but his calling to faithfulness remained. Near the end of his life, Joseph was still trusting God’s promise. Hebrews 11 remembers him not simply because he administered Egypt, but because he finished believing.
That is Kingdom success.
Paul described his own finish by saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
May that become our prayer.
Not “God, make me famous.” Not “God, make everyone recognize what I accomplished.” But: “God, make me faithful.”
One day our stewardship will be complete. The Master will return. And there are no words more valuable than: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Whatever God puts in your hands, steward it for His glory, your growth, and the good of others.
May we be found faithful.
Reflection Questions:
- What has God uniquely entrusted to you in this season?
- If faithfulness is the measure of Kingdom success, what needs to change in how you measure your life?
- What would you love to be able to say you faithfully stewarded when your life is complete?
Suggested Reading: Matthew 25:14–30
Prayer:
Father, everything I have ultimately belongs to You. Help me steward my life faithfully for the purposes for which You entrusted it to me. May my life bring You glory, produce growth in me, bless others, and one day hear, “Well done.” Amen.