Last week we learned that God has
forgiven all our sins, past, present and future. He is not holding
a grudge; Jesus has been punished in our place. He has taken all
our sins on Him so that we can be the righteousness of God in
Christ. He has freed us from the bondage to sin. So we must never
believe the lie that God has not forgiven us and will still punish
us. It is not true. It is what the devil wants you to believe and
that saddens God. He wants a close relationship with you, but if
you cannot accept His forgiveness then there will always be a rift
between you and God and He doesn't want that. So accept God's
forgiveness today and start living close to Him.
Joseph was so sad when his brothers
still thought that he didn't forgive them. He wept and called them
over. When they came they were still so afraid and fell down before
his face, saying:
"Behold, we are your servants."
Genesis 50: 18
But Joseph quickly reassured
them:
"Do not be afraid, for am I in
the place of God? But as for you, you meant for evil against me;
but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this
day, to save many people alive. Now, therefore, do not be afraid; I
will provide for you and your little ones." And he comforted them
and spoke kindly to them." Genesis 50:19-21
Joseph saw the hand of God in all
of this and therefore he could forgive his brothers more easily. He
looked at the bigger picture and didn't get caught up in the little
things. He knew God used him mightily and he was grateful for it.
He didn't want to punish anyone, as he knew that God meant for him
to come to Egypt and to save lives.
We must also look at the bigger
picture of our lives. We shouldn't get tangled up in the little
details. The little things will keep us back from progressing to
the best life that the Lord wants to bless us with. We must forgive
those who have wronged us in the past. We cannot move forward
before we do that. God has better plans for us in mind, He wants us
to see the bigger picture and be the vessel that He can mightily
use.
Look back at your life. See God's
hand in so many things and thank Him for it. See where you also
didn't follow His advice and learn from your mistakes. Forgive
those who have wronged you. Then go forward, confident that God is
with you.
We must learn from Joseph. He lived
out his mandate in life, so confident in the Lord and who he was in
Him. He readily forgave his brothers and lived out his role that
God had carved out for him. He always trusted in God and never
denounced Him. He honored Him even when it was difficult and God
respected that and lifted him up high at just the right time.
Throughout our lifetime we must
continue to walk with God. We must learn to trust Him in
everything. All things will work together for our good (Romans
8:28). Our lives are truly in His hands and we honor and praise Him
for that.
Thank you Father that You are with
us every step of the way. We trust You that You know best for our
lives. Even if we do not understand everything at the moment, we
trust You that You do and we leave our lives in Your hands. Lead us
unto Your paths and keep us safe and protected. We love You.
Amen