Day 9
Have you ever wondered how you could forgive an enemy?
Have you ever wondered what sins are unforgivable?
Read: Genesis 45:4-15
This passage captures the moment that Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers, only after he tests them to see if they have had a changed heart. He reassures them that everything that had happened was being used by God for a greater purpose. Despite their past, they needed to gather the family and bring them to Egypt, where he would provide for them. This is an incredible moment of reconciliation and forgiveness.
Read: Matthew 18:21-35
In this passage, Peter is asking Jesus about the limits of forgiveness, Jesus responds by illustrating the importance of forgiving others as God has forgiven us. We must reflect the mercy we have received from God, as we are warned that an unmerciful heart will surely lead to spiritual peril.
It goes beyond our human nature to forgive the unforgivable, we hold grudges and harbor resentment, we battle and bicker among ourselves. It is God’s nature, to forgive anything and everything. The worst crime ever committed; God can forgive that. Your worst mistakes and harshest moments; God can forgive those, too. Even when you feel that God would never accept you as you are; He invites you to come and He forgives you completely.
Joseph’s brothers did the unforgivable - they sold their little brother into slavery. They did not deserve to be forgiven. As readers, we long for a moment of vengeance, when Joseph can get back at them for the years of pain and rejection, they caused him. But Joseph held off. He could have gloated, mocked, yelled, or punished. Instead, he embraced them. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he forgave them. As Jesus taught in Matthew 18:35, Joseph forgave his brother from his heart.
Perhaps you can empathize with Joseph’s situation. Maybe you are face-to-face with someone who doesn't deserve to be forgiven. Through Jesus’ grace, you can forgive. Only when you are bathed in God’s forgiveness can you extend that same, rich, ungrudging forgiveness to others.
But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners. - Romans 5:8
Personal Application:
Additional Reading: Genesis 37 & 42