Forgiveness is the toughest thing the Lord asks us to do. At the same time, it is the most rewarding. Have you ever considered your horse to be forgiving? How many times have you messed up and cued them wrong, gotten out of rhythm with them, or just flat out did them wrong because you didn't know better? They don't hold a grudge against you, they are happy to move on and leave that in the past. They do have a memory, and having a memory is different from forgiving. It will take time to build a new pattern, but they don't hold it against you. They are willing to work with you to get better. We just have to put in the effort.
The Lord is also forgiving. He is ready to forgive even before we mess up, and He knows that we will. We must accept it. More than that though, we must be willing to forgive.
Our pastor finished up the series on Joseph yesterday. He pointed out how Joseph forgave his brothers for how they wronged him because he knew the Lord had a plan and a purpose for him. Joseph knew that he was not the main character in the story, that God was. Read that again: Joseph knew that he was not the main character in the story, that God was. Mic drop...💥
Wow, what a change of perspective. That paints a whole new picture of our lives. We live on this planet with billions of other people; who are we to think it's all about us? Everything we do affects those around us. Someday we may learn how it affected something around the world. Our thoughts drive our actions, our actions drive our lives, our lives encounter others and has a ripple effect on them, and them on us. We do not live unto ourselves.
Our pastor summed up Joseph's example of forgiveness into three points of how forgiveness works:
1. Forgiveness does not play God.
This has been our greatest downfall since the beginning. This was the clencher that the enemy used to convince Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3. He said to her, : "for if you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God," That sentiment was his big downfall as well as described in Isaiah 14, "for I will be like the Most High [God]." When we don't forgive, or don't allow ourselves to be forgiven by God, we are placing ourselves in the position of God.
Rather, we need to see life as Joseph did in Genesis 45:5 & 50:20, he saw the Lord and work and surrendered himself to His will, knowing that all things work for the good of those who love the Lord, and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
2. Forgiveness initiates kindness
I have always wrestled with "if your brother sins against you, you are to forgive him not 7 times, but 70 times 7 times," even for the same offence. (Matthew 18:21-22) Joseph gives us an example of that when his brothers come to Egypt for grain. Joseph tested them, to see if their hearts had changed. He was ready to forgive them, but he needed to know if they were ready to receive his forgiveness. He put them in the same type of predicament that they put him in when they took him, threw him in a cistern and sold him as a slave. Yet he showed them kindness by returning the money they paid for the grain.
When they returned a second time, this time with their father's next favorite son, Benjamin, he was still not convinced of their hearts. He once again tested them by setting up framing Benjamin as a thief. When Joseph told them that Benjamin would have to remain as a prisoner and slave, Judah, who was the ringleader in Joseph's initial downfall, put himself out there and explained the situation, owning what he had done to Joseph and not willing to let this brother's fate become the same for the sake of their father. At this Joseph was greatly moved by their change of hearts and then revealed himself to them. He then welcomed them into his home and his land and promised to take care of them through the rest of the famine. He showed them great kindness and compassion. Would you have been able to do what Joseph did? The final point shows us how he did it.
3. Forgiveness recognizes the sovereignty of God.
This is how Joseph knew he was not the main character in his story, but that God was. He recognized how the Lord works and submitted to His plan and purpose. That is how he became the second most powerful man in the world in his day. Imagine what the Lord could do with you and your life if you would allow Him to work as He worked in Joseph's life.
Now, Joseph's life was not all sunshine and roses to get to where he was, the best things in life rarely are ever easy. The whole time Joseph was a slave, and then a prisoner, he never took his eyes off of the Lord and His plan. I can imagine that on the trip to Egypt he resolved to himself that no matter what happened, he would trust the Lord and do what was required of him. He more than likely did the same thing when sitting in the prison. It took quite a long time to get to the top, but he was faithful in the small things, so the Lord put him in charge of many things. (Matthew 25:14-30)
The final thing we must recognize is that the Lord Himself, never brings harm to us or tempts us in anyway. (James 1:13) The evil that happens to us in this life comes from the natural tendencies of man. For the heart of man is deceitful above all else, and terribly wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9) Look back at yesterday's #CornerstoneVerseOfTheDay to understand why God allows it, and then remember that He can work all things for good. Joseph understood it, and we can too, and it will make a difference in our lives, and the lives of everyone around us.
If we hope to recieve the Lord's forgivness, we must forgive others, because He has forgiven us.
To hear the sermon you can listen to it here:
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