Real Forgiveness
Genesis 50
Gen 50:15-17 When
Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph
holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”16
So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions
before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive
your brother’s the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’
Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When
their message came to him, Joseph wept.
JOSEPH’S brothers still feel guilty. About 17
years have passed since Jacob and his family came to live in Egypt, and Joseph
has repeatedly demonstrated his forgiveness and generosity to them. Still the
brothers wonder if Joseph will turn on them for the wrongs they did to him many
years before this.
That’s
the thing about sin. Even when someone says, “I forgive you.” we still want to
keep condemning ourselves. The guilt inside lingers and eats away at us. And we
are never sure of what the “forgiver” thinks about us.
Joseph
weeps in his frustration. His brothers did not truly understand his grace. Joseph
had forgiven those transgressions, and he wanted to move forward.
In
a like manner, God must feel a great sadness when we continually deny his generous
love and forgiveness. He says that when we repent to say, “I’m wrong. Forgive me.
I want to be with you, LORD.” he will forgive and forget our sins. He will point us away from our past and to our new
and restored future relationship with him.
Will
you trust God’s forgiveness? The Son, Jesus Christ, bled on a cross to remove
your sin. Trust the blood. Trust the
cross. Trust God’s generous grace.
LIFE Link: God forgives and forgets your sin.
Will you?
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