Just the Beginning
Just the Beginning
Genesis 50:15, 19-20
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” … But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, … you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”
How many millions of goods have stemmed from this one act of mercy, friend? Can you tally them? Think of the psychological, even physical suffering this alleviates for wives, children, grandchildren, neighbors, servants, friends, all the way down the line. In fact, new goods are rising from Joseph’s mercy even today, because this devotional is one of them! Joseph's example here at the end of Genesis isn't just a declaration of God's character but a demonstration of it, which takes us all the way back around to the very beginning of Genesis, where God created man in His own image. Effecttively, Joseph realizes he’s been made to be like God, he sees God forgiving great evils and bringing greater good out of them, and he does the same.
So worship this God of new beginnings, friend! Praise this Reconciler Who brings light out of darkness and life out of death and joy out of sorrow! And then, by the Spirit’s power, do likewise.