OUR DAILY BREAD : THE CHALLENGE OF FORGIVENESS

[cimi]

April 10
Thursday


THE CHALLENGE
OF FORGIVENESS

READ:
Genesis 45:15
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If you forgive men
their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will
also forgive you.
__Matthew 6:14
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In the heat of an argument, my wife came up with an acute theological insight. We were discussing my short-comings in a rather spirited way when she said, "I think it's pretty amazing that I forgive you for some of the dastardly things you've done!"

What struck me about her comment was its sharp perception into the nature of forgiveness. It is not a sweet platonic ideal to be dispersed in the world like air-freshener sprayed from a can. Forgiveness is achingly difficult, and long after you've forgiven, the wound lives on in memory. Forgiveness is an unnatural act, and my wife was protesting its blatant unfairness.

A story from Genesis captures much the same sentiment. The brothers that Joseph struggled to forgive were the very ones who had bullied him, had cooked up schemes to murder him, had sold him into slavery. Though he went on to triumph over adversity and though with all his heart he now wanted to forgive these brothers, he could not bring himself to that point--not yet.

I view Genesis 42:45 as Joseph's way of saying, "I think it's pretty amazing that I forgive you for the dastardly things you've done!" When grace finally broke through, the sound of Joseph's grief and love echoed through the palace. what was that wail? It was the sound of a man forgiving. __Philip Yancey
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``````````````````````FOR FURTHER STUDY`````````````````````
`````````The heart of true forgiveness is so much richer than`````````
````````````we realize. Read What Is True forgiveness?````````````
````````````````at www.discoveryseries.org/hp071```````````````
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We can stop forgiving others
when Christ stops forgiving us.

**************Today's Bible Reading __ Genesis 45:1-15************

1 Then Joseph could not
restrain himself before all
those who stood by him, and
he cried out, "Make everyone
go out from me!" So no one
stood with him while Joseph
made himself known to his
brothers. 2 And he wept
aloud, and the Egyptians and
the house of Pharaoh heard it.

3 Then Joseph said to his
brothers, "I am Joseph; does
my father still live?" But his
brothers could not answer
him, for they were dismayed
in his presence.

4 And Joseph said to his
brothers, "Please come near
to me." So they came near.
Then he said: "I am Joseph
your brother, whom you sold
into Egypt. 5 But now, do not
therefore be grieved or angry
with yourselves because you
sold me here; for God sent
me before you to preserve
life. 6 For these two years the
famine has been in the land,
and there are still five years in
which there will be neither
plowing nor harvesting. 7 And
God sent me before you to
preserve a posterity for you
in the earth, and to save your
lives by a great deliverance.

8 "So now it was not you
who sent me here, but God;
and He has made me a father
to Pharaoh, and lord of all his
house, and a ruler throughout
all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry
and go up to my father, and
say to him, 'Thus says your
son Joseph: "God has made
me lord of all Egypt; come
down to me, do not
tarry...." '

12 "And behold, your eyes
and the eyes of my brother
Benjamin see that it is my
mouth that speaks to you.

13 So you shall tell my father
of all my glory in Egypt, and
of all that you have seen; and
you shall hurry and bring my
father down here."

14 Then he fell on his brother
Benjamin's neck and wept,
and Benjamin wept on his
neck. 15 Moreover he kissed
all his brothers and wept over
them, and after that his
brothers talked with him.