Genesis 44:1-45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13
How do you respond when you have been wronged? Not those accidental offenses that could be reinterpreted and overlooked. When you know that a person has stabbed you in the back and you saw them do it? When someone with careless and reckless resolve attacks you and means to do you harm, how do you handle it?
Well, Joseph found himself in this very same predicament. His brothers mistreated him thoroughly. Then, to make matters worse, he ends up in prison. Joseph had every right, in the natural, to become resentful and even plot ways to exact revenge. But, you know what Joseph did?
He forgave those who hurt him! What a big person it takes to forgive people who intentionally hurt you!! In order for Joseph to walk in his future, he had to forgive those who hurt him. If not, he would have used the power that God gave him to harm those who hurt him. If he did this, it would have negated his dream (purpose).
Are there people who have hurt you? Are you still holding a grudge against them? Are you unable to move forward with your life because of the actions of another? If so, you are holding back your dream from becoming a reality.
Do like Joseph did: redefine your suffering as something that positioned you for God to use you at a higher level. Joseph said, “God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.” (Gen 45:7-8)
God will use the roadblocks that others put in your way as stepping-stones for your future!
Tomorrow’s Reading: Genesis 46:1-47:31; Matthew 15:1-28; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 4:14-19