Holding Grudges!

But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them. (Genesis 50:19-21 NLT)

I have been spending time reading Genesis. I love this book and the fantastic stories of the beginning of life on this planet. This verse is at the end of the story of Joseph and his being sold into slavery by his brothers. We could learn much from these verses. Joseph had every right to punish his brothers. No one would have blamed him if he would have severely punished them. He chose not to because he understood Gods plan. 

Holding grudges is the norm. Getting even is standard operating procedure for our society. You have heard it said, "An eye for an eye....." But Jesus taught a different way. In a time when our nation is greatly divided, when we really hate each other, we need to constantly remind ourselves of Joseph and how he treated his brothers. We need to build bridges with our enemies and not tear them down. We need to build relationships in positive ways and love our neighbors. Itš not easy when our disagreements are major, when our beliefs are so far apart. But, those differences are not a reason to hate, to judge, and to punish. Judgment and punishment belongs to the Lord alone!

Dear Lord, Thank you for the wonderful messages from the book of Genesis. They are old stories but they are just as relevant today as ever before. May we learn from these stories. May we apply the truths of the bible to our lives today. Thank you Lord for your love. Thank you for your mercy and grace. May we share that same love, mercy, and grace with those we see today. Amen!

My enemy will suffer!

Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the realm of the dead, for evil finds lodging among them. As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. (Psalm 55:15-16 NIV)

Does this verse shock you? It seems pretty harsh. I had to do some work investigating, studying its meaning because it bothered me so much. Really this is not a very good translation of the tone of this verse. It seems harsh but it's not. The wording makes it appear to be a wish by King David. It's meant to be a prediction, not a desire. 

The enemies of God are going to perish and it's not going to be pretty. Death will be sudden. There will be no turning back. It will be forever. It's a fact. You can try to sugar coat it. It's easy to feel sadness and pity for the lost. But the final choice is theirs, not ours. I serve a loving God that does not wish anyone perish, but he will not yield. The choice has been granted to each of us. That choice has dire consequences. 

The harsh feelings we have toward our enemies are normal. But, we can not forget the directions Jesus gives us. We are to love our enemy. Justice will be served. The end will be harsh. God will deal with their sins just like he will deal with ours. Until that time, we are to love them as much as we can, protect ourselves, and protect the message of Christ. Judgment will come!

Rejection

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— (1 Peter 2:4 NIV)

I read a quote today from Billy Graham, "Aethists and Agnostics find fault with Christians but not with Christ." Christ came to this earth over 2,000 years ago. He was rejected by man. Now those who do not follow Christ reject him because of us. Our sinfulness gets in the way of so many people accepting Christ. Until, they realize we all come from the same broken place, they can't understand the true saving grace of Christ. Until we as Christians stop judging and  making ourselves superior to those that are not followers, the world will never change.

We need to be more about loving people than hating sin. I am so saddened by our focus. I am also saddened by our putting one sin above another. We are all sinners and equally sinful to our perfect father. We are also ALL precious to him. So much so that he gave his son to death on the cross that we might spend eternity with him.

Praise Hod for his patience with us and our sinfulness. Lord, help us reach others. Help them to feel your love through us. May we be filled with your a Holy Spirit as we serve and witness to the lost and forgotten.