Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Genesis 50:15, “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may fully repay us for all the evil which we did to him.'”

Background

Have you ever been driving along and all of the sudden, everyone in front of you is slamming on their brakes? And it’s not because there has been a wreck, or a 500-pound moose is in the middle of the road, or the highway has suddenly dropped off the end of the earth. No, all of the panic is because of a certain car with lights on top sitting on the side of the road. And, as if by magic, seeing that car somehow alerts everyone that they were driving faster than the law would allow. So instantly, all of the drivers immediately turn into law-abiding drivers-ed students and hope they haven’t been singled out for their earlier excesses. I’ve always wondered why the police don’t place another car about a mile further down the road to snag those speeders that resume their race once out of sight of the officer on the side of the road. But even if you’re not a speeder, seeing the police with his radar gun can startle you and make you check your speedometer, regardless of whether your cruise is set exactly on the speed limit or not.

Application

Joseph’s brothers put a lot of stock in the restraint that their father held over Joseph. But now that Jacob was dead, they feared that Joseph was going to make them suffer for all of the pain and hardship they had caused him. But what about the forgiveness that Joseph had granted them already? What about the great setup he had given them in the land of Goshen, abiding in the best fields that Pharaoh had to offer? Apparently they meant very little. The brothers knew they had done wrong, and they feared of the punishment to come. But when Joseph realized this, he wept. His heart broke when he heard them doubt his forgiveness. And are you afraid of the same thing from God? Do you dread the day you might mess up so badly that He will have had enough? Have you been trying to stay on God’s good side without even realizing it? Do you know you’re forgiven this time, but worry about the next? Don’t. His love is His restraint, and it never fails. The blood of Jesus guarantees it. So live for freedom, not for pardon.

Charge

As we seek Him today, let the Spirit within you be the only restraint you need. Ask God to remove the fear and the doubt that are keeping you from tasting His wonderful freedom. Remind yourself you need forgiving, and you are forgiven indeed.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words