Forgiving the Impossible

How many times have we said, or at least heard others say, “I could never forgive him/her for that!” And we go on with hurt, indignation, and bitterness building within us sometimes growing into full blown rage and hate. We believe we have a right to feel this way. Afterall, look at what the other person did to us or said about us. How can anyone forgive that?

Jesus has plenty to say about that and the New Testament is full of good examples and reasons to forgive. But this morning, I was reading in Genesis about Joseph. While we are aware of his reunion with his brothers and his forgiveness in the end, I was pondering his statements he made when he revealed himself to his brothers and then looking back at his life from the time he was sold into slavery up to this point in time. How did he get here? How was he able to say to his brothers, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.” Genesis 45:4-5 NLT

It appears to me that Joseph had a huge trust in the sovereignty of God right from the beginning. If I had been sold into slavery, I fear I would have pulled into myself and withered up and died. I would have had plenty to say about those who put me in this place and ranted and cried. And maybe Joseph did initially. We don’t know all the details. But somewhere early on, Joseph came to a place where he trusted God with his life and was able to make the best of wherever he found himself. He used his God-given gifts of administration and was promoted to the highest position wherever he served – first with Potiphar’s household and then following the second great injustice done to him putting him in prison. 

How was Joseph able to serve so well when injustice after injustice had happened to him? It seems that Joseph had surrendered his life to God and was willing to be used by God wherever he ended up. Because he was serving God, it didn’t matter if it was in Potiphar’s household, the prison or the palace. He could serve with all his heart and do the best he could do. And God blessed him in each situation. And he quickly rose to the top and was recognized for these blessings. 

And when his brothers finally showed up, hungry and in need of help, Joseph could say with confidence, “God sent me ahead of you to preserve your lives.” I wonder, could I do that? Could I so completely forgive them that I could respond as Joseph did or would I want to scream at them, “How could you do this to me? Just go and starve!” The answer to that question is really the answer to the question, “How completely have I surrendered my life to God?” Can I trust in His sovereignty even when things are not going well for me? When I have been hurt by others? Can I work hard for Him even when I am being taken advantage of by others? 

These are the things that clearly define our level of trust in our Maker! “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians 3:23 Is God in charge or not? Is He Lord of my life or am I? Do I believe, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 

Joseph did not have these verses to encourage him as he served Potiphar and the prison warden. But he had trust in God. He knew he was in God’s hands and God would accomplish His purposes as Joseph served wherever he found himself. 

Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation; but rescue us from the evil one. We give You all the honor and glory. In Jesus name, Amen. (Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9-13 NLT)

Politics and Scripture

I cannot think of a time in my life when politics has been more divisive and even hateful as this season in the United States of America. And among those who call themselves Christian, the lines are being drawn, both sides citing Scripture and beliefs to back them up. “Political Correctness” is at an all time high and we “guilt” those who think differently than ourselves by name calling and putting words into their mouths.

I have been reading in Ecclesiastes, II Chronicles, and Lamentations – I know – all books we tend to avoid when reading Scripture because they are so depressing. I also have been reading the books of Luke, John and Revelation. So, I have been wondering…

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45 NLV What is filling our hearts? Are we seeking God with our whole heart, mind and strength? Is our relationship with the Lord filling us and informing us? Or is it the nightly news (conservative or liberal) that is informing us? Is it blogs written by people who may or may not be filled with the Spirit of God that inform our thinking?

Lamentations is a book of tears written by Jeremiah the prophet as Judah fell to first Egypt and then Babylonia. Judah didn’t fall because of a bad leader. Judah fell because the hearts of the people had wondered far from God and He pulled His protection from them. They were never strong in and of themselves. They had become a strong nation because the Lord fought for them and had prospered them. But now their religious leaders were more interested in what other countries were doing and forgot that they were to teach the people who God is and how to enter into His presence. From time to time, they even lost the "Book of the Law" that contained God's instructions for them. The hearts of the people were wanting to keep up with the other nations, offering prayers and sacrifices to foreign gods and reveling in their wealth. Status was more important to them than their relationship with the one true God. They forgot how they had gotten there y the hand of God and were full of pride and arrogance. 

I live in a country where people vote and elect the government. There are always political campaigns going on in the background and as election years draw near, they become louder and louder. But quite frankly, I am tired of “Christian” leaders and writers taking sides politically and “guilting” people into voting for their political party. I long for the day when the Christian leaders and writers are focused on teaching the people who God is and how He has led and protected His people in the past and is leading and protecting His people in the present. Jeremiah said, “Rise during the night and cry out. Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him in prayer, pleading for your children, for in every street they are faint with hunger.” Lamentations 2:19 NLV

I long for the day that instead of political rantings, we hold prayer vigils – because we know the Lord and have a personal relationship with Him and because we desire change through hearts turning to God. It does not matter who is in power – “good king” or “bad king”. What matters is where the hearts of the people are. Are we praying? Are we offering help to the “refugees” we want to protect? Or are we just using them to promote our political views? Are we helping pregnancy crisis centers? Or are we just using pro-life rhetoric to promote our political views? Where our energy and our money go are the indicators of where our hearts are at. If our hearts are truly aligned with the Lord, then we will show fruit – not just words. How we live our lives will always demonstrate with what our hearts are truly filled.

Lord, please fill me with you. I want the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart to be truly acceptable to You. I want to truly live in Your Presence and have You inform all that I am and all that I do. Make me generous and loving like You are. Cause me to be a light in the darkness and a good salt that flavors the earth with Your goodness. Amen

I Can Use That!

When our children were young, they loved doing crafts and we loved to recycle as much as we could, so we often made crafts out of “trash”. Our son would walk by the trash can and look in and pull out a paper towel or toilet paper roll or tuna can and say, “Don’t throw this away! I can use that!” And he did use much of it in very creative ways. 

When Joseph was young, he was a bit arrogant and his brothers were very irritated by him and by the fact that their father favored Joseph. When they had an opportunity, they sold Joseph into slavery. Joseph could have said, “Well, I guess that is the end of me. I think I’ll just kill myself rather than be a slave.” But he didn’t. He became the best slave a master could ever dream of having! Joseph didn’t blame God, but rather used the opportunity to learn as much as he could and was promoted to being in charge of his master’s entire household and property. 

When his master’s wife couldn’t get the attention from Joseph she wanted, she accused him of attempting to rape her and he was thrown into prison. Again, Joseph could have blamed God and just quit – given up and waited to die. But instead, he became the best prisoner any guard ever had to keep. He was promoted to a place of caring for the other prisoners. And when the time came, Joseph had been fully educated and trained for the position God had in mind for him – second only to Pharaoh in ruling over Egypt. He was released from prison and put in charge of the kingdom.

It is easy for us to read about Joseph in the Bible and not think about how difficult it was for him for many years because we focus on the end. But if we stop and ponder a bit, there were a lot of years between him being sold as a slave and him becoming a ruler in Egypt. And all those years, he was either a slave or a prisoner. He had been mistreated, lied about, betrayed, and left as trash. And God looked down and said, “I can use this!” Joseph saw in the end how God had used his circumstances for His purposes. He told his brothers, “You meant it for evil, but God used it to save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20)

Sometimes we go through life and hit rocky places – difficult things that irritate or hold us back. We feel like trash – not good for anything or like we have been trashed. But God looks down and says, “I can use that,” and He uses the very things we think are hurting us or hindering us from reaching our goal to shape us – to make us into more useful, productive people for His Kingdom work.

Someone recently told me, “God is really changing me. I used to get upset whenever my car wouldn’t start and throw a fit, kick tires, slam doors, and mutter. Now I don’t feel like I need to do that anymore. I just get out, use the portable battery starter, hook it up and start the engine and go. I have way more patience now than I used to have.” It took several months of an unpredictable vehicle that started some days and not others and no one could determine the cause. So he had to frequently get cables and jump start his vehicle. In all of those many times of being detained and inconvenienced, he grew less and less impatient and angry and learned to be grateful that he had options and wasn’t left sitting without help. 

Yes, God can use the “trash” in our lives and do good things with it. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NLT

Lord, help me to see when You are working to change me, calling my heart closer to You. I want to trust You to always be doing Your good work in me and through me no matter what I am going through. You sometimes do Your best work through the deepest suffering. Help me to keep it in that perspective and always be willing to suffer for the good You are doing and will do. There is nothing too big or painful that You cannot redeem and heal. I worship You and praise You for who You are and the work You are doing in me. Amen.