Living in Forgiveness

Sunday, January 27, 2019

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.”

Genesis 45:3–5

When Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery and made Jacob believe his favorite son had been killed by a wild animal, they committed a great evil. Yet when they were finally reunited with Joseph, though he had the power to inflict any punishment he wished on them, he forgave them. Joseph was willing to forgive because he recognized God had been at work. The problem was that his brothers had a hard time accepting that they had been forgiven.

Seventeen years passed before Jacob died. When they returned to Egypt after burying Jacob in the Promised Land, they feared that Joseph had just been biding his time. “And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him”(Genesis 50:15). They had been forgiven, but they were still living with guilt and shame for what they had done.

Often we do that, both with God and with others. We realize the seriousness of our offenses, and genuinely repent and seek forgiveness. But when we receive it, we do not live as if we have been forgiven. There will be consequences for past actions, but the guilt has been removed. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

Today's Growth Principle: 

Do not allow guilt over things you have confessed and sought forgiveness for continue to weigh you down.

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No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. --Romans 8:37 As a Christian, is it wrong to want to succeed? Is it wrong to be competitive? Not at all! As a believer, God can take your drive to succeed, your passion for success, and your competitive edge and refocus it for His glory. Our Scripture verse says “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” God wants us to live in super, abundant victory. We are in this race of life to win. Paul puts it this way in Corinthians, “Therefore, run to win.” Don’t just finish, win! Now there are accusers and opponents that try to keep Christians from winning. The devil is our adversary. He is called the accuser of the brother in the Bible. The devil is constantly trying to discourage us, defeat us, and defame our testimony. But I want to warn you against focusing on the devil today. Don’t let the devil distract you from the victory you have in Jesus Christ. Don’t be on the defense in life. Play offense. And run to win! When you know Jesus, He will take your drive to succeed, your passion for success, and your competitive edge and refocus it for His glory.