Friday, March 18, 2016

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.  And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.                            Genesis 45:1-3

Thought:

Look at the faces of Joseph’s brothers.  See any gladness?  Their brother is alive!  He is in a position of power and can save them from the drought that has destroyed their land.  And he is welcoming them with no gallows in the background.  They should be glad, correct?

No, they should be worried.  Because, as a friend of mine says, “Pit Happens”.  These are the very brothers who were so jealous of Joseph that they threw him into a pit, sold him into slavery, tore up his coat of many colors, and told his aging father, Jacob, that he was dead.  They should be worried because they deserve their own pits.

But this is a story of grace bestowed with love.  Do you have a story of grace in your life, a story that should have ended with you in a pit but instead found you forgiven and blessed?  Take just a moment and remember the feeling of being blessed by grace.  Take just a minute to remember that story, and then thank God for the one who offered you grace.  Now, is there one to whom you might offer grace?  I’m asking now as we grow closer to the day when the ultimate gift of forgiveness and grace was given us.  Is there one?