A lady tells as story that is a real picture of forgiveness. She says my mom, now in heaven, was a good cook. She was a good forgiver too and the combination of these two qualities resulted one day in an incident I love to recall. Let me recount it to you as I have heard it from a young child. Dad was a preacher, and that made Mom the preacher's wife an adventurous position to be sure. One day, a wife, who was jealous of her handsome, elderly husband, accused my innocent, young Mom of trying to "steal" him! The lady refused to attend church. My mom felt badly for the poor man, who, in tears, pled with her to talk to his wife. It resulted in a very funny scene, so I am told, of my mom, the dramatist of all time, visiting this lady, kneeling in front of her. With wide-eyed emotion, she "confessed" to the non-crime, "Dear Sister, if you think I am guilty of wanting your husband and before God, I do not then please forgive me; please come back to church." The lady accepted the "apology," returned to church, and continued to be the usual disgruntled church member. She criticized the pastor's wife for wearing the same dress every Sunday (Mom and Dad were POOR preachers). Then when Mom finally could afford a few new clothes, she criticized her for wearing a different dress every Sunday! You could not please this woman! One day this unhappy, insecure woman became ill. Mom's reaction? She prepared some delicious homemade chicken soup for the dear lady, and took it to the hospital. The lady saw her preacher's wife enter the room, with the delicious soup and that did it. She broke down, cried, apologized, and was the sweetest, saintliest friend of the pastor's wife the rest of her days! And that's the kind of forgiveness that was modeled in this preacher kid's home! I saw it, fleshed out in real-life incidents, time after time, in the lives of both parents but none hardly as comical as the story of the chicken soup! So what's the point? Climb out of your well today, smell the chicken soup cooking on Mom's old fashioned stove of forgiveness, and come with me. For you see, forgiveness is JUST like my mom's chicken soup!
Joseph the one who forgave
Genesis 39:2-3 The Lord was with Joseph and blessed him greatly as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. [3] Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. 50: 20 As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people. 21 No, don't be afraid. Indeed, I myself will take care of you and your families." And he spoke very kindly to them, reassuring them.
1. He was the 11th son of Jacob. He had a step mother and two other ladies in the house besides his mother. He had 10 step brothers. This is not typical American family.
2. He was a favorite child of his father.
3. He was hated by his brothers.
4. He had two dreams in which he was shown that his brothers would bow down to him and also his father.
5. He was sent one day to give some food to his brothers. They saw him coming and decided they would put an end to this dreamer.
6. He did well in Egypt with his master.
7. He was falsely accused by his mater’s wife.
8. He was in prison and became a trusted man.
9. He was forgotten in prison.
10. He interpreted the dream of Pharaoh and became second in power.
11. When the famine hit his brothers had to come to him for food. They did not know who he was.
12. He tested his brothers. Simeon was put in jail.
13. The second time they came back he revealed who he was.
14. All his family came to live in Egypt.
15. Jacob died and brothers were fearful of Joseph.
Genesis 50:20 "As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people. 21 No, don't be afraid. Indeed, I myself will take care of you and your families." And he spoke very kindly to them, reassuring them."
HAS ANYONE DONE SOMETHINGTO YOU THAT YOU CAN NOT FORGIVE? JESUS WHEN HE WAS ON THE CROSS SAID, "FATHER FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING." ARE YOU LIKE CHRIST?
