Scripture

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”

~Genesis 20:15, NIV

Quote

The only explanation of God’s mercy and grace is His character.

~John Philips

Those of you who have read the blog long term know that I love the story of Jospeh and his brothers. I still remember Alvin Tucker’s description of the brothers {other than Joseph}. He said they were hooligans, thugs and outlaws and he was right. There was a keen distinction between Joseph and his brothers. I saw myself as a Joseph until I came to realize that he was a type of Christ and then I realized I was one of those sorry brothers who betrayed him. Joseph was a cut above. Jacob realized early on that he was not like his brothers. Joseph had integrity. All of his brothers were liars. Jospeh was trustworthy. His brothers would betray their own grand mother for a price. Joseph respected his father and brought him delight. His brothers disrespected Jacob and brought him grief.

In the end, Joseph’s dreams come true and he has power over his evil brothers. Joseph, being the good man that he was, decides to forgive them and to be good to them. They, on the other hand, have a very hard time accepting his forgiveness. They are so insecure that doubt and fear becomes a constant battle. When Jacob died, this deep insecurity came to the surface so they make up another lie. Joseph has to reassure them that they are forgiven. Who does this sound like? Are we not in constant need of reassurance? Don’t we struggle with doubt and fear? Why would Christ love us? Why would He be willing to forgive us? We know deep down that we do not deserve to be forgiven.

The big problem with Joseph’s brothers was that they projected their attitude and behavior on Joseph, but Joseph was nothing like them. If the shoe had been on the other foot, they would have gotten even. His forgiveness of their sin blew their wicked minds. They were not capable of such behavior so they assumed he was like them. Good news: he was nothing like them. Likewise, Jesus is nothing like us. He can do things we are not capable of doing. Rest in His grace and holiness. As Carol says, “Jesus has got this.”

Extra

Well I can praise our GP team enough for the great meal they provided for the preachers yesterday: it was fabalous. It looked like a 49er spread. We had enough food to feed five times as many preachers. The good news is: We are hosting the annual meeting of the Executive Committee in 2026 on Monday October 26. This is in lieu of the Pastor’s appreciation dinner. It will be a bigger crowd [50-75] but we can do it. It will take two boxes of chicken but if Ma Krogers is still frying, we can handle the rest.

One other item of news for POINTERS, our Christmas program and supper is on Wednesday night December 17. Program at 5:30 and we eat at 6:00. We are giving consideration to a Christmas Eve Communion service. Right now we are thinking 4:00 PM. This will get everyone home before dark.

Cool again this morning but I saw no frost. We could use a light frost and a heavy rain. It is really dry. I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.