Act Now

Read Genesis 43-44
 
Gen 43:30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.
 
JOSEPH wept with relief when he saw all his brothers after years of separation. And he wept for joy when his favorite brother Benjamin was brought to him. To Joseph, his life became whole again because his family was back with him. All the glory and power he had in Egypt meant little compared to his relationship even with his broken family.
    Joseph wept, too, we can be sure, for the years he was separated from his family. He wept for time he could not capture. He wept for relationships he did not have, for family he hadn’t seen, for the days without his father, impossible now to experience.
    These are the losses so many people know today. Family arguments tear loved ones apart.  Divorce and unforgiveness corrupt God’s will for human relationships. Absence creates a hole in our heart. Lost time cannot be recovered.
    What regrets do you carry each day, even through the years? Can you do something to fill the emptiness? Do you need to ask forgiveness or admit you were wrong about something? Do you need to forgive, to open your arms and welcome someone back home?   Just as Joseph could have ruled with an angry heart during his prison years, Joseph could have destroyed his brothers in righteous vengeance for what they had done to him. And most of us would have said, “They deserved it!” Instead, the powerful Egyptian Prime Minister ruled with the Lord’s mercy. He demonstrates the grace of God, who thankfully doesn’t give us what we deserve. Joseph wept and welcomed his sinful brothers into his open arms of joy and restoration.
    These are the merciful arms Jesus had for his disciples as he returned from the tomb. These are the arms Jesus has for you now as he comes to you in his resurrection power to welcome you home.
    Is reconciliation in your hands? Trust in Jesus, the one who has reconciled you to the Father.

Pause and Consider: Is it time?