Joseph, Forgetting and Forgiving

Scripture Reading: Genesis 61: 46-57

Key Verse: It is because God has made me forget all my trouble (Genesis 41:51)

Meditation : Joseph had suffered for 15 years before he became Prime Minister of Egypt.   He prepared for the seven years of famine by conserving the abundance of the first seven years. Joseph also  was blessed with two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 


Manasseh means "God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." Joseph let his pain go and actually forgave his brothers years before he saw them again when they came to get grain for their families. Ephraim means "God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering." Joseph gave praise to God for using the suffering to give him a resulting ministry to two nations and many people. 


Joseph learning that even his brothers could change. He tested their attitude towards their father before he revealed who he was and gave them his forgiveness. Joseph saw that God worked in changed people for good. Forgiveness gave his brothers hope.

In all the injustices of his life Joseph managed to channel the negative experiences into positive actions.  He recognized that God took all the evil circumstances of his life and turned them into salvation, even for those who tried to destroy him. Joseph entered into God's forgiveness of his family and effected their deliverance form destruction. 

Thought for the Day: God takes the circumstances of our lives and uses them for our good and for the good of others. He effects a special purpose and plan for each of us.