The closing chapters of Genesis contain moving stories of forgiveness.
We all struggle with forgiveness at some point in our lives, but holding on to anger, resentment and thoughts of revenge only cause suffering. When we do this, we become both the prisoner and the jailer.
How can we forgive, just as God has forgiven us?
What is our purpose and how do we live lives of purpose for God even when things don’t go the way we think they should?
Joseph experienced the powerful truth of Romans 8v28. In 45:5 Joseph recognises "because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you” and then in verses 8 ‘So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God’.
It has been said that the true test of our character is what we do when no-one is watching. Jospeh learned to trust God when his treatment was unjust, and had opportunities to serve God in low positions as well as high ones. What does it look like for us to live lives on integrity and trust both in private and in public?
We all suffer disappointments in our life.
Some are small and unimportant. Some are huge. People let us down. Stuff disappoints and fails us.
Even God doesn’t do what we think he’s supposed to do, in the way we think he should do it.
So how should we deal with disappointment?
The story of Joseph and his brothers is one of jealousy, bitterness and betrayal.
When our dreams are derailed, how do we continue to trust God and keep emotionally and spiritually healthy?
