Devotional Thoughts for Today
“Family Matters”
Genesis 45:1-3
Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.
The following is possibly a true story found on the Internet: “We convinced my youngest sister that she was adopted; it was fairly easy because she was a platinum blonde and the rest of us are all brunettes… She got us back by being happy that she wasn’t actually related to us.”
Whether or not it’s true, this short anecdote is humorous to most of us because we all relate to dysfunction in family. To varying degrees, we all struggle with being a brother or sister, or being a son or daughter in our families. And sometimes we might wish we weren’t actually related to our parents or siblings. Why is this? Because there is no person or group of people who will annoy, bother, frustrate or even hurt us in quite the same way as our own families.
If anyone could tell a story about being hurt by his family, it would be Joseph. His own brothers tried to kill him, but instead sold him into slavery—setting off a chain of events where he ended up in prison. And so when we read about the mind games that Joseph played with his brothers (Genesis 42-44), we can understand that he was acting out of the deep hurt inflicted on him at the hand of his brothers. And we see how deep the pain went as he wept so loud that everyone could hear. However, in spite of all of the hurt and pain, Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, begining the process of reconciliation and healing with his family.
For many people, it is a major struggle to love their families and to find healing and forgiveness from past hurts. And what’s great about the Bible is that it doesn’t act as if this isn’t the reality for many people, but instead, it shows us the messiness. There is so much dysfunction and pain in most of the families that we read about in the Scriptures. But the Bible doesn’t just show messiness, it also gives hope for healing and reconciliation. Whether it’s relationships with our parents, siblings, spouses, friends, fellow believers, etc., God calls us to be agents of reconciliation and to take those first steps, like Joseph, towards the path of healing and forgiveness and love. Let us continue on that path and ask God for His love for those who have hurt us—especially those in our own families.
Prayer: Jesus, I give you all of my past hurt and pain, and I ask for Your healing touch in my heart. Give me Your love for my family and for whoever has hurt me. Help me to forgive as You have forgiven me. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 33
Lunch Bible Study
Read 1 John 4:19-21: We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Questions to Consider
- Why is there a disconnect between saying “I love God” while hating one’s brother?
- How does the love of Jesus change how we treat others?
- Who in your life have you found hard to love? How can you overcome your lack of love for them?
Notes
- John tells us that someone who talks and lives like this is a liar, because if you hate your brother, it means that you do not understand the love of God to begin with.
- If we have experienced the love of Jesus, it should move us to love others—even those whom we find hard to love. The love of God shown to us through Jesus Christ is so amazingly gracious and undeserved, that it should provoke within us the desire and the strength to love those we would normally find unlovable. This is why John says, “We love because he first loved us.”
- Personal reflection question.
Evening Reflection
Overcoming past hurts is not a quick or easy process. But the road to healing and reconciliation begins with small steps of surrender to God and beginning to forgive those who have hurt us. If there is hurt or unforgiveness that you’re holding onto, reach out to a brother or sister in Christ to ask for prayer and help. Also, regardless of where your heart is, take some time reflecting on the grace and mercy shown to you through Jesus.
Perhaps one of the most amazing realities of being a Christian is the ability to speak directly to God. At any point, any place, we have access to the Father – to speak with Him, to hear Him speak to us, to enjoy His presence. How amazing this is!
a Christian in college and I remember at my very first college retreat, during the response time to one of the messages, we spent a considerable amount of time in individual prayer. I was still a new believer, just learning how to pray, so my prayers were often very formal, even forced, since I felt like my prayers needed to be polished, like a well-written piece of literature! However, at this retreat, I was struck by many people around me who fell on their knees in prayer and were screaming in repentance before the Lord. What struck me was the freedom they showed in their prayers despite (or because of) this sense of unworthiness before God. They simply bowed before Him, desperate for His grace. This left a profound impact on me: realizing that I did not need to be so formal in my prayer, realizing that God was so much greater than me, I similarly fell before God and experienced a powerful sense of grace as I unashamedly expressed my desperation for God.
Joseph is being tricky. He is purposely trying to get Benjamin in trouble so that he can see his brothers protect Benjamin. In a sense, he wants to see if his brothers will treat Benjamin in a similar way to how they had treated Joseph before he ended up in Egypt. Still, Joseph returned their money and gave them more food than they paid for, though he secretly put his silver cup in Benjamin’s pack. All this made his brothers nervous and made them wonder what Joseph was really up to.
Many of us likely know the story of the prodigal son, a parable told by Jesus in Luke 15. A son, who was the younger of two brothers, asked his father for his share of the inheritance and, having received it from his father, left and went to live in a far country where he wasted all the money. But upon realizing his utter bankruptcy, the son thinks to himself, “Perhaps I should return home.” However, because of his worry that the father won’t accept him unless he returns as a servant, he plans a speech accordingly: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:18-9).
When I read this passage, what comes to mind is Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings. In the Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn promised to protect Frodo no matter the cost. He would stand by his side and ensure that no danger would come upon him. Similarly, in the Two Towers, Aragorn made it his mission to find Merry and Pippen, and to ensure that no harm came upon them by the hands of the Uruk-hai. Parents often do something similar: they tell their children to trust them, that they will guarantee their safety, as they ride a bike for the first time, or do something else that could be scary for the child.
As we know from the story of Joseph, there was certainly reason for him to be upset with his brothers. Because of them, he ended up as a slave in Egypt! Yet, as Joseph’s brothers came for grain during the famine, you can sense there was an eagerness for Joseph to be reconciled to them; however, before doing that he wanted them to bring Benjamin. In some way, this was how Joseph believed they would demonstrate their repentance for what they had done. But until then, his brothers wouldn’t see his face again.
The AMI QT Devotionals for February 5-11 are provided by Doug Tritton. Doug, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is currently serving as a staff at Symphony Church (Boston), while pursuing a M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. He is married to Cindy and they are proud parents of Audrey.
In our narrative in Genesis, however, we read that “the famine was severe in the land”—meaning that the scenario for Jacob and his sons is life or death, and they need bread, right away. They were in the throes of lasting, heavy hunger. So, imagine yourself in the shoes of Jacob’s sons. You are terribly afraid of Egypt after your first visit there, but you know you need to go back in order to get food. You know that you need to bring Benjamin with you, yet Jacob will likely not allow that. Between the competing demands and the severe hunger, you can probably imagine that this situation would be quite paralyzing for Jacob’s sons.
One of the most interesting lessons I had in elementary school was about metamorphosis. Every single classroom in my grade level adopted a house of caterpillars. We would watch the caterpillars wriggle about, eat plants, and even begin to create cocoons. What was incredible was that, one day, butterflies emerged. It was hard to believe that once they had been fat caterpillars!
In 1967, Joni Eareckson Tada suffered an accident that left her as a paraplegic. She was only seventeen years old at the time. Her condition left her depressed and angry; however, she came to believe that God could use her disability for His glory. In the last fifty years, she has spoken, written books, and created international ministries. Taking stock of how God’s grace has allowed her to taste grace and minister to others, she can say, “It’s why I thank God every day for my wheelchair.”