The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 50:15-20, “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong
which we did to him!’
16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father charged before he died,
saying,
17 “Thus you shall say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?
20 “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”

Were you taught in childhood, that “You can’t do wrong and get by”? It’s a truth
that will bite you at some point in life. Any news outlet will support the validity of that statement; yet, long before there were news outlets like we have today, this simple
fact could easily have been learned from the Bible.

Joseph had a dream that one day he would rule over his brothers. He made the mistake
of sharing the dream with his brothers. They became angry and sold him to some
travelers, and then reported him as dead to their father, Jacob.

After a time, the brothers came to the Egyptian authorities to buy grain for food. Joseph
had become an authority in Egypt, and he recognized his brothers. They, however, did
not recognize him. After considerable time, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers,
and they then feared for their lives! “Little brother” Joseph was now second only to
Pharaoh, King of Egypt! The brothers were trapped! What possibly could they do now?

We sometimes do and say things that we come to regret. We view ourselves as “in
charge,” until we learn that Jesus alone is truly in charge! Will He forgive us for what
we’ve done? Will He forgive us for what we’ve not done? The account of Joseph should
teach us to yield our lives in obedience to Christ, while we can. Joseph was in charge,
but only for a short time; Jesus is in charge all the time! May His Holy Spirit guide our
lives before we forget this true story! Is He guiding your life? Is He in charge of you? Is
He pleased with what you do?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom