The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 50:15-21, “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph should bear a grudge against us and pay 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 “And 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.

21 “So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”‘”

There is no question but that it always pays to be on the right side. It’s not good to be late getting there either, because it looks strangely suspicious! You see, Joseph’s brothers had not treated him with kindness in earlier days. Now, their father is dead, and there’s no one to stand between them and Joseph. But, the brothers came upon the idea of telling

Joseph that their father had wanted him to forgive them of their previous sins against him.

Joseph, however, didn’t know of their plan. Still, fearing what Joseph might do in retaliation, they all jumped quickly on board! We’ve all experienced similar things, I’m sure. At home or at work, we’ve all said things against the leadership – until, in fact, we learned they knew of it.

Come to think of it, now is always a good time to get right with the LORD. We need to do it every day because we’re so prone to sinning without thinking about it. Yes, we pray for forgiveness in our nightly prayers; but were we to pray nearer to the time of the sin, we would not be found guilty at bedtime. Bedtime is not the only good time to repent of sin, however! Right now might even be better. It’s surely worth thinking about. What do you say?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

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