"Easy now, you have nothing to fear; I'll take care of you and your children." He reassured them, speaking with them heart-to-heart." ~Genesis 50:21, NCV
Hey, remember Joseph from the other day? We talked about the first part of his speech to his brothers, where he reminded them he wasn't God, and thus they had nothing to fear from him. Well, this is the second half, and it's very much along the same lines.
His brothers had every reason to expect vicious revenge from Joseph. But God's people aren't like that, because they know God is the source of all justice, and that it's His job to avenge them. They also know that God is the only one to fear, and that acts of revenge go against Him. Later on in History, Jesus puts this point very clearly by telling us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to do good to those who hurt us.
God's people should make the world a better, safer place. And Joseph demonstrated that nicely - "you have nothing to fear" from me, "I'll take care of you and your children." Sometimes that means putting dangerous people in prison. Sometimes that means embracing forgiveness and offering a loving hand to those who hurt you. You shouldn't have to feel defensive around God's people - that doesn't mean much, though, because we're all just sinners serving a God who loves us.
Allow me to be a Joseph today - God loves you, and like in Joseph's case, He can make every bad situation work out to something good, if you let Him. With that in mind, need you fear for your future, if you know that every step of the way, no matter how different or uncomfortable, will make you into the very best person you can be?
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