Today I am doing the “Come Follow Me” devotional again over on the Come Follow Me App.

Talking about how amazing forgiveness is.

Man alive, can you even believe the beauty of Joseph forgiving his brothers who left him for dead?

That he not only forgave them but comforted them and told them he would care for them and take them all under his wing.

(My verse is Genesis 50:21: “Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”)

Such a small little snippet of that whole story with so many details, and if you’ve been following along in the Come Follow Me app for a while you will know that it seems like all the devotionals this week have touched on a different piece of the whole process of forgiveness. There’s so much complexity in that act that can change your heart.

But today I’m talking about two reasons I think Joseph was able to forgive so easily and fully.

  1. His father told him to forgive. Or at least his brothers told him his father told them to tell him he should forgive them (back in verse 17). But whether they were just nervous and looking for ways to make sure he wasn’t mad, or whether their father really told his sons to remind Joseph of that pearl of wisdom, I like to believe that Jacob really was a good example of forgiveness.

Oh the power we have as parents to teach our children what a forgiving heart will do for them!

2. He had probably practiced forgiveness. It doesn’t spell that out in so many words, but anyone who can forgive something big has had some practice. Sometimes forgiveness includes giving people the benefit of the doubt or trying to understand their “story.”

Lots more on the app so go check it out.

xoxo

Also, GRACE IS HOME!! More coming about that tomorrow.

Sending out lots of love this Sunday!

Other Come Follow Me devotionals:

Sorrow and sharing yokes

Seeing the “big picture”

Elle’s devotional debut

Moving forward to open our own “effectual doors”

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4 Comments

  1. I loved this study this week… the stories over and over in the scriptures are ones of deliverance. They also show that we don’t have perfect families, but when the principles of Jesus Christ prevail in our lives, we find spiritual triumph, peace, and greater brother and sisterhood. I served as a missionary in Ukraine in 2000 in the very area that has been partially taken over by Russians since 2014, and other areas that are struggling and fighting so courageously. These were the thoughts I recorded as I studied and pondered and loved the story of Joseph and his brothers this week… Since this war started, my mind has been on The Standard Of Truth and the dedication of the land of Ukraine for the preaching of the gospel, and the promise made therein that spires of Temples would someday dot the land… I keep going back to it in my thoughts.  This week as we’ve read about the tribes of Israel in Come Follow Me and the miraculous turning around of Joseph’s horrifying betrayal of his brothers and being sold into Egypt, but later becoming the one who saves all of his family and their posterity.  It has been insightful reading about the tribes of Israel, for example, Benjamin, is given the blessing by Jacob, to be like a wolf.  A wolf is a skilled fighter who fights for his survival, and Jacob’s blessing indicates that his people will have to do just this…  Sister Nelson visited with sisters in Russia not too many years ago, and said that each one of the tribes was represented in this small group of women, I’ve always thought the same about Ukraine, if you put your finger directly north of Israel on a map, there is Ukraine!… many of the tribes of Israel are in this land!!    Though persecutions may rage and armies may assemble, we can be “filled with hope, through his pure love” and know that God’s ability to turn things for good in His miraculous way, among the evil in the world, will happen!  Joseph prayed for deliverance through all of his ongoing years of struggle, as a slave, in prison being falsely accused, etc.  He saw the example of his family drawing near to each other when Jacob and Esau forgave each other. And he brought his family together again, after such heartache and hatred had been shown to him. God heard his every prayer and God’s outcome was so much better than Joseph understood during the struggle…  As Joseph said, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.  Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones…” (Gen. 50:20) Praying that despite these awful circumstances, the gathering of Israel, God’s plans for His work, and His children, and The Savior’s delivering, healing, forgiving, and transforming power, can and will prevail!!

    1. Wow I love these thoughts! Isn’t it so cool how much we can learn from these stories in the scriptures? This particular one is Lucy’s favorite. I learn more each time I read. I love your thoughts especially about the tribes of Israel. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. xoxo

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