SCRIPTURE:

Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Colossians 3:13
13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

DEVO:

Throughout Joseph’s journey, perhaps the single greatest issue he was forced to wrestle with was the issue of forgiveness. I can only imagine the feelings of bitterness that began to stir up as he was carted around from slave auction to slave auction at major Egyptian port cities. That bitterness must have only increased as he was scrubbing Potiphar’s floors, and as he was sitting in the dank, dark prison cell. At some point, Joseph was going to have to come to terms with this bitterness, and I whole-heartedly believe it needed to happen before he could fully step into his destiny. 

You see, Joseph may have been in a prison cell externally, but the greater stronghold on his life was the internal prison cell of his bitter, unforgiving heart. You can sense that bitterness leaking through in his tone after he interprets the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker and turns to the cupbearer (who was to be restored to his original position in Pharaoh’s court) and says, “Tell Pharaoh about me.” Between the lines you can hear Joseph saying, “Hey. I’m innocent. I didn’t do what I was accused of doing. I’m so angry with my brothers, with Potiphar and his wife . . . with God!”

Bitterness can feel good initially. It can give you a sense of power over your perpetrators, but that power is a false power. In the end, bitterness only rots the hand that holds it. Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Holding onto bitterness and unforgiveness will devour you and slowly devour others around you. It oozes out in your interactions without you even knowing it and causes you to have a toxic interchange with everyone around you, even those that you love. It is why we often hear it said, "hurt people hurt people". 

Joseph had to come to the same decision each of us who have been hurt must come to — the decision to either forgive or to dive even deeper into the vortex of bitterness. We each must decide whether or not we’re going to relinquish our false “rights” and our desires to exact revenge on our perpetrators. Forgiveness is a decision. And a daily one at that. To wait until you feel like forgiving will prolong forgiveness indefinitely. Feelings of forgiveness will never come unless you make a conscious decision to release your perpetrator from the bitterness you’re trying to use to hold them “hostage.” 

What makes forgiveness a bit more palatable is remembering God’s promise in scripture that vengeance belongs to Him and that He will carry it out swiftly when the time is right (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19). He is a much better avenger than any of us are. He is a righteous judge who will not tolerate injustice. It may seem like He’s taking his time, but, when the time comes, His judgement will be strong and swift. We can trust that he sees our injustice and will avenge our pain. In the prison cell, Joseph was still battling these feelings of bitterness and scripture tells us that God left him there for two more years. The key to God’s work being released in our lives is choosing to unclog the bitterness that stops the flow of God’s anointing. 

By the end of Joseph’s life, he not only was able to forgive his brothers, but he was able to see how God had used what they had done to fulfill the dream God originally put in his heart. He told his brothers, “what the enemy meant for evil, God meant for good and for the saving of many lives (Genesis 50:20).” Joseph didn’t need to put his brothers through the same ringer they had put him through. God made sure that throughout the course of their stories, they felt all the weight of the pain they had inflicted on Joseph. And, in the end, God made sure they also felt His grace and goodness flowing from Joseph. 

Isn’t this the posture of Jesus toward us? As our sin was nailing Him to the cross, He looked out on His perpetrators and said, "Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing (Luke 23:34).” Jesus has extended to each one of us the offer of forgiveness, and as His “agents of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)” in this world, it’s our responsibility and privilege to show people Jesus’ heart by extending forgiveness to them.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND JOURNALING:

1. Are you currently harboring bitterness toward someone in your life? Toward God? Toward yourself?

2. What kind of negative emotions can you see that might stem from bitterness and unforgiveness? Have you seen those negative emotions manifest themselves in your life?

3. Reflect on all that God has forgiven you for. How does that kind of forgiveness empower us to forgive others?

PRAYER:

Lord, I need to acknowledge my deep need for You. I feel hurt, betrayed, and bitter. I can tell my heart is trapped in a prison cell of unforgiveness. Help me to forgive others as You have