Fear - Pt. 5

 

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. (Genesis 50:15-21 ESV).

 

We all have regrets. We regret things we did in the past that we wish we hadn’t done. We regret things we could’ve done differently. We regret not having finished a course of action or completed a task in life. Sometimes they are significant, while others may be life altering. Maybe for you what sticks in your mind is some action that you still regret. Maybe no one else even knows that you did it. And when you think about it, maybe you are filled with fear of being found out or accused. Regret can be accompanied by such fear. Whether that is so or not, regret will rob us of joy and peace.

 

Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery many years earlier and had lied to cover it up (see Genesis 37-45). But recently they had learned that Joseph was now a powerful ruler and that he had also forgiven them for what they had done. But after their father, Jacob, died, they were afraid that Joseph would punish them and make them pay for what they had done to him. But Joseph assured them that they had nothing to be afraid of. He had forgiven them and would keep caring for them and their families.

 

God doesn’t want us to live in fear for what we have done or left undone. In Christ, God has forgiven us completely for all the wrong things we have done. Jesus’ sacrifice for us paid the price for all of those past transgressions and omissions. And as a result, we have been made new through Jesus Christ. So we have nothing to fear. This is the foundation of peace. It is the spring of joy.