Aggressive Forgiveness - The One Year Devotions for Men on the Go

“Come over here,” he said. So they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into Egypt.” Genesis 45:4

Every man will encounter times when he needs either to forgive or to be forgiven. The average man’s life is marked by events that never should have happened. Often there is no good explanation for why bad things happen, no way to make up for those things, and no way to forget them. In cases like these, forgiveness is the only effective course of action.

Joseph had plenty of reasons to be angry at his brothers. They had sold him into slavery, and he had spent much of his adult life in prison as a result. They had also lied to their father and therefore denied Joseph the privilege of his father’s influence.

Now Joseph had the opportunity to treat his brothers however he chose. He had the resources to bless them extravagantly or punish them severely. He had complete authority to direct the outcome of their lives. He could terrorize them, or he could embrace them.

God had been in the process of redeeming the self-centered acts of Joseph’s brothers for the better part of two decades. He was using them as part of his plan to save an entire family and an entire nation.

It all came down to this moment. Had Joseph chosen to give in to bitterness, the plan would have failed, his family would have remained alienated, and his entire nation would have suffered. But because Joseph chose to forgive his brothers and be reunited with them, God blessed Joseph, his family, and his nation.

We need to remember that forgiveness always sets us free—free to respond to others in love, free to enjoy closeness with God, and free to receive his blessing.

Lord, teach me to aggressively forgive others, no matter how “justified” I may be in my anger.