“The most powerful weapon for silencing the mouth of the world is not brilliant theological apologetics, but the practice of a holy life that resembles Jesus Christ.” “Now it happened, as Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they were watching Him closely. And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’ But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, ‘Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?’ And they could not answer Him regarding these things” (Luke 14:1–6). (1) As I meditated on today’s passage, Luke 14:1–6, the phrase that first caught my attention was: “they were watching Him clos...
How do I forgive a
family member who has harmed me?
How do we repay evil with good, as the Bible
instructs us to do,
especially when it comes to someone who has
harmed us,
even with malicious intent (1 Thess. 5:15)?
How can we overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:21)
and extend forgiveness to those who have wronged
us?
Is it truly possible for us to pursue good
even for those who have treated us with evil
intentions?
Joseph in the Bible acted in this way.
He sincerely forgave his brothers who had hated
him and even plotted to kill him.
Not only did he forgive them, but he also
comforted his fearful brothers
and took care of them and their children
until he died at the age of 110 (Gen. 50:21,
26).
How was this possible?
Joseph had tasted the goodness of God (Ps. 34:8),
and because of that,
he was able to do good even to his brothers who
had intended harm (Eph.2:10).
In other words, although his brothers had meant
to harm him,
Joseph realized that God had turned it into
good, saving many lives (Gen. 50:20).
Understanding God's gracious plan,
he genuinely forgave his brothers, comforted
them with earnest words,
and cared for them and their children until his
death.
We are able to do good, not only to those who
have harmed us
but also to those who have intended evil against
us,
by sincerely forgiving them, comforting them,
and caring for them in our hearts.
This is possible only when God, in His great
mercy, helps us realize through faith
that He has the power to transform the evil
intentions of those
who sought to harm us into good, fulfilling His
gracious purpose.
We deeply appreciate this immense grace from our
great God.
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