The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 44:16a,
"'What can we say to my lord?' Judah replied. 'What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt.'"
Here is Judah's confession of sin before his brother, Joseph. Judah does not know yet that Joseph is the brother that he and his other nine cohorts had sold into slavery. Neither Judah nor his brother, Benjamin, had stolen Joseph's cup (a ruse that Joseph perpetrated on his brothers) and so the guilt Judah senses God has uncovered must be that of Genesis 42:21-22, their selling of Joseph into slavery.
What Judah has not yet found out about Joseph, he has found out about God: God has a way of uncovering our guilt. The writer of Hebrews puts it in a very pointed way, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13.
As I think of this, what could be of grave concern for me is the long list of sins I know the Lord is aware of that I have committed. However, I take great comfort in the words of Paul in Romans 8:1, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…" How wonderful our Savior has come to take away the sins of all who will embrace him!
An additional thought I have for myself this morning: possibly the greatest sin I must disappoint my Lord with, is, at times, the level of excitement I feel over the reflection of the Son of God coming to planet earth for me and the rest of us who embrace him in faith.
To be sure, there are those times I feel wonderful excitement and an anticipation as I look forward to the return of our Savior for us, but I know there are times my level of passion is not equal to the astonishing reality that he has come for us, that he took our sins on himself and that we have an inheritance in him that will never perish, spoil for fade, kept in heaven for each one of us.
I suspect that when I walk into that bright morning light of resurrection day I will wonder how it was I could have possibly been so distracted with the things of this life. Although I do feel excitement at times over what lies ahead for me and the rest of us, I am persuaded my level of excitement does not always reflect the reality of what the Lord has done for me.
God, forgive me for such a sin!
Here is Judah's confession of sin before his brother, Joseph. Judah does not know yet that Joseph is the brother that he and his other nine cohorts had sold into slavery. Neither Judah nor his brother, Benjamin, had stolen Joseph's cup (a ruse that Joseph perpetrated on his brothers) and so the guilt Judah senses God has uncovered must be that of Genesis 42:21-22, their selling of Joseph into slavery.
What Judah has not yet found out about Joseph, he has found out about God: God has a way of uncovering our guilt. The writer of Hebrews puts it in a very pointed way, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13.
As I think of this, what could be of grave concern for me is the long list of sins I know the Lord is aware of that I have committed. However, I take great comfort in the words of Paul in Romans 8:1, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…" How wonderful our Savior has come to take away the sins of all who will embrace him!
An additional thought I have for myself this morning: possibly the greatest sin I must disappoint my Lord with, is, at times, the level of excitement I feel over the reflection of the Son of God coming to planet earth for me and the rest of us who embrace him in faith.
To be sure, there are those times I feel wonderful excitement and an anticipation as I look forward to the return of our Savior for us, but I know there are times my level of passion is not equal to the astonishing reality that he has come for us, that he took our sins on himself and that we have an inheritance in him that will never perish, spoil for fade, kept in heaven for each one of us.
I suspect that when I walk into that bright morning light of resurrection day I will wonder how it was I could have possibly been so distracted with the things of this life. Although I do feel excitement at times over what lies ahead for me and the rest of us, I am persuaded my level of excitement does not always reflect the reality of what the Lord has done for me.
God, forgive me for such a sin!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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