"Bound by Duty"

"This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not." (Psalms 81:5) Be that as it may, Peter's point needs to be thought of in the present tense, it's not just what we will be, but it is what we have become; we are currently "Living Stones" for Christ, and as such, we must shine the light of Jesus. As I was catching the end of Pastor Matt's message yesterday, I heard him speaking about Joseph being able to forgive his brothers for selling him into slavery. It was an interesting point that he was making, about what it takes to be able to do what Joseph did, and how it is something that we must all seriously consider. What must I do in order to forgive someone that has wronged me? Oddly enough, I think the second part of this verse might lend us some direction in that regard, because it requires us being able to do something that we otherwise would not do. Not only would we not do it, but we really don't know how not to hold a grudge against someone that has harmed us; at least not in our flesh we don't. You see, Joseph, being a type of Christ that he was, was able to step outside of himself and consider the bigger picture; much the same as Christ had to do in order to go willingly to that cross. As a matter of fact, Jesus was more than just willing to go to the cross, He was able to count it joy; and He was able to do so because He knew what the outcome was going to be. Joseph was able to forgive his brothers because it brought him joy knowing the outcome of what his brothers had done; although it might have been painful for a season, it was for the best, for not only himself, being second in command of Egypt, but also for the entire tribe of Israel, to keep them from being destroyed by the famine. It is really not hard to understand the concept of forgiveness, especially when it comes to being on the receiving end of it; but to actually forgive, that's an entirely different language altogether...
"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way that you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as your bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we belong to each other." (Romans 12:1-5) NLT