Day 15 - No Quarreling on the Way Home
Joseph had every reason to “get even†with his ten older brothers who had sold him into slavery. Even though his brothers meant it for evil, God meant it for good. (Gen. 50:20) Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and sent them home to get Jacob so that God’s people would be saved from the ravages of the coming worldwide famine.
As his brothers were getting ready to head back home to get Jacob, Joseph gave them an interesting, if not humorous instruction, “…He said to them, ‘Do not quarrel on the journey.’†(Gen. 45:24—NASB) I like the way the New Century Version says it, “Don’t quarrel on the way home.”
Joseph knew his brothers were a rowdy, raucous bunch who often fought with each other. Sometimes brothers and sisters in Christ behave the same way…quarrelling over the most trivial matters. As believers, this world is not our home–heaven is! Our entire lives as Christians can rightly be understood as a journey on the way to our eternal home in heaven. The next time you’re tempted to quarrel with other believers, remember the great advice of Joseph. Don’t quarrel on the way home.
Today is the day when the “scattered community†(the church) becomes the “gathered community†as we join together in the Lord’s House, in the Lord’s Name, for the Lord’s Glory! As different as we all are, let’s strive to treat one another with a Christ-like spirit of love and patience.
No quarreling on the way home.
Today’s Scripture Promise: “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.†(Ephesians 4:32—NASB)