Episode Overview:
At the 2019 JUST Gospel Conference, John Onwuchekwa exposits one of the most puzzling and impactful stories of reconciliation in the Scriptures. Meditating on Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers, Onwuchekwa concludes that if you’re ever going to move past your past hurts, from frustration to forgiveness, you have to remember two things: 1) God’s part in your story and 2) Your place in His.
We all want to move past our pasts, particularly the pain in our pasts. The world may offer vain comforts, such as “time heals all wounds.” But the Scriptures, while not ignoring or minimizing our pain, offer a surer hope. Speaking to the bad posture our souls may have in light of our past pain, Onwuchekwa encourages us to look out and up vs. down and inward so that we might forgive as we’ve been forgiven. After all, “Nursing a grudge is like scratching chickenpox; it brings temporary relief but leaves lasting scars.” Come and be encouraged to rehearse God’s goodness more than other’s offenses because God’s plan make a lot more sense in hindsight.
Links & Show Notes:
- None
Quotes: (edited)
- “It took God an instant to take Israel out of Egypt, but what we find is that generations later, he hasn’t gotten Egypt out of Israel.”
- “Here’s how you know you’ve unsuccessfully moved on from the pain done to you in your past: Do you find yourself short with people who haven’t done that much to you?”
- “You’ve got to tell your story as if God, and not your offenders or oppressors, is the ones writing it. You give too much credit to the Devil and those who have been devilish to you if you do otherwise.”
Links & Show Notes:
- Produced by Josh Deng
