Genesis 45:5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with
yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me
ahead of you.
When we indulge in the reminiscence of our past sins, we will not experience the peace and joy that being saved can bring to our lives. Perchance there was a time that we have thought or maybe witnessed our friends or family saying, “There is no way I could ever forgive myself for the hurt I caused someone else.” There are many that simply cannot let go of the guilt inside of them caused by something they have done in the past.
When the brothers of Joseph realized that they were in the presence of their brother, that they had sold into slavery many years before, they became “terrified at his presence” and were not able to even speak to him (Genesis 45:3). Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. The guilt that they were carrying inside stood to bring them to a remembrance of the despair and disheartenment that had befallen their elderly father, and their brother Joseph, because of what they had done. When Joseph realized what they were feeling he unhesitatingly comforted his brothers (Genesis 45:5). Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery, because of their jealousy and pride. There will be times in our lives that we will sin and do something to injure someone that we love. When this time comes, we will discover ourselves in a situation much like Joseph’s brothers were in Egypt.
In John’s 1st letter God assures us that if we confess our sins, He will forgive us (1 John 1:9). Persistent guilt and a continuation of blaming ourselves is not what God has in mind for His Children. Paul reminds us of the Word from God that we are “to be made new in the attitude of your minds” (Ephesians 4:23).
In order to live a life of victory that God has intended for us, we must keep our “Eyes upon Jesus,” not on sins that we have committed in the past. We should focus our undivided attention on what Jesus has done for us, what He is continuing to do and what he will always do. This is all about His grace and mercy and what He did on the Cross of Calvary to justify our sins, it is not about anything we have done.
We can be assured that He will forgive our sins, what we must learn is to forgive ourselves and most importantly, relegate our past sins to where they belong, in the past. Our Sweet Precious Savior never intended for us to have to carry this remorse inside of us for one instant. Guilt is Self-Inflicted.
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