WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: It’s never too late to make a change. Ask God to continue changing you today, to be more like him.

Is this the end?
Although it seems like the end for the brothers, this is actually the making of the family. What devastating thoughts must have rushed through their minds as the steward caught them up and made the discovery of the cup (vs 12,13)?

They certainly seemed to think that punishment for their sin was part of it (v 16). They know that if they return without Benjamin, they may lose their own children or lives (42:37). They would certainly see their father waste away in grief.

Learning humility
So, when put on the spot, the brothers’ devotion to their father and their desire to save him such grief means that they offer their own lives in place of Benjamin – the complete opposite from selling Joseph to improve their own lives. They would now rather all become slaves than leave Benjamin to bear that punishment alone and drive their father to the grave. It is this evidence of repentance and changed characters that Joseph’s plans have been aiming to find, and have now revealed.

Repentance isn’t just something we do when we are saved. It should be a daily practice. It takes humility of heart before God (and often before others too), but it is a foundational part of our faith.

Respond: Take some time now to search your heart and come in repentance to God. You may also need to put things right with other people.

http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-10-18