FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Over the Top Blessings”

Supplies: Bible

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I’m writing this in the middle of a giant clothes pile. Well, technically clothes piles—plural.  Very plural.  Normally I would be a little…oh, let’s say “edgy” about having a living room covered in clothes.  But I’m not.  You see, today a dear friend dropped off eight lawn-sized garbage bags stuffed full of hand-me-downs for my kids.  Eight.  Full.  Dare I say bursting bags.  I’ve already sorted through six of them.  Three and a half are repackaged with clothes that don’t fit or aren’t my daughter’s style.  Another two are stuffed with clothes that should fit in a year or two.  The “tight now size” clothes are in piles that cover both the couch and the love seat.  You should have seen our firstborn prancing around making her outfits for the next week.  (I think I’ll wait until tomorrow to go through the two bags of boy clothes still sitting here.)

As much as I joke about it, this is an INCREDIBLE blessing.  I had just mentioned to a family member how desperately my kids needed clothes.  I was already making Christmas lists on their behalf, and toys were not featured prominently.  So here we are in this place of need, and true to His nature God provides.  Only this is the extra cool part: He didn’t just provide what we need.  A few shirts, a couple pairs of jeans, maybe a dress and a nice sweater and we would have been set.  Instead we got eight lawn bags.  EIGHT!!  God poured out an over the top blessing as only He can.

Share a time when you received an over the top blessing.  What happened?  Who blessed you?  How did it make you feel?

READ

Read Genesis 44:1-45:15 together as a family.  Really focus on those verses in chapter 45.

THINK

If you haven’t figured it out by now, the story of Joseph is an excellent example of forgiveness.  For the last several chapters, we’ve read with intensity as the young prime minister has been letting go of a life-long betrayal.  But now, we take a standard “forgive your enemies” message and we go over the top as Joseph pours out incredible acts of blessing on his brothers.  It would have been enough that he chose NOT to arrest them.  After all, a fair world would have had those boys rotting in prison for maaaaaaany years.  But Joseph cranks up the blessing meter by forgiving them AND inviting them all to come live with him in the lap of luxury, enjoying the favor of Pharaoh himself.  Over the top!

As surprising as this plot twist may seem, it is actually a perfect reflection of the Author Himself.  Before He even finishes the first chapter, God shows us His abundant, over the top nature when it comes to blessings.  After all, as sinners in a fallen world, we actually deserve to die.  We have each earned a spot in Satan’s prison for maaaaaaany years.  But God cranks up His blessing meter by offering each one of us total and complete forgiveness.  Through the death of Jesus, we all have the chance to have our own sins wiped off our record AND we get to live with our Savior in the the lap of eternal luxury, enjoying the favor of the King Himself.

APPLY

When’s the last time you thanked God for the blessing of His forgiveness?  If you are walking in relationship with Him, experiencing the over the top abundance of His grace and eternal life, spend some time praising Him for all that you have been given.  That’s a love that cannot be measured!  

Maybe you or someone in your family has been holding off on accepting Jesus’ gift of forgiveness because you don’t feel like you deserve it.  Welcome to the club!  You don’t deserve it; none of us do.  But that’s the point of an over the top God.  He’s doing this because He loves you just that much.  Don’t waste another minute—ask your family to pray with you as you receive this abundant blessing from your Brother Jesus.

PRAY

Thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord, for Your gift of forgiveness.  We have each earned our place Hell, and yet You offer us a full pardon.  And in Your amazing ways, You pour out blessing upon blessing as we get to walk in Your presence daily, experiencing Your love and guidance through the Holy Spirit, holding on to the promise of Your eternal glory in our lives.  Thank You, God, for being over the top!  In Your Holy Name we pray, Amen.

REPLY

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