Melissa Spoelstra - Joseph - Womens Bible Study Participant Book: The Journey to Forgiveness

JOSEPH

A Bible Study by

Melissa Spoelstra

JOSEPH: THE JOURNEY TO FORGIVENESS

Copyright 2015 Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission can be addressed to Permissions, The United Methodist Publishing House, P.O. Box 280988, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN 37228-0988, or emailed to .

This book is printed on elemental chlorine-free paper.
ISBN 978-14267-8910-6

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com . The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked RSV are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotation marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Melissa Spoelstra is a popular womens conference speaker, Bible teacher, and author who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about studying Gods Word and helping women of all ages to seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study. Having a degree in Bible theology, she enjoys teaching Gods Word to the body of Christ, traveling to diverse groups and churches across the nation and also to Nairobi, Kenya, for a womens prayer conference. Melissa is the author of Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World. She has published articles in ParentLife, Womens Spectrum, and Just Between Us, and she writes a regular blog in which she shares her musings about what God is teaching her on any given day. She lives in Dublin, Ohio, with her pastor husband, Sean, and their four kids: Zach, Abby, Sara, and Rachel.

Follow Melissa:

Do you ever find your mind replaying old tapes of wrongs done to you? Have you walked into a room, spotted someone who has hurt you in some way, and wanted to walk the other direction and hope the person didnt see you? Maybe your pain runs deep from fresh wounds, or perhaps old scars leave a daily reminder of discomfort from the past. All of us know what its like to feel betrayed by someone we trusted. Often its a small breach such as being overlooked, hearing a demeaning comment made about you, or being neglected in a time of need. Other times weve experienced lies, gossip, or harsh words that cut us to the core. Some of us have endured unspeakable pain through abuse, adultery, or abandonment.

Someone in your life has hurt you, whether he or she meant to or not. Sometimes we are the victim while other times we are the perpetrator. When someone says words that cant be taken back, behaves badly in moments of anger, or hurts us through action or inaction, we can find ourselves reeling from the blows. God knows the pain we cause each other and longs to help us learn to practice forgiveness.

This Bible study was born out of my own struggle to forgive. God teaches us through His Word the dangers of unforgiveness. In Hebrews 12:15 we read, Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Bitterness becomes a poisonous cup that cripples us when we continue to drink from it, paralyzing our relationships, our thought life, and even our faith. The consequences of holding on to the hurt inflicted by others can ruin the way we view God, ourselves, and other relationships. The stakes of forgiveness are high, and when betrayal gets personal in our lives, it certainly isnt easy.

As Ive battled to make sense of pain in my life, Ive asked questions such as:

Where do I start? How do I stop dwelling on things said or done to me?

How do I tame my emotions and thought patterns in order to see my offender through Gods eyes?

Is it ever okay not to forgive? Does it cheapen justice to forgive, especially when the wrongdoing is abusive, murderous, or truly evil?

When will I stop having to re-forgive? Will I ever just be over it?

What is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation? Is it possible to forgive without reconciling?

What about trust? Does forgiveness mean I let others repeat offenses without setting boundaries?

Nowhere do we see forgiveness played out more fully in Scripture than in the Genesis account of Joseph. No sugarcoating there. Forgiveness rises to the top in this story, but not without the messy grappling with grace that we all encounter. During the next six weeks we will open the text of Genesis 3750 to explore what God has to say in our lives through Josephs story of trial and triumph. As we study his dreams, betrayers, dysfunctional family, struggle to forgive, and journey toward reconciliation, we will find truths that echo into our own situations.

As we begin our journey to forgiveness alongside Joseph, it will be important to decide what level of commitment our time and life circumstances will allow. I have found that what I put into a Bible study directly correlates to what I get out of it. When I take time to do the homework daily instead of cramming it all into one sitting, Gods truths sink deeper as I have more time to reflect and meditate on what God is teaching me. When I am intentional about getting together with other women to watch videos and have discussion, I find that this helps keep me from falling off the Bible study wagon midway. Also, making a point to memorize verses and dig deeper by looking at additional materials greatly benefits my soul.