Tell Me More...
Remember Paul Harvey? I always enjoyed listening to his radio commentary that ended with the now famous line..."and now you know, the rest of the story."
Well, I recently found myself wandering around one of my favorite book stores and while perusing the 'Religious' section, a book caught my eye. "The Story" by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee. It's scripture, arranged chronologically. Some verses condensed, some rearranged, some omitted, for the sake of the story-line. So it reads like a novel. I wouldn't recommend reading it only. As in, you need to read the Bible first and foremost. My dad always told me not to read so many books about THE BOOK...just read THE BOOK. But this is a pretty cool accessory.
Tonight as I was reading, enjoying the familiar story of Joseph, who had been made ruler of all of Egypt, revealing himself to the brothers who had hated him and sold him off to be a slave, one particular line really jumped out at me. It just left me feeling so hollow that I had to get my Bible and verify that these words really were from scripture.
Genesis 45: 15 says, "And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him."(emphasis mine.)
So...you've got 11 brothers...10 of whom hated your guts and wanted to kill you...but instead they opted for merely selling you into a life of slavery and lying to your father - pretending that a wild animal ripped you to shreds. Now, here they all are, needing your food to survive. And after playing a few demented mind games with them, you reveal yourself to them. Surprise! It's me! The one you hated... and you forgive them...and then:
Afterwards his brothers talked with him.
Are you kidding me right now? Seriously, God. All these years go by...all the hurt and the beautiful reunion...and all we get is that they talked with him???
I'm sorry....but I want to know more. I am dying to know what they said to him! Did they make jokes? Did they talk about football? Did they discuss politics? Did they share stories of regret for what they had done to him? Oh, how I would love to have been a fly on the wall inside the room that day!
Another reason to look forward to the second coming of Christ...I get to ask all the questions that I can't seem to find the answers to here on earth. And, as one of my friends pointed out (and not sure why this hadn't actually occurred to me before) we will get to chat with Joseph...and Moses...and Paul...and Abraham...and Esther...and all the 'characters' of the Bible.
Sometimes it seems so strange to think about the fact that these heroes of scripture were real people...everyday folks, just like you and me...and we will get to spend eternity with them! What a party!
So, at whatever point I am able to lift myself up off the ground where I fell at the feet of Christ, I want to pull up a chair beside Joseph and say, "So what did ya'll talk about that day?"
And after he fills me in, maybe he'll ask about my life. What was it like to have the internet? And we will chat for a couple years. When our curiosity has been quenched, we can nod and smile...and somewhere off in the distance, maybe I'll hear Paul Harvey say, "and now you know the rest of the story."
Be blessed!
Well, I recently found myself wandering around one of my favorite book stores and while perusing the 'Religious' section, a book caught my eye. "The Story" by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee. It's scripture, arranged chronologically. Some verses condensed, some rearranged, some omitted, for the sake of the story-line. So it reads like a novel. I wouldn't recommend reading it only. As in, you need to read the Bible first and foremost. My dad always told me not to read so many books about THE BOOK...just read THE BOOK. But this is a pretty cool accessory.
Tonight as I was reading, enjoying the familiar story of Joseph, who had been made ruler of all of Egypt, revealing himself to the brothers who had hated him and sold him off to be a slave, one particular line really jumped out at me. It just left me feeling so hollow that I had to get my Bible and verify that these words really were from scripture.
Genesis 45: 15 says, "And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him."(emphasis mine.)
So...you've got 11 brothers...10 of whom hated your guts and wanted to kill you...but instead they opted for merely selling you into a life of slavery and lying to your father - pretending that a wild animal ripped you to shreds. Now, here they all are, needing your food to survive. And after playing a few demented mind games with them, you reveal yourself to them. Surprise! It's me! The one you hated... and you forgive them...and then:
Afterwards his brothers talked with him.
Are you kidding me right now? Seriously, God. All these years go by...all the hurt and the beautiful reunion...and all we get is that they talked with him???
I'm sorry....but I want to know more. I am dying to know what they said to him! Did they make jokes? Did they talk about football? Did they discuss politics? Did they share stories of regret for what they had done to him? Oh, how I would love to have been a fly on the wall inside the room that day!
Another reason to look forward to the second coming of Christ...I get to ask all the questions that I can't seem to find the answers to here on earth. And, as one of my friends pointed out (and not sure why this hadn't actually occurred to me before) we will get to chat with Joseph...and Moses...and Paul...and Abraham...and Esther...and all the 'characters' of the Bible.
Sometimes it seems so strange to think about the fact that these heroes of scripture were real people...everyday folks, just like you and me...and we will get to spend eternity with them! What a party!
So, at whatever point I am able to lift myself up off the ground where I fell at the feet of Christ, I want to pull up a chair beside Joseph and say, "So what did ya'll talk about that day?"
And after he fills me in, maybe he'll ask about my life. What was it like to have the internet? And we will chat for a couple years. When our curiosity has been quenched, we can nod and smile...and somewhere off in the distance, maybe I'll hear Paul Harvey say, "and now you know the rest of the story."
Be blessed!
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