Christian Devotional – December 22, 2018

How can you tell if someone has had a change of heart? When do you know that God has moved in their life and they are no longer the same? Sure, people can tell you a lot of things, but for me, when I see their actions change, that’s when I believe. Take a look at how Judah has changed in Genesis 44:18-34.

Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my Lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.
Genesis 44:33 NASB
https://bible.com/bible/100/gen.44.33.NASB

Judah, Joseph’s brother, the very one who had the brilliant idea to sell Joseph into slavery in order to get rid of Daddy’s favorite. Judah is the one who had stood up to Jacob and said, “Entrust Benjamin to me.” Now in the moment of truth, Judah does exactly that. Judah offers his life for Benjamin’s life. He seeks to stand in the gap and take Benjamin’s punishment for him.

Now, Joseph can no longer deny the change in his brothers. He sees all the change they have gone through in their hearts. He had forgiven them, but now he can begin to trust them again.

This is a beautiful foreshadowing of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. We are guilty and He stood in the gap on our behalf. He took the punishment for us and since He didn’t deserve it, He overcame it and through Him we can live victorious. Want to know more? Read about it here.