The Power of Love

You’ve probably heard of the term “baseless hate,” which is hatred without any justifiable cause. But there’s another term you might not have heard of: “baseless love.”

Baseless hate can ruin friendships and cause deep divisions in society. But baseless love can do the opposite. It can bring strangers together. And it can bring hope and healing to the world!

Are you wondering if love can really solve all of our problems? Today, Yael Eckstein will look at the Bible story of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph chose to love his brothers—the same brothers who sold him into slavery. This is the type of powerful love that we can all learn from, and benefit from, today. Listen now!

Episode Notes:

In today’s episode, Yael focuses specifically on Genesis 45:14:

“Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping.”

This passage is one of the most emotional sections in the Torah. In it, we read how Joseph revealed his true identity to his brothers, who until that point, believed that he was a powerful Egyptian holding their brother Benjamin hostage.

Understandably, Joseph’s brothers were terrified at first. Would their brother, now the most powerful man in Egypt, take revenge on them? After all, these were the same brothers who had sold him into slavery and told his father he was dead. Joseph could have done so. But instead of hating them, as they had hated him, he chose love. He chose to forgive them for the past and move forward toward a better future.

In today’s episode, Yael explores this powerful biblical story and applies it to our own lives today. For example: there may be times where it would be easier to ignore or dislike someone. Maybe we are strangers, or have serious differences of opinion with them. But Yael challenges us to choose to love that person anyway. It’s loving other people for no reason at all, other than that they are human beings created in the image of God, that shows we are people of faith. And when God sees how we love His children, He showers even more love upon us all.

This kind of love has the power to bring healing to the entire world. Today, let’s choose love!