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Joseph - Women's Bible Study Participant Book: The Journey to Forgiveness
All of us know what it's like to be hurt or betrayed. Often it's a
small breach such as being spoken to rudely or overlooked in a time of
need. Other times we experience lies, gossip, or harsh words that cut us
to the core. Some of us have endured unspeakable pain through abuse,
adultery, or abandonment. God knows the pain we cause each other and
longs to help us learn to practice forgiveness.
Nowhere do we see forgiveness played out more fully in Scripture than in
the biblical story of Joseph.
This six-week study explores what God has to say to us about grace
and forgiveness through Joseph's story of trial and triumph found in
Genesis 37-50. As we study his dreams, his betrayers, his dysfunctional
family, his struggle to forgive, and his journey toward reconciliation,
we'll find truths that echo into our own personal situations as well as
practical help for answering common questions, such as:
How do I stop dwelling on the hurt?
Is forgiving someone excusing what happened?
When will I stop having to re-forgive?
Is there a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation?
How can I forgive and still set boundaries?
Is it ever okay not to forgive?
Whether or not you are working through a hurtful situation right now,
you can learn from Joseph how to release your past and present hurts to
God and allow Him to do a supernatural work of forgiveness in your
life. God wants to use the very things intended to hurt you as a source
of blessing in your life and the lives of others.
The Participant Book includes five days of lessons for each week, combining study of Scripture with personal reflection, application, and prayer.
Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Leader Guide, DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit (an all-inclusive box containing one copy of each of the Bible study’s components).
small breach such as being spoken to rudely or overlooked in a time of
need. Other times we experience lies, gossip, or harsh words that cut us
to the core. Some of us have endured unspeakable pain through abuse,
adultery, or abandonment. God knows the pain we cause each other and
longs to help us learn to practice forgiveness.
Nowhere do we see forgiveness played out more fully in Scripture than in
the biblical story of Joseph.
This six-week study explores what God has to say to us about grace
and forgiveness through Joseph's story of trial and triumph found in
Genesis 37-50. As we study his dreams, his betrayers, his dysfunctional
family, his struggle to forgive, and his journey toward reconciliation,
we'll find truths that echo into our own personal situations as well as
practical help for answering common questions, such as:
How do I stop dwelling on the hurt?
Is forgiving someone excusing what happened?
When will I stop having to re-forgive?
Is there a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation?
How can I forgive and still set boundaries?
Is it ever okay not to forgive?
Whether or not you are working through a hurtful situation right now,
you can learn from Joseph how to release your past and present hurts to
God and allow Him to do a supernatural work of forgiveness in your
life. God wants to use the very things intended to hurt you as a source
of blessing in your life and the lives of others.
The Participant Book includes five days of lessons for each week, combining study of Scripture with personal reflection, application, and prayer.
Other components for the Bible study, available separately, include a Leader Guide, DVD with six 20-25 minute sessions, and boxed Leader Kit (an all-inclusive box containing one copy of each of the Bible study’s components).
- GenresNonfictionFaith
208 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2015
27 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Spoelstra
39 books113 followersMelissa Spoelstra is a popular women’s conference speaker, Bible teacher, and writer who is madly in love with Jesus and passionate about helping women of all ages to seek Christ and know Him more intimately through serious Bible study. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bible Theology and enjoys teaching God's Word to diverse groups and churches within the body of Christ. She is the author of Joseph: The Journey to Forgiveness, Jeremiah: Daring to Hope in an Unstable World, and the forthcoming Total Family Makeover: 8 Steps to Making Disciples at Home. She lives in Dublin, Ohio, with her pastor husband and four kids.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 13, 2015
Considering the Life of Joseph
First off, I love the format of these Abingdon bible study books! The big, flexible, well-bound paperback easily stays open on a table or on your lap; it has wide margins for your own notes; the typeface easily is big enough for most people to read. For this particular book, I love the sandy brown desert and light blue sky on the cover. However, the pumpkin-colored text used inside in addition to basic black is visually attractive but needs to be darker which still would maintain the contrast. Throughout the book, outside margins both left and right bring us fun facts, pull quotes, scripture passages to read. Author Melissa Spoelstra belongs to Abingdon's array of women writing (mostly) for women, but there's nothing especially female-focused about any of the book, so I hope guys also will benefit from it.
Spoelstra uses the Narrative of Joseph's life from the book of Genesis as material for reflection and life application. Like other bible studies in this series, with six chapters of five lessons each, "Joseph: The Journey to Forgiveness" is designed for a six-week long group study where you read, study, and write on your own five days out of seven and meet weekly with a group for discussion and DVD, but an individual could make it a individual project. I read straight through, not taking time to read the Genesis Joseph or other suggested scriptures in any depth, but may use the book later on for a longer period of personal study, or suggest it to a future group. It would be outstanding for sharing stories, puzzling through what happened when or then, getting affirmation from someone else that indeed that was a huge injury, or maybe it wasn't at all. In any case, a confidential, supportive group of friends could help you figure out when to forgive, to pursue reconciliation with that other person, or maybe simply "Let it go," in the style of the celebrated song from "Frozen." [page 124]
Page 26: "There is no pain like church pain." Agreed. Many remember "...a moment when your world seemed to change in an instant." [page28] Sometimes our own choices or another person's had something to do with it, but sometimes not. How can we move on beyond that before / after divide in healthy, productive, life-affirming ways? Melissa shares many of her own stories and exposes wounds that have grieved her heart. She also includes forgiveness-related stories about people she knows—with names changes to protect their privacy, of course.
Excusing vs. (literally, as in a contest or tournament) forgiving [pages 45-46] is a major one for me. I try to convince myself since I have some idea why that person behaved so atrociously, it must be ok, even if their actions clearly offended and hurt me or someone else. Technically, psychologically, theologically I know that's a mistake, but as Melissa points out, excusing and explaining away into oblivion also the easy way out of doing the tough work of forgiving. On the other hand, human creatures usually need some sense of why that other person did what they did in order to start the forgiveness process. More: there's forgiveness, reconciliation, and repentance. Forgiveness take one person; reconciliation takes two. And honestly, you will not totally forget many events and people that offended you, at least not in terms of totally wiping them out of your memory and consciousness.
From Philip Yancey: "Grace alone melts ungrace."
Amen!
First off, I love the format of these Abingdon bible study books! The big, flexible, well-bound paperback easily stays open on a table or on your lap; it has wide margins for your own notes; the typeface easily is big enough for most people to read. For this particular book, I love the sandy brown desert and light blue sky on the cover. However, the pumpkin-colored text used inside in addition to basic black is visually attractive but needs to be darker which still would maintain the contrast. Throughout the book, outside margins both left and right bring us fun facts, pull quotes, scripture passages to read. Author Melissa Spoelstra belongs to Abingdon's array of women writing (mostly) for women, but there's nothing especially female-focused about any of the book, so I hope guys also will benefit from it.
Spoelstra uses the Narrative of Joseph's life from the book of Genesis as material for reflection and life application. Like other bible studies in this series, with six chapters of five lessons each, "Joseph: The Journey to Forgiveness" is designed for a six-week long group study where you read, study, and write on your own five days out of seven and meet weekly with a group for discussion and DVD, but an individual could make it a individual project. I read straight through, not taking time to read the Genesis Joseph or other suggested scriptures in any depth, but may use the book later on for a longer period of personal study, or suggest it to a future group. It would be outstanding for sharing stories, puzzling through what happened when or then, getting affirmation from someone else that indeed that was a huge injury, or maybe it wasn't at all. In any case, a confidential, supportive group of friends could help you figure out when to forgive, to pursue reconciliation with that other person, or maybe simply "Let it go," in the style of the celebrated song from "Frozen." [page 124]
Page 26: "There is no pain like church pain." Agreed. Many remember "...a moment when your world seemed to change in an instant." [page28] Sometimes our own choices or another person's had something to do with it, but sometimes not. How can we move on beyond that before / after divide in healthy, productive, life-affirming ways? Melissa shares many of her own stories and exposes wounds that have grieved her heart. She also includes forgiveness-related stories about people she knows—with names changes to protect their privacy, of course.
Excusing vs. (literally, as in a contest or tournament) forgiving [pages 45-46] is a major one for me. I try to convince myself since I have some idea why that person behaved so atrociously, it must be ok, even if their actions clearly offended and hurt me or someone else. Technically, psychologically, theologically I know that's a mistake, but as Melissa points out, excusing and explaining away into oblivion also the easy way out of doing the tough work of forgiving. On the other hand, human creatures usually need some sense of why that other person did what they did in order to start the forgiveness process. More: there's forgiveness, reconciliation, and repentance. Forgiveness take one person; reconciliation takes two. And honestly, you will not totally forget many events and people that offended you, at least not in terms of totally wiping them out of your memory and consciousness.
From Philip Yancey: "Grace alone melts ungrace."
Amen!
November 6, 2025
This was an amazing study. Very deep and thought provoking. I found myself rethinking things I thought I dealt with years ago, and I now saw some of those things in a new light. I highly recommend this study !
October 11, 2017
Bible study workbook
March 15, 2021
Not my favorite study but I did enjoy the historical context she gave and practical application.
March 5, 2016
This is an excellent study ... It will draw you into Joseph ' s story, teach you principals, and show you new way to look @ forgiveness ... Yes I would highly recommend this read ...
February 13, 2016
I like the book and the lessons in it, I just have to many things to study now so am putting it away. Would like to revisit in the future.
January 5, 2021
Did via Zoom for a women's Bible Study. Very thought provoking and helpful, especially as I am in a place where I need to embrace forgiveness and set boundaries if there is to be reconciliation.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews