Our Relationships Need God's Love

Genesis 25:32-34 -  “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”  But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.  Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.  So Esau despised his birthright.

Rebekah had two sons that struggled with each other from the beginning…inside her womb.  They grew up polar opposites. Esau was a wild man …skilled in hunting…who became very close to his father.  But Jacob was a sort of momma’s boy …content to stay close to the tents.

They grew apart even more when great hunger caused the older Esau to sell his birthright for a simple bowl of stew.  Jacob had no problem asking for him to sell this priceless possession. And Esau seemed to sell out quickly…claiming his great hunger had placed him close to death.

Neither son handled relationships very well.  Jacob was sneaky and most likely knew his brother would do just what he wanted if he had a meal ready when he returned.  Esau was more interested in satisfying his physical needs than thinking of the future. They were both selfish…lived in the moment…and did not use the God their grandfather had taught Isaac about.

It’s a reminder to me to always include God in any relationship. These brothers struggled with each other because they did not try to work out peace among them.  They drove themselves farther away from each other with their selfish desires and schemes. The rift between them is going to get worse…we won’t read about God being a part of their relationship till a few chapters more.

It is also a reminder that God will use our mistakes to work good.  It might take longer for us to realize the will he had planned for us all along…but he will lead us lack to a path that sets us where he wants us to be.  It is going to take some large portions of forgiveness from Esau…but later in genesis they work things out.

Father…thank you for the reminders that you belong in every relationship that we have…and even when we don’t….you will use our mistakes for good when we finally involve you.  Forgive me for the times that I have been selfish like Jacob and Esau…and forgotten to include you in my relationships. Help me to use your love to build the strongest relationships I can with my family…friends...and the lost you might send me to… so I can share your gospel and help them learn about your love. Amen.

Our Faith Is A Great Source of Comfort... Strength...And Power

Genesis 24:6-7 -  “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said.  “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there.’

Abraham was dying…but had finally learned to completely trust God for his future.  He took the time to let the senior servant of his household know how important it was for his son Isaac to take a wife from his people back home. He knew the dangers of letting Isaac go home himself…or allowing him to marry a Canaanite woman. Isaac would need a supportive wife that also believed in the promise of God.

Death …whether it is someone we love…or our own…tends to focus the mind on what is most important. We surrender to God and learn to use what strength we may have in those moments to let him lead us through this difficult time.  Abraham used his last days to send his servant to find Isaac a wife from his family back home. He made sure this servant knew that he was to depend on God for every decision that he would have to make while on this mission.

And we get to read about one of the sweetest…God romances in the Bible.  The servant asked for signs...and all the signs happened in lightning speed. The family agreed to an immediate departure to a land far away…and Rebekah went willingly to meet her new husband.

I love the part where the servant stopped to give God praise and thanks when his prayers were answered so quickly.  Nothing else gives us more strength and comfort than praising our father for answered prayer…even when the answer is not what we wanted.  The praise we offer up keeps our heart focused on God…and helps prevent us from getting side tracked in things that God never intended to be a part of who we are. 

What a great reminder that when we stay focused on God’s plan a purpose for our lives his answers come quickly and we receive all the strength and courage to complete each part of his plan. This servant took his mission seriously…and included God in each and every step. The faith of Abraham was shared with a servant…who became a new vessel of God in the process.

Thank you God for the reminder that the faith you have given to us is a great source of strength… comfort… and courage. Forgive me for the times that I have moved ahead of you..or forgotten to ask and trust you for my directions . Forgive me too for all the times that I have forgotten to stop in a moment of praise and thanks for your answers. Help me to completely give all my thoughts and concerns over to you and let you handle them. Help me to remember to ask your help in all that I do and say.  Amen.

No Compromises

Genesis 23:16-18 -   Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver,according to the weight current among the merchants.  So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 

Sarah lived a full life of 127 years. Since she died in Hebron…a location in the land of Canaan...Abraham had no legal place to bury his wife.  So he went to the man who owned what he thought would be the perfect cave to bury her in…and bought it for 400 pieces of silver. The people of the land respected him so much that Ephron wanted to just give it to him…but Abraham insisted that it be paid for proper.

I admit that I had no thoughts what this might be saying to me until I read the Matthew Henry Commentary I keep with my Bible. He had two thoughts that I had not really considered.  First…Abraham did not want to be ‘beholden’ to the pagans that he purchased the land from. He also spoke of how Abraham might have been thinking of God’s promise to give him the land….all of it…at some point.

Abraham had already experienced the timing of God.  He had no clue what master plan God was welding to deed this entire land over to him and his son…so he was content for now to own just a portion of it to place his beloved wife. He did not ask for more than his current needs required…just enough to reverently give his wife a place to rest till they saw the glory of God together someday.

The second of Henry’s thoughts really spoke to me.  The land of Canaan was filled with a pagan nation who did not worship God.  Some believed in him…but none trusted him fully like Abraham and his family. If Abraham had taken the land as gift…it might have signaled his willingness to compromise his faith with these people.

What a great reminder to stand strong in this world where believers and people who practice so many other religions and faiths must share the land. God did not promise to unify us all until he returns to claim his earthly throne. It is up to us to speak clear messages like Abraham when we have to make tough decisions in life. We can compromise and open the door to a weaker faith…or keep pure…and let God strengthen the portion we already have. 

Father…thank you for the reminder that some decisions should be made with no compromise.  Forgive me for the times that I have let the situation I am in speak compromise to my heart.  Help me to stand strong and speak only the truth that you have given us in your Bible. Amen.

What Size Is Your Heart?

Genesis 2:11-12 -  But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”  “Here I am,” he replied.  “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

God had appeared to Abraham to “test” him.  He wanted to know whether Abraham loved his son more than he did God.  So he told him to take him to a mountain 3 days travel away and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering.  We read about no questions from Abraham…just a quick effort to pack the things he needed the very next morning …then start on his way.

We can only wonder what Abraham’s thoughts were as he traveled those three days. Perhaps the conversation between the father…son and two servants distracted him from dwelling too much on the task he had been given.  Perhaps he prayed silently for God to change his mind.  Perhaps his strong faith just knew God would either change his mind…provide another sacrifice when they got there… or perhaps raise him from the dead after he sacrificed him.

Perhaps the lesson was also for Isaac. We don’t read about any fear or struggle as he was bound and laid upon that alter. What faith Isaac must have had in his father to comply completely with no questions. His only question was answered with a simple “God will provide.”

What did Abraham and Isaac feel in that moment the angel revealed that God had changed his mind.  He knew for certain that Abraham “feared” God. He loved God more than the son God had given him as fulfillment of his promise.  He loved God more than the prospects of having infinite numbers of descendants.

I admit that this is one of the hardest stories in the Bible to comprehend and process. I also admit that I have failed so many of the tests God has allowed in my life to prove my love…I have lost count. But I must have passed enough for God to keep working on my faith.  He must have something else for me to accomplish on this earth…for I am still here. When we fail one test…God trains us a little more…then tests us again.

One last thought.  God is more interested in the condition of our heart than anything else about us. As long as we fear him…he will keep chasing us and teaching us how to love him so completely that we too could be as strong as Abraham and Isaac.  It is never too late….there is much truth in one of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories… “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.”  We just need to capture the faith of that sweet Cindy Lou Who…and not give up on the Grinch’s of the world till all their hearts have grown 3 sizes. That’s what the great commission is all about.

Father….thank you for the reminder that the disposition of our heart is more important to you than any outward thing we say or do.  Forgive me for allowing the world to build callouses around the heart that you are trying to make soft and caring.  Help me find the child-like faith that you gave me when I was born and redevelop it …so my heart will grow as many sizes as it needs too for you to use it to help others.  Amen.

Make Someone Laugh With Joy...Testify Of God's Great Blessings

Genesis 21:5-7 -  Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.   And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.”  She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”

God’s promise was finally realized into flesh for Abraham and Sarah. They were well into what we consider old age…even Sarah spoke that they were well past child bearing years. She laughed with joy…and wanted everyone around her to laugh with her…for God had done great things for them.

What a great reminder to share the joy we feel over God’s great blessings to us.  The joy we feel is contagious.  The unbelief Sarah felt was changed to pure joy and a faith that would give her fading physical body the strength it would need to nurse and raise Isaac. Her attitude did a 180.

The messages of faith and courage…the wow stories that God has planted in our hearts can speak his love quicker than any sermon.  We should never keep them to ourselves…but take lessons from Sarah….the world could sure use a little positive. Sarah forgot all the tears she had shed waiting for God’s promise.  She shed her unbelief and traded it for the joy that only God plants in our hearts when he blesses us with something good.

Father…thank you for the reminder to never let my joy be hid.  Forgive me for the times that my attitude reflects sourness or sadness. Help me to shed the negative and put on a full wardrobe of joy…and be ready to share it with all that I see so they too can laugh and share it.  Amen.

Trust God Completely... No Need To Twist The Truth Or Invent Our Own Protection

Genesis 20:11-13 -  And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.  But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.  And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”

Abraham had journeyed south to live in the land of Gerar. He was worried once again for his safety there so he told the same lie to the king that he had used before…that his wife was his sister. The king immediately saw the beauty of Sarah…even in her advanced age….and took her to into his haram of wives and concubines.  God wasted no time revealing the truth to this king…that she was Abraham’s wife. He woke with a fear of God’s promise to let him die if he did not return her immediately.

Abraham carefully chose his words of explanation when he was confronted. She was a step-sister…even though they were married. He also spoke his fears of danger when they traveled….and how he had asked her so long ago to use her sister title when they came to new places for his safety.

There are several problems with Abraham’s thinking.  First…he never asked God if his twisting of the truth was the way he should handle his fears. Abraham must have temporarily forgotten the promise God had made to make him a great nation…complete with a new child in the next year by Sarah. Surely that included a measure of protection from any danger till that promise was carried out. I also wonder why Abraham had not learned his lesson from the consequences of the first time he used this lie. Was he really willing to risk his new child with Sarah by letting her become the wife of another man?

It is a reminder to me that to twist the truth…to tell a half-truth…to withhold details from the truth are all forms of lies. We can justify just about anything if we carefully plan the way we put together our words. It is also another reminder to ask God what to do …instead of forming our own plan without him. Just because God will intervene to keep us in his will…doesn’t mean that stepping out without him is the way to deal with our worries and concerns.

Father…thank you for the reminder that your promises include protection and coverings when danger seems to cross the pathway that we know to be your will for our life.  We do not need to twist the truth or invent our own way of rescue when we feel threatened or in danger…especially if it includes twisting the truth.  Forgive me for the times I have knowing gone ahead of you with my own version of the truth so I can justify my own selfish desires.  Show me how to live so completely in your will that I trust you in evry time of confusion and danger. Amen.

Take Someone's Hand...And Lead Them To The Safety Of Christ

Genesis 19:15-16 -  When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”  And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 

The angels followed God’s command and went to see for themselves the condition of Lot’s chosen town. The angels saw and heard first-hand the evil that was there….first thing in the morning hurrying Lot to leave before it was too late. They physically took his hand and led him out in the end…Lot lingering way too long before following their instructions.

It’s a sad story to write about on Christmas day…but a great reminder of two things for me. First…God will take our hand and lead us where we need to be...if we let him.  I can’t imagine why Lot lingered in this town.  God had to take him by the hand to keep his promise to Abraham.  The second is a truth that many refuse to accept.  Christ came as a baby to save the world. We celebrate this truth each year on this day.  But we never need to forget the end of the story.  Those that do not accept Christ will suffer destruction by fire like these towns. Their only chance is if one of us becomes their angel…and takes them by the hand … leading them to the truth.

Father...thank you for the reminder that the plan you started in motion so long ago with your son has an ending. Forgive me for the times that I fail to be that angel who takes the lost by the hand and show them the way to be saved. Help me to learn to be courageous and brave.  Help me to study and memorize the plan you outlined for us in your Bible. Give my spirit a nudge…and place the perfect words in my mouth each time I am near someone who is lost…so they will have a chance to hear the gospel and believe in you. Amen.