Have you had an event or circumstance that caused you to face yourself? Perhaps the death of someone close, a health crisis, or a job loss brought you face-to-face with who you are. This is a frightening experience but, if handled well, can lead to forgiveness and a better way of living. This is what God wants for each of us and why He may allow us to face difficulties; He wants us to know who we are and who He is. An old saying goes like this: “A crisis […]
I know what it’s like to return home after being away for many years. Returning to my home state after being away for thirteen years evoked joy and comfort. Home again! I was coming home to work and live in a place I loved. Mom, Dad, my siblings, and others I had known from childhood were here. While I was able to adjust well to being away, there’s no place like Tennessee to me. It’s home. We continue the interesting story of Jacob in Genesis 31. It’s time for Jacob […]
Jacob has fallen in love with the beautiful Rachel and it appears that God’s promise and plan are coming together without a hitch. As we saw in Genesis 29, Jacob offered to work seven years for Laban in exchange for his younger daughter Rachel. Jacob served Laban for seven years and “They seemed like only a few days to him because of his great love for her.” Genesis 29:20. What a beautiful love story! But as we’ve seen in our journey to this point concerning God’s plan and promise, things don’t always […]
As we left Jacob in last week’s post he had spent several days completing his hurried 450-mile trip from Beersheba to Haran. (Genesis 29:1) Why has he made this long, arduous trip? What happened on the journey that began to make a “changed” man out of him? He left home for two reasons. First, Jacob and his mother, Rebekah, had tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing that rightly belonged to his older brother Esau. They insisted he go quickly to his mother’s brother in Haran to escape the wrath […]
When we last saw Jacob he was running from his home in Beersheba, headed for his mother’s kinfolks in Haran. Why was he a fugitive from home? He and his mother had tricked Isaac into giving him the fatherly blessing that was supposed to go to his brother Esau. Rebekah and Isaac agreed for him to leave home to prevent Esau from killing him. Isaac gave Jacob another blessing and told him to find a wife among his mother’s people. So, the trip was to accomplish two things; preserve his […]
At the close of Genesis 27, Jacob has succeeded in deceiving his aged father and has taken the blessing that belonged to Esau. He is a scoundrel, a self-serving thief who has lived up to his name; Jacob is a grasper. Esau is enraged by his younger brother’s trickery and plans to kill him when his father dies. When Rebekah learns of Esau’s vengeful plan, she urges Jacob to go to her brother in Haran until Esau cools down. Rebekah tells Isaac what’s going on and Isaac calls Jacob in […]
After a two-week detour from Genesis to focus on Christmas we return to the exciting story of how God entrusted His plan and promise to Abraham and his descendants. What is the plan and how does it relate to the promise? Let’s do a quick review because it is easy to lose sight of the big picture when we dig into some of the messy details of the people God chose to execute His plan. God chose to bring a Savior into the world to bear the penalty for the […]
Christmas. How much did it cost you this year? Do you know? Or, maybe you’re one of those “last-minute” shoppers who won’t know til the credit card bill comes. Christmas is the most expensive time of the year. I’ve researched how much Americans spend yearly and am astounded at the numbers. What caught my attention is how much the amount has jumped ”big time” yearly. Want to take a guess? This information is a little dated but will give you a general idea. Here’s a hint: start in the billions, […]
When our children were young they would ask Cecelia or me to “promise” to do something or get something for them. We would say, “We will think about that but can’t promise we will do it.” Sometimes our concern about the request was what such a promise would cost us. Another factor in our unwillingness to make a quick promise to their request was that life circumstances might make granting their wish impossible. We realized we were not God and not in control of what might happen to nullify the […]
Do you sometimes question God’s timing? Do you wish He would accommodate your schedule for things you pray for? There have been instances when God has answered immediately but most of my requests have been put “on hold” for a while. God sometimes delays, but He never forgets. God wasn’t in a hurry to give Abraham a grandson who would receive God’s promise to him. But, He didn’t forget His promise to Abraham. Sarah dies at 127 years. At age 137 Abraham buries his wife and arranges for Isaac to […]
