VERSE:Genesis 34:13–But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with deceit, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.TRUTH:Being wronged does not give us the right to wrong others. These brothers were understandably outraged at the treatment of their sister. But, that does not justify their slaughter of all the men of the city. Do we try to justify our actions or do we allow God to speak and work on our behalf.RESPONSE:God, I thank You for all that You do and the way You defend me. I pray You will help me to wait on Your timing when facing situations where I have been wronged.

VERSE:Genesis 33:8–And he said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” and he said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”TRUTH:What are we willing to sacrifice to be reconciled to people. For Jacob, he sacrificed many things to be able to be at peace with his brother. Do we value peace? Are we willing to sacrifice in areas that God gives us to be reconciled with others.RESPONSE:Lord, help me to live at peace and teach me what I ought to sacrifice to be reconciled with others.

VERSE:Genesis 32:28–He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have persevered.”TRUTH:Many times, instead of taking us around or out of the difficult times, God allows us to come through the difficulties. God helps us to come through and to know what it means to depend on God as we go through these times.RESPONSE:Lord, thank You for the struggles. Help me to see You more clearly as I move through the difficulties in life.

VERSE:Genesis 31:19–When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel store the household idols that were her father’s.TRUTH:Certain things can be very difficult to let go of. The Lord knows this and calls us to leave everything and follow Him. Rachel couldn’t let go of the idols and as a result, was willing to steal to be able to have them. What are we holding on to that causes us to sin?RESPONSE:Lord, I pray You will help me leave everything behind and follow You.

VERSE:Genesis 30:26–Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you.TRUTH:Jacob had stayed and faithfully served Laban according to their arrangement. No he wanted to go and provide for his own family directly. Do we stand up and take responsibility for the areas that God has given us?RESPONSE:Lord, as we celebrate Your birth, help me take responsibility for the areas You have given me.

VERSE:Genesis 29:35–And she conceived again and bore a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she named him Judah. The she stopped bearing.TRUTH:Before this, Leah kept hoping that she could earn her husband’s love by bearing him sons. However that did not work. Finally she just stepped back and praised God for his gift to her of another son. Do we praise God regardless of how others respond?RESPONSE:Lord, thank You for Your goodness to us. I pray You will help me focus on You only and not on others.

VERSE:Genesis 28:16–Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it.”TRUTH:Do we really expect God in all places at all times? Or, do we just go and do our things, only to realize later that God was working all day? We must look for and see God at work in all things.RESPONSE:Lord, You are in all. Help me to see You in even the little day-to-day things.

VERSE:Genesis 27:41–So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”TRUTH:Esau had been treated wrongly but instead of turning it over to God, he planned to act on his own. Do we try to defend ourselves or take matter into our own hands, or do we allow God to defend us?RESPONSE:Lord, forgive me when I take actions on my own. Help me to leave my defense up to You.

VERSE:Genesis 26:7–Then the men of the place asked about his wife, he said “She is my sister” for he was afraid to say “my wife” thinking “the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is beautiful.”TRUTH:Unless we decide to do something different, we often end up repeating the patterns of sin we learned from others. When we see others sin, we must recognize the sin and learn how God would ask us to be obedient in that area in the future.RESPONSE:Lord, thank You for Your forgiveness. Help me to learn from the mistakes of others and not repeat their sins.

VERSE:Genesis 25:21–Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was barren and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived.TRUTH:Do we pray for our spouses and family? Are we concerned for the things they are concerned about? Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife and the Lord answered and blessed them both.RESPONSE:Lord, thank You for my husband. I pray that You will continue to bless him and help him become the man You have for him to be.