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Christian Devotional – January 18, 2016
Read Genesis chapter 34 VERSE: Genesis 34:23–Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So, let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us. TRUTH: This entire chapter deals with lust. Shechem’s lust for Dinah, Hamor’s lust for possessions, and Simeon and Levi’s lust for vengeance. While Shechem’s mind is solely fixed on the beautiful Dinah and doing whatever he needs to in order to get permission to have her legally, his father has been busy eyeing all the animals and possessions of this newcomer Jacob. Instead of just grabbing their swords and heading into battle against them. Hamor proposes a more subtle way…
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Christian Devotional – January 17, 2016
Read Genesis chapter 33 VERSE: Genesis 33:4–But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. TRUTH: Esau had been wronged and was deceived by Jacob. Esau had every logical reason to be upset and seek revenge from Jacob. Yet, when given the chance, Esau responds with forgiveness. Even while Jacob had been away 20 years, God had been working on Esau as well. Esau had been blessed and was rich himself, but he had been able to let go of the anger and bitterness that accompanies unforgiveness. Are we willing to let it go? Will we make…
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Christian Devotional – January 16, 2016
Read Genesis chapter 32 VERSE: Genesis 32:26–Then the man said, “Let me go for it is daybreak.” Bu Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” TRUTH: Jacob had wrestled all night. He was tired, worn out, and exhausted both physically and mentally from worry and anxiety about his brother. Yet, he refused to give up or give in. Even when the man from God stated he had to leave, Jacob refused to let him go until the man blessed him. We go through plenty of our share of struggles and worries. We face lots of opportunities to give up and give in each and every…
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Christian Devotional – January 15, 2016
Read Genesis chapter 31 VERSE: Genesis 31:31–Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force.” TRUTH: Jacob had been told by God to leave this area and return to the land where he was from. However, even though Jacob was doing what he was supposed to be doing, how he was doing it wasn’t the best. He tells Laban that he determined how to leave based on fear. Fear can be the reason behind a number of things that we do. Yes if God tells us something then we should obey it, but how we obey is just as important…
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Christian Devotional – January 14, 2016
Read Genesis chapter 30 VERSE: Genesis 30:27–But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. TRUTH: Even though Laban wasn’t a believer in God, he recognized when he had a good thing going. He realized that God was with Jacob and was working in what Jacob was doing and blessing it, and Laban wanted to stay part of that blessing. Laban, like so many people, wanted the benefits of a relationship with God, without having to actually submit his life to God himself. The question becomes, how do we help…
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Christian Devotional – January 13, 2016
Read Genesis chapter 29 VERSE: Genesis 29:31–When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. TRUTH: God sees us and knows us. He knows our deepest fears and our innermost longings. God is not some distant being, but instead is someone who knows us better than we even know ourselves. When that is put together with the fact that God sees and knows everything about the world and all that goes on, we see that God truly knows our best interest and is able to work in and through all things in order to bring about the very best for us.…
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Christian Devotional – January 12, 2016
Read Genesis chapter 28 VERSE: Genesis 28:15–I am with you and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised. TRUTH: As Jacob was leaving, reaping the consequences of his deceit against his brother, he lay down and had a dream. In that dream God appeared to him, which seems to be the first time that God had spoken to him. In this, God explains that He is Lord over all and that Jacob is destined to return to this land. God makes him a promise. When we are…
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Christian Devotional – January 11, 2016
Read Genesis chapter 27 VERSE: Genesis 27:13–His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” TRUTH: As parents, we would often do anything for our children. However, in this case, Rebekah allowed herself to sin for her child. We must draw the line and not allow our love for our children to blind us to our need to keep God first in our lives. Our love for our children should never outweigh our love for God. As we are looking to help our children succeed and grow, we must be continually mindful that we are…
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Christian Devotional – January 10, 2016
Read Genesis chapter 26 VERSE: Genesis 26:22–He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in he land.” TRUTH: Isaac had been trying to find his place. God had shared with him to stay in this general area, but everywhere he tried to stop and set camp, he ran into people who argued with him. Isaac knew that there is peace in following God, so as that happened, he knew he must move on until he came to the place where there was peace. Do we seek for…
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Christian Devotional – January 9, 2016
Read Genesis chapter 25 VERSE: Genesis 25:32–“Look, I am about to die.” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” TRUTH: This story has long been used to illustrate the dangers of just thinking about the here and now at the expense of the long term. When we are in the midst of an issue or concern, it’s easy to see only what is right in front of us. We think we have to find a way to get through the immediate crisis before we can start to think about the long term. However, we must realize that we must always be thinking about the long term impact of…