Genesis 33:4 - Reconciliation

But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embrace him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him, And they wept.

Jacob had deceived Esau and his father. He was right to be worried about his reunion with Esau. Jacob humbly prayed to God, even wrestled with him all night. He knew he had been wrong and felt remorse. Jacob heaped gifts upon Esau before he even saw him. I am sure the reunion would not have gone as well had Jacob not consulted the Lord and humbly offered gifts to Esau. When we have broken relationships, prayer and humility are our best tools for reconciliation. And gifts don't hurt either.

Lord, please help me to heal my broken relationships. Help me to be humble and giving. Amen.

Genesis 31:49 - A blessing for those apart from each other

It was also called Mizpah, because he said, "May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other."

This was the sign of a covenant between Laban & Jacob. I thought it was just a nice blessing for those who are apart from each other.

Lord, please keep watch over our friends and family when they are apart from us. Amen.

Genesis 30:27-28 - A blessing to my boss

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.” He added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

Being a follower of God surfaces in all areas of our lives, even at work. When a Christian works hard and with integrity, they are often successful at their job. Our bosses are blessed because of our work. A good boss will see this and may reward this success. Even if they do not, we can be good stewards and make our experience beneficial to ourselves and others. 

Lord, thank you for my job. Thank you for giving me the strength and the ability to do the work. Please help me to be a blessing to my boss and those I serve. Amen.

Genesis 29:31 - God sees our struggles

When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.

As mother to half of the 12 tribes of Judah, Leah was surely favored by the Lord, like Mary the mother of Christ. I am sure it was a difficult life for Leah to always play second fiddle to her younger sister, but God loved her and listened to her. God loves us and cares about what happens to us. He knows when we are struggling. He listens to us and helps us according to his will and timing.

Lord, thank you for knowing us. Thank you for knowing when our lives are difficult. Thank you for loving us. Amen.

Genesis 28:20-21 - MY God

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God

God promises Jacob so much more than food, clothes, and safety, but here Jacob takes God as his God, not the God of Abraham or Isaac, but "my God." It may be easy for us to acknowledge a God, but we have to do more. We have to accept God as our God, as the master of our lives, as our sovereign Lord.

Lord, thank you for having a personal relationship with each of us, allowing us to call you "my God." Amen.

Some Mornings

I study almost every morning. I choose a book in the Bible and read some each day. I ask God to give me some instruction, some insight into his word. And most mornings I receive it, but some mornings I don't. Or it may just need to roll around in my head a while before forming a complete thought.

See you tomorrow...probably.

Genesis 27:38 - Blessings for all

Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.

This story has always bothered me. I mean Jacob and his mom deceive Isaac. Through this path, Jacob is blesses and becomes one of the great Hebrew fathers. Don't you feel bad for Esau? Can't you hear him crying, "Bless me too!!" But God doesn't just have one blessing. He has blessings for all of us. We are all his "firstborn", his favorite. 

Lord, thank you for loving me and giving me your blessing. Amen.

Genesis 26:22 - Giving up and moving on

He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, (means room) saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

Abraham's son, Isaac goes back to Abimelek and the land of the Philistines at God's command. Abraham became very wealthy here, and so did Isaac. The Philistines became jealous and Abimelek asked him to move away from them. He did, but apparently they didn't think it was far enough, because twice Isaac had wells dug which the local herders quarreled over and claimed as their wells. Finally, the verse above speaks of the third well.

When we hit road blocks or walls, what do we do? How do we react? Do we keep hitting the wall insisting this is the right path? Do we move on and look for a more clear way? Sometimes the blessings come from giving up.

Lord, thank you for your guidance in our lives. Help us to know when it is time to give up on something and move on. Amen.

Genesis 25:8 - Full of years

Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.

What a wonderful thing to be said of Abraham at the end of his life. He died at a good old age, an old man and full of years. As we age, we tend to think of the best of life as gone, but more years just make our lives more full.

Lord, help me to enjoy getting old and becoming full of years. Amen.

Genesis 24:12 - The faithful servant

Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

Abraham asks the senior servant in his household to go to his home country to find a wife for his son. The servant takes this job seriously. He prays to the Lord, God of his master Abraham several times. He is successful in this journey and task. I am so impressed by the faithfulness and humility of this servant. He was praying to the "God of his master". He clearly believed and worshiped Abraham's God, but there was such a reverence in the way he spoke of him. This servant wanted success, but his success was not for himself, it was for his master.

Lord, Thank you for the opportunity to come directly to you in prayer. Please help us to succeed in the plans you have for us today so that your name will be glorified. Lord, also help us as we work for earthly masters (bosses). Let us be successful in the tasks we are given to be a blessing to those we are working for. Amen.

Genesis 22:12 - What do I need to lay on the alter?

“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.”

Abraham had been asked by God to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering. This is the son God gave to him after so much waiting. He was the gift, the promise of generations to come. Why had God given Abraham this precious gift if he was going to take it away? Verse 1 in chapter 22 says God was testing him. So, what has been given to you that you have been asked to lay on the alter? 

Lord, help us to clearly hear your voice and know if you are asking us to give something up, then Lord, help us to trust you and do what you ask. Amen.

Genesis 21:22 - Do people see God is with you in everything you do?

At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.

When people look at your life, do they see God is with you in everything you do? Most of the time I think people do see God in my life. Then there are the times they don't, when my sin is right out front for all to see. We can take heart because in this situation Abimelek had also seen a half truth come from Abraham. Abraham told Abimilek his wife was his sister, so he took her. Abraham's lie almost caused Abimilek to sin against God, yet in the end Abimelek saw that God was with Abraham.

Lord, thank you for allowing your light to shine in our lives, regardless of our failings. Amen.

Genesis 21:17

God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.

God loves everyone. I sometimes get so wrapped up in my world and my issues, I forget that God loves everyone else too. He may be doing things in our lives which we may or may not want, with a purpose having nothing to do with us. Sarah wanted Hagar and her son sent away, but God still loved them and took care of them even thought they were not the "main story." 

Lord, Thank you for loving me, and for loving everyone else. Please help me to see beyond my story, to know you are working things out for more people than just me and those close to me. Amen. 

Genesis 20:6

Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her.

Did you know God can keep us from sinning? Later in the passage we read something about a medical condition God inflicted upon Abimelek and the women of his household. Was this the reason he did not sleep with Sarah? Has God ever used a problem in your life to keep you from sin or direct your life down a different path?

Lord, thank you for loving us and being intimately involved in our lives. Please keep us from sin. Amen.

Genesis 19:31-32

One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth.  Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.”

Lot's daughters thought they knew what was best and proceeded by whatever means necessary to get it. A few years ago I was taught this strategy when making a decision, PMS.

P-Purpose-What do you want?
M-Motivation-Why do you want it?
S-Strategy-How are you going to get it?

Lord, I pray that my ways will be your ways, my thoughts your thought, my path will be your path. Amen.

Genesis 19:17

As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

This passage is from when the angels bring Lot and his family out of the city of Sodom. It applies to when we are brought out of sin as well. It may be a whole lifestyle change or ridding ourselves of a sinful habit, but when God brings us out of that sin, we must flee for our lives and not look back. The further we remove ourselves from it, the more likely we will stay out of that sin. Lot asks to be allowed to stay closer than the suggested distance. His wife turns back and is turned to a pillar of salt (v.26). The ultimate outcome for Lot and his family is not favorable because he did not truly flee.

Lord, thank you for bringing us out of sin!! Please help us to flee as far from sin as we can and stay out of that sin. Amen.

Hosea 14:9

Who is wise? Let them realize these things.
    Who is discerning? Let them understand.
The ways of the Lord are right;
    the righteous walk in them,
    but the rebellious stumble in them.

Any set of laws or rules are good for those who follow them. They bring order and fairness. But those same rules provide problems for people who don't follow them. The rules become something to disagree with and challenge. The rules become something which can be broken and therefore punishment follows. 

So is the solution to do away with the rules? No. The Lord's ways are right. His rules are perfect, even when we don't understand them. The laws of a society may or may not line up with God's ways, but rules in general are still a good thing. In most cases these differences do not prevent the righteous from following God's ways.

Lord, thank you for showing us your ways, they are a path for me, a way to follow in your footsteps, to know right from wrong. Please make us wise and discerning, so that we will understand. Amen.

Genesis 18:25

Far be it from you to do such a thing-to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Wow! Abraham was pretty bold to question God like that. And how did God respond? Did he strike him dead? No. He talked and even bargained with Abraham. He gets God to agree to not destroy Sodom if there are 10 righteous people in the city. So can God handle our questions? Are we being insubordinate or disrespectful? We certainly can be, but if our questions are coming from a place of honesty and misunderstanding, God will not take offense. God's omnipotent knowledge allows him to see a picture far greater than we do, all we have to do is trust him. But he can handle our tough questions on our way to that trust.

Lord, thank you for listening to us and even hearing our bold, questioning. Please help us to remember that your ways are not always our ways and your ways are right. Amen.

Genesis 18:14a

Is anything to hard for the Lord?

We have to remember God created this earth. He is also master over it. Things that seem amazing and supernatural to us are nothing for God. He put physical laws and limitations on this earth, but he is not bound by them. He can do anything. Sarah laughed at the prospect of something happening that was outside of her sphere of knowledge and understanding. How do we react? Do we have faith God can do anything?

Lord, help us to fully believe in you and have faith that you can do anything your will desires. Amen.

Genesis 17:6

I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.

Abram and Sarai had taken matters into their own hands and through Hagar, produced Ishmael. In this verse God is making it clear to Abram (now Abraham) the he will be the one to do this work. We make so many plans and rarely sit back and let God do his work. When we feel the spirit working, just let it happen. We don't need to help. Do the things we feel called to do, but don't overstep. Things will happen in his time frame, according to his will, if we let them.

Lord, thank you for your will. Please help us to let your will be done. Amen.