Verse of the Day: Hebrews 12:11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Memory of the month: Isaiah 41:13 For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Today's reading: GENESIS 18-19 MATTHEW 6:1-18
And Jacob Limped
There is a line in an old Batman movie where Batman's manservant said to him, "Some men just want to watch the world burn". We see it on the news everyday. People destroy people because they can-for a reason that escapes most of us.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
We have heard it before: "The enemy has two jobs; one is to keep people from knowing Jesus; the second is when he has failed at the first he puts all his energy into keeping the redeemed from bearing fruit in Christ."
'Complainers' are a result of the enemy's second job. These folks never seem to be happy about anything and let everyone know about.
The story in Genesis of how Jacob came to marry two sisters is a story of deceit and hard struggle and what we would consider misery. When he finally got away from his inlaws, Jacob had nowhere to go but back to his home country where his brother lived. Jacob had guilt over the way he had treated his brother, Esau, and was afraid of what Esau would do to him. He sent everyone ahead, across a river, and he was alone.
That night God, in the form of a man, wrestled with Jacob. Jacob was as desperate as any man. He had known misery and struggle and guilt and was riddled with fear. (We must know that Jacob had 11 sons and two wives and was wealthy by the standards of the day.) His fear of his brother is all he could think. Jacob would not let go-he would not give up-he wanted a blessing.
Genesis 32:
25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.
28..."Your name will now be Israel. I give you this name because you have fought with God and with men, and you have won.”
29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.”
But the man said, “Why do you ask my name?” Then the man blessed Jacob at that place.
31 the sun came up...and Jacob limped. (Israel limped.)
Jacob had done his share of lying and deceiving and had become wealthy but was governed by fear. But instead of being paralyzed by that fear, he summoned all the faith he had and wrestled with God until he got God's blessing-along with a limp. In the middle of all that self-inflicted, inner pain, Jacob knew he had to have God's blessing. The limp was never mentioned again.
Are we afraid of a little limp or what? It is time to stop complaining and wrestle-wrestle with God until we have a limp of our own-a limp that goes unmentioned-forever.
Wrestling takes all of our being and all of our will-never let go-never give up. Hold on with all that you are and God will finish His work in you.
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Hebrews 11:6
...because He loves us...
Father in Heaven,
I am lazy. I do not want to wrestle but if I must, show me the faith You have given me and the will to wrestle with You as You finish this. Give me the grace to bless You for a righteous limp. Remove my desire to complain.
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