Are you bringing praise to God through your life?
12 Jan 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
Genesis 29
Genesis 30
Matthew 10:1-23
Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5).
Are you bringing praise to God through your life?
Leah has a share of physical and spiritual challenges. She lacks the beauty of her sister, Rachel. Moses reports, “Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance” (Genesis 29:17). “Delicate” conveys either she has poor eyesight or doesn’t possess dazzling eyes. Either way, she is no match physically compared to her sister. Moreover, she lacks the affection of her husband Jacob. After the birth of her third child, she says, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me” (Genesis 29:34). She gets the right focus with her fourth son. Leah says, “Now I will praise the LORD.” Moses adds, “Therefore she called his name Judah,” which means praise (Genesis 29:35). Our Lord Jesus would derive from this tribe and is worthy of eternal praise (Revelation 5:9-10).
Employment Point: Offer praises to the Lord and live to bring Him the same.
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Reflections
“When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?””Genesis 29:25 NIV
This verse to me is a reminder that even though the Lord has promised good to him, it doesn’t mean that he does not have to deal with the consequences of his own sin. When he agrees with his mum Rebekah to deceive Isaac in exchange for blessings, He had to run away from the house due to the anger that arises from Esau for he has stolen his blessings. He kind of gets the same kind of return for what he had done that now Laban deceived him by giving him Leah instead of Rachel. Irony? Probably not. Maybe it runs in the family? 🤷🏻♀️ The Lord had better plans.
“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.””Genesis 30:27 NIV - Laban definitely is not walking closely with the Lord since he does divination which is a sin. But why does the bible want to mention this? It reveals that the Lord is the true God and the ultimate source of blessing for Jacob and never the idols that he thought blessings will come.
“Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches,”Genesis 30:41 NIV - shrewd is what I call this that because Laban already took advantage of Jacob, Jacob outwitted him and strengthens his own flock. The Lord blessed him despite him not being the perfect man but because God is good and delivers on His promises.
“If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”Matthew 10:14-15 NIV - reading Matthew together with Genesis reminds me of how God has rained burning sulphur on Sodom when the Lord wants to destroy the whole town. It is a reminder that for such towns or homes that is so undeserving because they rejected the Lord, judgement is going to be much worse than that.
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Our Solitude with God
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
January 12
When he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. —Mark 4:34
Jesus doesn’t get us alone and explain things to us all the time; he explains them as we become able to understand. Other people’s lives are parables: they show us certain truths, but others cannot walk our path for us. God is making us spell out our own souls, so that we may come to our understanding honestly, through our own experience.
God’s ultimate aim, in asking us to do this work, is to shape us for his purposes. It is slow work, so slow that it takes him all of time and eternity to accomplish it. We must let him guide us through all the nooks and crannies of our characters. It is amazing how ignorant we are about ourselves! We don’t recognize envy when it is inside us, or laziness, or pride. Jesus reveals these things to us. He reveals everything we’ve been hiding before his grace began to work. How many of us have learned to look in with courage?
We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves: it is the last bit of conceitedness to go. Only God understands us. If we ever get a glimpse of what we are like in his sight, we will never again say, “Oh, I am so unworthy,” because we will know we are, beyond having to say it. As long as we aren’t quite sure, God will keep cornering us until he gets us alone. He’ll wound our pride, take us to the limits of our intelligence, break our hearts. He’ll show us where we have loved unwisely, or too much.
Only then, when we are truly cornered and alone with him, will he begin to explain.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
Re-state to yourself what you believe, then do away with as much of it as possible, and get back to the bedrock of the Cross of Christ.
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Reflections
This devotional reminds me of a short conversation I had with someone. She asked me what my prayers are. I simply said for the Lord to guide me in patience, self-control and grace. She looked at me in a face of shock. I was like.. why??? She went on to say that I asked the Lord for these things? I was like ya (matter of factly).
She went on to say that this is not going to be easy. Because the Lord guides and He also prunes. A friend next to us said that she will ask the Lord to show her bit by bit, not too much. I thought about it for a moment and said. I think I rather go through it the hard way and learn it all one shot, get it over and done with.
My thoughts are these. The things that He needs us to learn are many and the best way to learn is to just let Him and let be. Yes the journey is difficult and maybe painful but I know the Lord knows our limits and He loves us more than anyone else. He also walks with us and carries us. So, why be afraid to embrace sufferings.
Yes, the process can be frustrating, angry, sad and stressed all at the same time. But I find that in this manner, it allows us to experience His goodness even more than usual too! Like the more we seek, the more it is revealed and the more it is revealed, the more peace and joy we have. On retrospect, I kind of enjoy this process because it allows me to grow, and learn to look at things from a very different angle to my own and in doing so, I understand more of why and how certain things have to be a certain manner. Sometimes it is through hard knocks that character can be built to last because of the drastic or dramatic challenges we have to face.
May we all be encouraged that Lord is with us in every step of our way and that He guides us through every situation, going ahead of us to prepare the way. Let us not be afraid but step forth in faith and trust. In Jesus’s name we ask and pray. Amen! 🙏🏻
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