Jacob

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Genesis 35:2 Get Rid Of All Foreign gods

So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you and purify yourselves and change your clothes.” Genesis 35:2

Around the world there are groups of people who worship physical statues that are idols of their gods. Often this is thought of just groups of native and primitive people from third world nations.

Yet throughout every nation there are people who worship idols of various forms every day. Many will not call these idols gods, as some do, but they are their gods.

After being told by God to go and build an altar, Jacob told his family and people with him to get rid of all foreign gods, purify themselves and change their clothes. He was preparing to go and guild that altar.

The gods that many people worship, but refuse to call a ‘god’, are the things that people place above everything else in their lives.

It is very easy for things to gain importance in one’s life. These things can cost a lot of money or time to purchase and so one wants to take care of it and treasure them. In the process of taking care of these things, other people and God gets left out of the picture.

As God is left out of the picture, their clothes are soiled by stepping into sinful practices and ignoring God’s commands. This does not often occur quickly, but slowly over time, allowing the world to have a foothold in one’s life, pulling him away from God.

Rather than allow these idols in one’s life, every believer needs to cast out these foreign idols and turn to God. He must allow Jesus to purify him from all sin, changing his clothing so that he is wearing robes of Christ’s righteousness and can build an altar to God.

Take time to examine your life and determine if you have allowed any foreign idols in your life. Is there anything in your life that takes your focus away from God? That thing is a foreign idol.

You are no longer a member of the world, if you believe in Jesus, but are a member of God’s family. Cast out those idols and allow Jesus to be the Master of your life. Jesus is waiting to purify you and cloth you in righteousness and holiness.

Allow God to be the only god in your life.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that God will reveal any idols in your life; that God will strengthen you to get rid of any idols in your life; that you will allow Jesus to purify you of all sin and cloth you in His righteousness; and that God will be your only god.

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Genesis 32:30 God Spares Life

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” Genesis 32:30

Standing before someone of extreme high authority and power can often make a person nervous. Those who are called into stand before a boss are often scared, not knowing what may happen. The boss has authority to remove them from a position.

In ancient times, anyone who was called before a king had a legitimate reason to be scared. The king had the power and authority to kill a person if not pleased with the person.

Jacob had a meeting with God, face to face in a field. Afterwards he realized he had met God directly and was not killed. God spared his life.

When meeting people in high positions of power, there are some people who do not realize the power and authority of the person. They go in as though meeting an old buddy, not someone of authority.

In the same way, many will go before God, not realizing His power and authority and holiness. Every person has sinned against God and deserves death by the most extreme punishment.

God has no reason to spare anyone’s life, yet, He does. God allows His great love and mercy to rise up and spare the life of every person. He gives them a chance to believe in Jesus and have their sins removed, making them holy and pure.

Although Jesus has provided for removal of sins, there are some who continue in sin, believing God will still spare their lives. Without repentance, one should fear going before God. There is no mercy for those who refuse to repent.

However, with repentance, God is a loving and merciful God and will forgive. One can meet with Him face to face and have his life spared from destruction.

God loves you and wants to meet with you face to face. Believe in Jesus, repenting of your sins and allow Him to make you holy so that you may stand before God clean and holy. Be willing to flee all sin, turning to God and live the life He has for you.

God is waiting for you to come to Him. He is calling you to have a meeting with Him. You do not have to fear destruction, if you are trusting in Jesus and following Him.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will repent of your sins before God; that you will be willing to meet with God face to face; and that you will know the love and mercy God has for you.

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Genesis 28:15 God Will Be With You

I am with you and 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 you. Genesis 28:15

When a person starts a new journey, he will often have someone by his side at the beginning. The friend will often remain there until there is trouble in the journey or if the journey gets to be too long.

Very few people like to stay on a journey that is difficult and filled with challenges. They choose to go back to what is comfortable, breaking their promise to stay through to the end.

Jacob, while on a journey back to his homeland, had a vision from God. God told him that He would be with him and watch over him to bring him back, and that He would not leave until He fulfilled His promises.

Although most people who become believers do not have to go on the same type of journey as Jacob, all are on a journey through this life. This journey is one that ends in heaven in eternity.

At the moment one becomes a believer and begins his new journey, God promises to be with him, watch over him and bring him through to the end fulfilling all of His promises.

Having God at one’s side on this journey is very important because the world will be against this journey. There will be trouble and attacks of the enemy. Many will try to get the believer off the path. He will need to seek God’s strength, direction and provision for the journey in order to make it all the way.

Every believer will have the hope that God is with him until every promise is fulfilled at the end of the journey.

Going through this life, you are on a journey. You are either on a journey to hell or to heaven. Both journeys will be filled with trouble and enemies striving to destroy you. Some will try to stop you from following God to destroy your soul.

Choose to follow the journey God has for you. Keep your focus upon God and hold onto His promises that He has made. God will never leave you and will bring you through the worst that the world can throw at you. He will bring you into heaven for eternity some day as promised.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will walk the journey with God at your side; that you will know God’s presence in your life; that you will see God’s provision and protection for your life; and that you will complete the journey with God.

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Genesis 25:33 Selling Out For The Temporary

But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Genesis 25:33

Feeling hungry is something that most people do not like to feel. Many are willing to go to extreme measures when they are extremely hungry. The more hungry one is, the further one will go to be willing to get and eat most anything.

This same feeling and action occur with nearly every desire that people have. People want immediate satisfaction no matter what the cost is in the end. All that is looked at is the immediate moment of need or desire.

Esau was starving and wanted some food that Jacob had. Jacob had Esau swear to give him his birthright for a bowl of soup and some bread.

Birthright was the title given to the eldest son and meant that he would get the greatest inheritance when the father passed away. It was something of great honor and value. Esau gave that up for a temporary bowl of soup.

In life there are many people who are willing to risk their careers, reputation, family and more just for a short-term temporary pleasure.

Many go into extreme debt just so they can have some new toy right away that they do not really need. Some believers will choose to step into temporarily ‘fun’ sin to please their physical pleasures, bringing about a lifetime of challenges. Others, in a fit of rage, will choose to get revenge on someone for a temporary pleasure of satisfaction of anger that causes problems for life.

True believers in God will always look at the larger picture that God provides. It is better to give up a little temporary sinful pleasure and gain eternal life, than it is to have a moment of sin and an eternity of suffering. No believer should give up the holiness Jesus provides for temporary pleasure in sin.

There will be times in your life in which your physical body will want things that are sinful for a moment. You have a choice to make each and every time.

You can choose to stay on the path God has for you and not step into sin, or you can choose to the path of temporary pleasure and sin against God. Sinning against God will create problems for your future that can last for eternity.

Hold on to what Jesus has given you and don’t sellout for temporary pleasures.

Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will seek to always follow God’s ways; that you will seek God’s eternal ways rather than the temporary pleasures of this world; and that God will strengthen you to walk in His path for you.

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Genesis 47:9 Few And Difficult Years

Hourglass

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” Genesis 47:9

At times, living life can seem to be a long time. This becomes especially true when one is going through difficult times. The more difficult the time, the longer the time. Time will feel as though it has slowed down or even stopped altogether.

When things are going good, time seems to speed up and go super fast. It appears as if there is not enough time to do all the fun things that a person wants to do or has started to do. Yet, in reality, time is the same for every person and is neither faster nor slower at any time during one’s life.

These feelings are no different for believers. They have the same challenge of feeling how fast or slow time seems to go.

Many believers think that the Old or New Testament saints always had it easy and things went great for them all the time. Jacob had told Pharaoh that his years had been few and difficult. It had not been an easy road for him. Paul went through struggle after struggle as he lived on this earth. Jesus was persecuted and finally killed in less than 40 years.

Jesus promised hard times would come in a person’s life, but He also promised that He would be with the person through it all. Jacob did not complain about his struggles, but just made it a statement that he had them.

Regardless of whether a person lives to be one hundred and forty or only until he is forty, his life is short. It is short compared to all eternity. The question is what a person will do with those few and difficult years.

You may be going through difficult times, that seems to last forever. It is not lasting forever, it is only a short time in light of all eternity.

Keep your eyes on Jesus and live for God during the difficult times. Trust that He knows what He is allowing in your life. Do what you can for God, while you have life on this earth. It is only a short time, a vapor and it will be over and eternity will begin.

What are you doing with your short, few and difficult years on this earth for God?

I pray today that you will know God’s will for your life; that you will trust God at all times; that you will dedicate your life to God; and that God will help you see how short life really is.