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The People will Rise Up

Today’s chapters:

Genesis 19, 20, 21

As we read the Old Testament, we can be shocked by the cultural differences.  Reading about men offering over their wives and daughters to other men so that they all might survive the ordeal seems so foreign to people who live with houses, streets, phones, internet, with police a call away, and with everything we want delivered to our doorstep by Amazon.

It seems that evil lurks in the shadows enough to leave us more unaware and complacent to its existence these days. But there are places still today where rape and torture and beheadings are still expected behavior when the mobs are angered.

I’m sure that the American government is looking at the atrocities that occurred during the French revolution and has some heightened sense of the possibility of evil that could rise up when they are calling the killer of a Healthcare CEO a hero and a patriot — and when their control over the narrative slips further from their hands with each move they make to try and censor their people.  So we can’t think that true evil and wickedness like this unruly mob in Sodom couldn’t rise up “in civilized places”. There are monsters within the flesh and demonic powers eager to rise up when no one fears the Lord anymore and they just take abvantage of others with no care for what is right or just. The rise of angry mobs and of foolish leaders is always a judgement of God upon the hearts of the people.

Sodom had the chance to repent and turn to God, and so does every nation that veers too far off the path into doing evil to its own people until they refuse to take it anymore.

We see the end of Sodom, and all nations of men will some day come to their end, just like every man is appointed to die.

The call for us individually,  and as a nation is to return to God, or even to turn to God for the first time of they never truly have!

The Bible contains many passages that call for nations to return to God, including Isaiah 55:5-6, Jeremiah 31, and Hosea 6:1-3. 

Isaiah 55:5-6 

  • Calls for nations to come to God because of his glory
  • Says that nations will come to Israel because of God

Jeremiah 31 

  • Promises that Israel will return to God and be rebuilt
  • Says that God will protect Israel like a shepherd
  • Promises to give Israel grain, grapes, and olive oil

Hosea 6:1-3 

  • Calls for people to return to God because he will heal them
  • Says that God will revive and raise people up

Other Bible verses that mention nations and God include: 

  • Isaiah 45:22
  • Isaiah 49:6
  • Isaiah 52:10
  • Isaiah 56:7
  • Isaiah 61:11
  • Isaiah 66:18
  • Psalms 22:27-28
  • Jeremiah 29:7

Lord,  we know that when the people face oppression and injustice at the hands of evil and wicked leaders, they will only take so much before they will rise up. This has been true from Sodom and throughout the rise and fall of so many man made nations, tribes and kingdoms. But the kingdom of God that passes all boundaries of land, water, race and culture is the only hope men can have to find justice and mercy and the peace that is needed. As you correct and discipline and place in power every ruler (and not just the ones seen with a title, but even those hiding behind the scenes), may you bless them a hundred fold as they have been a blessing to those they have blessed that they rule,  and may you curse and repay them a thousand fold as they have been a curse upon those they have cursed with their rule. May you rise up leadership that is not sold out to evil and wickedness,  and rise up your people who love one another to rule with wisfom, understanding, fairness, boldness, mercy and justice all in the right measures. May your Kingdom Come on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.

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Wisely Choosing Silence

Today’s chapters:

Genesis 36, 37

Matthew 13

Psalms 10

The very first thing that we hear about Joseph’s character at the age of 17 is that:

Genesis 37:2d NLT
But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.

Modern culture might label Joseph a “snitch”, but we don’t know how bad the things the brothers were doing here — or how much those things endangered the family, etc. We do see that Joseph “chose to speak about it”.

It is also clear that these half-brothers had chosen to make an enemy out of Joseph his whole life:

Genesis 37:4 NLT
But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

Notably, it can have a devastating effect on children’s development when a parent plays favorites and spoils a child, and it can make them a target:

Genesis 37:3 NLT
Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe.

Admittedly, Joseph’s telling his brothers his dream might have been innocent or it could have likely been boasting. There is no question that it seems either very foolish and naive or extremely prideful, (Depending on our own assumptions when we first read this, right?)

While reading this, I’m immediately reminded of wise advice from the New Testament book of James that we should consider when it comes to “choosing to speak” (especially when sharing our vision and our plans):

James 4:13-17 NLT
Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

Admittedly,  these were dreams and visions sent from God to Joseph, not “his own pretentious plans”, but there is still wisdom in being silent unless God tells us to speak on such things.

There is something the world calls strategic secrecy that could also be rooted in the categories of humility and wisdom that the Bible teaches.

Strategic Secrecy

“Don’t tell your plans to your enemies” means that you should keep your future intentions and strategies confidential, especially from people who might actively try to hinder your progress or success; essentially, avoid giving your opponents any information that could allow them to sabotage your plans. 

Key points about this phrase:

  • Strategic secrecy: By not sharing your plans, you prevent your enemies from anticipating your moves and taking action to thwart them.
  • Maintaining an advantage: Keeping your plans close to your chest gives you the element of surprise and allows you to react flexibly to situations. 

Having a vision, a plan, and dedicating ourselves to hard work are wise:

Take time 

  • Proverbs 21:5: “The plans of the diligent lead to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty”
  • Luke 14:28-33: Consider the cost before starting a project

Seek counsel 

  • Proverbs 15:22: “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed”

Commit to the Lord

  • Proverbs 16:3: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” 
  • Proverbs 16:9: “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” 

Plan for good 

  • Proverbs 14:22: “Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness”

Plan with pure motives

  • Proverbs 21:5-8: Careful planning leads to success in the long run 
  • Biblical Leadership: God blesses planning that is pure-hearted, prayerful, and seeks to glorify Him

I can tell you from a mountain of personal experience, that God does bless and encourage planning. But how He gets us to our vision and purpose rarely looks exactly like we expected or planned for. Joseph definitely couldn’t have expected from these dreams the turmoil and chaos that was going to come into his life as part of fulfilling these dreams,  right?

Lord, help us to not play favorites and create division by doing so — the consequences can cause unnecessary pain, heartache, and chaos, even if we know you will eventually turn it to good for those who love and obey you. Help us to repent and make amends where we have done this. And Lord, help us to not be jealous and envious — living in a victim mindset instead of a grateful mindset will lead us to justifying all kinds of wickedness and evil against others we have painted in our minds as an “enemy” when they are truly just an imperfect brother/neighbor trying to make their way through this journey as well. Help us to forgive and make amends where we have done this. Lord, help us to plan alongside with your wise counsel and the counsel of wise advisors, but there is nothing to gain in sharing our pearls with those who won’t appreciate it, who won’t help us get there, and who might oppose us. Lord, help us to be more quiet about what we are “going to do” and more active and diligent in what we are “doing to get there”. And keep us in your presence and on this narrow path as we fulfill the good works you have set before us.  Correct us in your gentle mercy when we are tempted to be cystectomy or stray, for your glory not our own boasting. May we continue to be genuinely humble about this work you do and the blessings you provide, and to repent and make amends when we have not. Amen.

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Why do people say one thing and then do the opposite?

A friend online posed this question:

My immediate thoughts were:

Usually because in a moment, they let the desires of their flesh and their pride and ego lead them to compromise their integrity with little regard for the consequences.

Especially if they have no firm foundation with regards to their values and beliefs to guide them, they might listen to their own heart on the matter, which can get people into all kinds of compromising situations.

And people learn to lie by watching those around them. Look at the examples of politicians, of media/news, of television shows, of social media posts where so many people are thinking only of their agenda, wants, feelings, opinions, etc — with no real interest in what is right or just our fair or reasonable.

So unless they see someone who is willing to admit, “I was wrong” and “I lied and that was wrong, and here’s what I’m going to do to try and make things right from what I’ve done that was wrong” — until they see that example (instead of people pointing out other’s lies and continuing to lie themselves) — what can we expect but for them to mimic the example we are giving them?

Yes, fearing God, and loving what is right, and turning away from what is bad is the best answer for a liar to become a source of truth.

But the concept of God is the most horrible lie to someone who only knows liars — they just see hypocrite religious teachers getting rich off of their followers when they hear “God” or “religion” mentioned, because they expect God to just be another liar and charleton (like what they know of themselves and of everyone else).

So we need to see the cost of being a liar ourselves (not just hope everyone else would be truthful, but we could still lie to gain an advantage).

This is necessary before we can even consider the value of genuine truth, of wisdom that does not change with the opinions of a culture or time, something truly pure, and holy and righteous without any hint of deceit — that is so unlike mere man.

And then, we might seek out this holy God to see if He is just a myth, or yet another lie.

His Word says that His promises are true and that He can not lie. Have we sought Him and tested to see if this is true?

Have we asked Him to teach us to be like Him so that we can turn from our lying ways?

We can’t control, demand, or expect others to not lie to us when it is convenient for them — if we still mitigate those “harmless little less” when it is convenient for us. So let’s focus on cleaning up our own house and sweeping it clean first — and if we can’t keep our own house clean by ourselves,  let’s ask someone stronger and more powerful and more truthful than ourselves for help.

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Compromise costs

Readings:

Genesis 16

Genesis 17

Genesis 18

Genesis 16:5 NLT
Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”

This is one of those,  “Bro, you CANNOT do that” kind of moments where us married guys would look at each other and shake our heads. It’s like when your wife says she’s “Fine” or says “You go right ahead and do that”. If the alarm bells aren’t going off in your head when your wife comes to you with this “grand idea” of hers,  have you even met a woman before? Even middle school boys can probably sniff this out as a trap,  right?

But compromise happens when we want something on our own time and not in God’s time. And with compromise,  there is always consequence that will steal from us more than it is worth. This is what “sin” is — it is compromise,  it is missing the mark. It isn’t some checkbox of rules we do or do not follow — sin is cheating ourselves out of what is best.

And we can come up with all kinds of self justification in the moment of challenge — but looking back, it’s easier to see our foolishness clearly. So how can we be better at 20/20 Now vision instead of 20/20 hindsight?

Listen and learn from wisdom,  and don’t insist on proving foolishness to yourself the hard way.

Matthew 13:12 NLT
To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.

And we may look at this foolish decision by Abraham, but how many times have we not seen our own log?

How many times have we let someone lead us into a foolish decision because it just wasn’t worth the argument and because there was something in it for us?

We shouldn’t be so quick to judge Abraham here, because haven’t we been foolish and caved to peer pressure ourselves — to the enticement of what looks petty to the eyes, to the temptation of what might feel good to touch,  to the dangers of poison that might taste good on the tongue?

Lord,  help us to not only see the foolishness of others, to not only see our own foolishness in hindsight, but to see and understand our need for you to walk with us as our guide and our teacher. Teach us the value of walking with you uncompromising and upright. Amen.

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Doing Good to Evil People

Readings:

Genesis 34

Genesis 35

Matthew 12

Matthew 13

Psalms 10

In the heat of anger, the flesh cross out for “justice” but what it really wants is “vengeance”. And there is a high cost to vengeance, not just for us — but for all around us. Using vengeance against one person who has wronged us usually means significant collateral damage. We hurt more people than just the offender when we seek vengeance on our own,  and we create danger for us and those around us.

This is why the Lord tells us that vengeance is His. He is better at diverting actual justice and insuring full amends and compensation because He can turn what was meant for evil to good.

Romans 12:19-21 NLT
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Genesis 50:19-21 NLT
But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

As Jesus tells us the parable of the seed in Matthew 13, we have to consider which type of person we are:

Matthew 13:11-12 NLT
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.

And if we are someone who doesn’t yet have eyes to see our ears to hear,  Jesus gives us the recipe. 

Matthew 13:12 NLT
To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.

Will we just hear this Word, or we listen?

Are we willing to listen, contemplate and try to understand?

Are we willing to wrestle with it when the Word teaches The Way that is narrow and uncomfortable to the desires of our flesh and humiliating to the foolishness of our ego?

If someone says,  “Do good to people who are evil to you” — our flesh and our ego will stand up to call them an idiot. But do we have another still quiet voice that wants us to listen and understand what is being taught?

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Drive away the buzzards

Readings:

Genesis 12

Genesis 13

Genesis 14

Genesis 15

Sometimes verses jump out at me, and the inclusion of the cultures here caught my attention:

Genesis 15:11 NLT
Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away.

I enjoy Matthew Henry’s commentary on this verse:

“Abram, having prepared according to God’s appointment, now set himself to wait for the sign God might give him by these, like the prophet upon his watch-tower, Hab. 2:1. While God’s appearing to own his sacrifice was deferred, Abram continued waiting, and his expectations were raised by the delay; when the fowls came down upon the carcasses to prey upon them, as common and neglected things, Abram drove them away (v. 11), believing that the vision would, at the end, speak, and not lie. Note, A very watchful eye must be kept upon our spiritual sacrifices, that nothing be suffered to prey upon them and render them unfit for God’s acceptance. When vain thoughts, like these fowls, come down upon our sacrifices, we must drive them away, and not suffer them to lodge within us, but attend on God without distraction.“

There is something interesting about the bird of prey swooping in, but Abram driving them away — if these were live creatures and not a carcass,  we would see the acts of a shepherd. But these were dead, much like man dead in his sins — who must have a heavenly shepherd who brings a spiritual fire of life to promise and fulfill something wonderful and amazing.

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“But you promised me”

Readings:

Genesis 32

Genesis 33

Matthew 12

Proverbs 2

As Jacob is losing to God’s call for him to return to his father’s land,  and as he begins following in obedience,  he comes to a place where things look very bad. His brother who he has deceived is coming at him with an army of 400. soldiers.

How often when our life is interrupted by a message from the Lord, it looks like obeying the Lord God is going to be costly or dangerous or end badly for us!

But let’s look at how Jacob wrestles with his fear and doubt in this situation. He knows that he has wronged his brother,  so if something bad happens to him and his family at the hands of his brother — he might even understand that might be just discipline from the Lord to teach him a lesson about deceiving others. In fact, since he has been on a journey for about 20 years being deceived and cheated by his father in law, he might understand better how it was wrong how he treated his brother!

How many times have I faced pain and consequences for my own foolish actions that I had been able to delay or avoid by stating on my prodigal path? How many opportunities for reconciliation have I avoided fearfully?

Jacob wrestles with the Lord asking, But God you promised…” like a child reminding their parents of a trip to get a special dessert after dinner. I wonder how many times we misunderstand the promises of God because His ways are higher than our ways,  and His perspective is all of eternity and not just “this moment of discomfort”?

Genesis 32:11-12 NLT
O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

And Jacob doesn’t demonstrate great courage here. We can see how he tries to compartmentalize what is most important to him here,  in how he puts what he is most willing to be sacrificed “if necessary” out front:

Genesis 32:20-21 NLT
And be sure to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.” So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp.

Isn’t this so true of how we too can try to bargain with God and wrestle with Him over the things that we hold most dear in our hearts?

And then we see that through the night,  this struggle against God that we see playing out (as he stays behind and sends everything and everyone ahead of him towards Esau’s) culminated in a wrestling match with this man where he would not give up on receiving the blessing.

Doesn’t this remind us of Jacob clinging to Esau’s heal at birth? His finding a way to cheat Esau out of the birthright with some soup? His refusing to give up on getting Rachel after being tricked?

How often does Jacob seek to “make it happen” by his own cunning and striving? And Jacob, now called Israel, will walk with a limp for the rest of his life, because instead of trusting God to do what He has promised — he is continuing to insist on trying to earn it, to capture it, to “do it on my own”.

How often do we foolishly try and do it or own way instead of surrendering to trust God’s perfect plan and purpose? How often do we bring on ourselves so much unnecessary pain and suffering?

This is what sin does to us — it robs us and hurts us and others because we’re trying to trade God’s way for our own. We might be led to consider “but what if Jacob did X instead of Y”. But no, this is who Jacob is in his flesh. And this is who we are in our flesh. Our flesh opposes God. Even mature Christian Paul (in Romans 7:7-25) speaks about how the law of God reveals to us the sin that is embedded in our flesh.

I wonder what we are “holding back” from trusting God with fully today?

But instead of just asking this to be shamed, it might be best that we ask it so that we can clearly see the sin in our flesh that is holding us back from God’s call and purpose. So that then we might call upon the name of Jesus, the great healer and physician to do supernatural surgery and remove this sin, this cancer, this thorn, this opposition that exists in our flesh still opposing God’s will. However,  even this, we might wrestle with God and ask Him to remove,  and we might learn to trust Him — and be satisfied that His plan is best.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

You see, Christianity isn’t about talking to God so that we can get our own way. It isn’t about learning to imitate God’s character so that we can strive harder to look holy and righteous to other people.

We are messengers called to trust God’s message and purpose to come through. Even when we are still making all of the mistakes we make, we point to God and say “He has done these wonderful things for me to bless me”.

Genesis 33:5 NLT
Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, “Who are these people with you?” “These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant,” Jacob replied.

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Servant, Chosen, Beloved *Your Name Here*

Readings:

Genesis 31

Matthew 12

Psalms 9

Matthew 12:18-21 NLT
“Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world.”

This passage in Matthew speaks to the prophecy in Isaiah about the Messiah, so to only make it about ourselves would not be a perfect application. We MUST realize that this is first and foremost about Jesus Christ, Jeshua Hamaschiach, our Lord and Savior. And only when this is clearly about Him, and when we realize that He walks with us,  and that the Holy Spirit lives in and through us — can we safely and humbly examine our life to see how our life is also the life of a chosen, beloved servant of the Lord.

What is it to be a servant of the Lord, to be chosen? To be beloved and pleasing to the Lord?

Be filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
Proclaim justice to the world, but not by fighting or shouting or raising our voice to be unable to ignore in public — but so gentle that we do not crush the brokenhearted or put out the flame of hope. Our lives will demonstrate that Christ is victorious and that their hopes for justice will be fulfilled.

Those who are truly servants and messengers of the One true God are not making a name for ourselves or putting ourselves on display — yet we do not hide the light we have been given either.

We do not cower or refuse to deliver this good news to the world and to the nations. He makes it so. Amen.

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What do I have to humbly repent of?

Readings:

Job 40

Job 41

Job 42

I love David Guzik’s simplifying Spurgeon’s sermon on this:

What did Job have to repent of? In his sermon, Job Among the Ashes, Charles Spurgeon suggested several things:

Job repented of the terrible curse he had pronounced upon the day of his birth.
Job repented of his desire to die.
Job repented of his complaints against and challenges to God.
Job repented of his despair.
Job repented that his statements had been a “darkening of wisdom by words without knowledge”; that he spoke beyond his knowledge and ability to know.


One might say that these words of Job — words of humble repentance and submission before God for sins that were greatly provoked, sins that come from the godly and not from the wicked — these words that contain no curse of God whatsoever — these words ended the contest between God and Satan and demonstrated that the victory belonged to God and to Job.

And David says this about God’s response to Job’s friends:

The friends of Job spoke many general principles that, in their setting, have great wisdom. The problem was that in Job’s circumstance, their principles of wisdom did not apply. They presented God as angry and judgmental against Job, when He was not. This displeased God…
God’s rebuke of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar was at the same time an explicit vindication of Job. It was true that in his frustration, stubbornness, and misery Job said things that he had to repent of. Yet God could still say of him, “as My servant Job has,” putting forth Job as an example of one who spoke what is right.

It doesn’t just matter if the statement we pull from the Word of God is factually or quotably accurate — even Satan in His tempting Jesus quotes scripture, and even the religious leaders who Jesus condemns in Matthew 23.

It is not the knowing and quoting, but the proper application. In fact, improper application of the Word of God is more of a breach of the true heart of the third commandment (Exodus 20:7, Deut 5:11) than any use of vulgarity.

And this is why the convicting statements of James 3:11 are important to those who might think it their calling to proudly teach from their own wisdom (which is actually foolishness) instead of sitting at the feet of the One Teacher, being humbled, applying it by abiding in Spirit, and sharing crumbs for anyone who is also hungry.


It is Satan who attacks the weak and downtrodden and vulnerable in their compromised state with wrong application aimed at them like poisonous arrows (like we see with Job and even Jesus in the wilderness).

It is wrong application that has religious leaders wrongly accusing, trying and sending Jesus to the cross. It is wrong application that Satan has used since the beginning with Adam and Eve.

So it is so very high in importance that we who are Students of God are also Students WITH God. If we only know the Theology and the Apologetics, we can speak factually but not necessarily with accurate application. So we don’t just worship scripture. Because sola scripture without Christ, without Holy Spirit, without Father God’s touch upon us can be a weapon used against the hurting and the lost — instead of a welcoming lighthouse to keep their ships from crashing on the rocks.

Lord, guide my application and pronouncement of your Word and of what is wise. Help me to not aim things at others or to do harm, especially when I am hurting and may be tempted to lash out. But when I eventually fail, and I nip at those trying to help me (like a hurt puppy), help me to be quick to repent when corrected — and use this teachable moment for your glory and honor. Amen.

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Apples and Trees

Readings:

Genesis 29

Genesis 30

Matthew 11

Psalms 9

Isn’t it interesting how Jacob the deceiver becomes Jacob the deceived (when he is given Leah first instead of Rachel). And how Abraham’s sleeping with Sarah’s maid is multiplied in how Jacob ends up with two wives and both their maids.

I’m reminded that the example we set for our children is important for their lives. It seems that the enemy knows what temptations are most familiar and attractive to our family.

Watching TV with my daughter and wife recently,  I heard JJ and his father Groff  on “Outer Banks” laugh about “apples and trees” — alluding to that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’m reminded that “apples and trees” are a good reminder for all of us sinners since Adam.

What generational curses will be broken in us that our children will not suffer or which will be compounded?