Sunday, January 10, 2016

Genesis: You Reap What You Sow

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Sunday, January 10, 2016
Chapters: Genesis 28-30
Message: Genesis: You Reap What You Sow

Hello My Friend,

Those of us who are saved and living our lives with Christ truly understand the reason why God does not base our salvation on our works. If God left it up to works there would be no one left because no matter how good we try to be we only go as far as our human understanding can comprehend. On top of that, we have this flesh that desires things and can do some crazy things sometimes to get them, even if our eyes are on God. We must realize that nothing good ever comes out of seeking to only please our flesh, even if we are saved we will reap whatever we sow from our flesh. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” - Galatians 6:7-9.

I like many others had the mentality that as long as I was treated people right and obeyed the laws I was doing were good. I will admit that I lived with a man before I dedicated my life to Christ and thought that as long as we were committed to each other, didn't lie or cheat on each other that I was doing the right thing. Of course, after I learned what salvation was truly about and got in the Bible I discovered that I was living in sin the entire time we were together. We live, we learn, and by the mercies and grace of God we are not given the punishment we truly deserve. Now, after Jacob deceived his father and Esau vowed to kill him after their parents died you can imagine he was not very happy about himself. He took the advice of his parents and headed to his uncle's house, Rebekah's brother Laban. While on his way he rested and had the strangest dream of his life.

And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:” - Genesis 28:12-25,20,21.

then shall the LORD be my God:” After years of his father's guidance about God, Jacob finally heard from Him, and realized that He was directing his path. We can all get diverted in other directions sometimes, but that does not mean God has walked away from us. We might have to suffer a bit for the things we have done unknowingly wrong, but He is never too far from us, and when the time is right He will reveal Himself. “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD. The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD:” - Psalms 118:17-19.

When we do things to satisfy the lusts of our flesh, we really do reap what we sow. I know God chastened me for my living in sin, but I learned some amazing things about God and gotten blessed tremendously after I endured my chastening. You see, God loves even if we do sin whether intentionally or ignorantly, but it is still sin so we will be accountable for our actions, even if we didn't realize what we did was wrong. Jacob arrived in town and shortly after met Rachel, one of Laban's daughters he was so in love with her that he agreed to serve Laban for seven years to make her his wife. Little did he realize that he would be deceived himself.

And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.” - Genesis 29:16,20.23-28.

What is this thou hast done unto me?” When Jacob deceived his dad he was blind, it wasn't until Esau returned that he found out that he had been deceived. The same thing was kind of done to Jacob, I use to wonder how he could not have known that it what Leah, but in ancient times the wife to be was covered with a veil before they were to be married. Laban made sure it was dark before he let Jacob and Leah enter their tent, it took an entire night for him to realize that he was actually with Leah. The sad thing was that he worked another seven years in order to have Rachel for his wife. In most cases, God will not chasten us with physical punishment, He gets to our heart so that we learn to have a heart for Him, and he does it subtly also. “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” - Proverbs 16:1-3.

Do not think that those who influenced us to sin are off the hook, they too will be accountable for their actions. Once God is done chastening us, with whoever He chooses to use, and we have learned our lesson, He will do the same to them. Leah was not innocent when she deceived Jacob into believing she was Rachel, and would find herself facing some consequences for her actions. A battle of affection grew between the two sisters as Jacob never could find it in his heart to love Leah as he did Rachel. Because of this, God blessed Leah with many sons, which brought jealousy and unwise decisions by both of them to win his affection.

And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son's mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.” - Genesis 30:1-3,9,16,22-24.

And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel:” Poor Jacob, he not only had one wife to deal with, he had four all in an attempt to win his affection. However, God used this twisted love triangle to give Jacob twelve sons. I am so glad that God changed marriage to between one man and one woman because there is pure jealousy between a woman and her man toward any other woman that come close to him. Everything we do today becomes the path for the things we receive tomorrow and while we may not even receive any chastening for what we do right now, we will surely reap what we sow in other ways. God will always give us a chance to make a u-turn before we go down a wrong path, but if we continue and do it anyway, we only have ourselves to blame for the consequences we reap. “The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all. A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.” - Proverbs 22:2-4,16.

Today's Prayer: God, You know the path that I take, and while I know that You have a windy and crooked road for me sometimes, Your strength and guidance will help me get to where You want be to be. Lord, lead me and guide me, help me to know the path that You want for me and let me get through every trial and error I make along the way. Give me Your wisdom to know the direction You want me to take, the motivation, and willingness to keep going until You get me there. In the end, I know that no matter where You take me, my final destination will be with You, and I thank You for that great sacrifice that blessed my life completely. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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