Jacob’s Struggle With Preservation

Let us muse for the next several days from Genesis chapters 32,34,38, and the subject of Jacob’s struggle with preservation.  The greatest area of struggle for him as well as us is self-preservation. We concern ourselves with taking care of number one. There is little among us of reckless abandonment of self. There are few who proclaim I count not my life dear unto me. In Jacob’s life one of his greatest struggle was with his self. Let us be reminded the one we see first thing in the mirror of a morning is our worst enemy.

Jacob’s Position Accosted

Let us muse this day from Genesis 27:1-4, 15-23, and 27-29 and Jacob’s position accosted. Both Issac and Rebecca were aware of God’s word for Jacob to have all the rights of the first-born, but yet they struggle for it to be their way. In verse 1-4 we find the work of doing. Issac seeks to bless Esau by requesting a dinner of venison. All five of his senses are without discernment for God. He says he is dying, but  he dies 30 years later. When your sense of God is messed up life seems like it is forever. Dying will be a long process. Rebecca sought to teach Jacob the art of deception, instead of letting life flow without human direction. In verses 15-29 we find the weakness of deception. Issac’s part leads to lying on a death-bed for thirty years. Rebecca’s part leads to a life of bitterness and shortly after seeing her son Jacob for the last time, when he runs for his life from Esau. It is costly to try and direct our lives and the lives of the ones around us. Oh, by the way, did you know life does not have a steering  wheel?

Jacob’s Position Assured

Let us muse today from Genesis 26:1-5 and ‘Jacob’s Position Assured’. Let us remember that he struggled all his life to get what he already had. In verses 1-3 we find that it is ‘assured by a covenant’. Jacob gets it all because of his grandfather Abraham’s obedience. We find for us that it is ‘assured through a cross’. In Hebrews 13:20-21 because of Christ’s obedience on the cross we are made perfect by the blood of the everlasting covenant. Oh, how many of us act like paupers when God has made us millionaires through the blood of Christ. What a blessed place to be, ‘In Him’.

Jacob’s Struggle With His Position

Let us muse today from Jacob’s life in Genesis 25:21-23 and 27. We find here his ‘Struggle With His Position‘. In verses 21-23 we find his position was ‘accounted through birth’. His mother was told, though he be the second born, he would have all the rights of the first born. We find in verse 27 the position was ‘accounted through becoming’. Jacob was a spiritual man and Esau was the fleshly man. The boys grew and became. Esau, a man of the field or earth, and Jacob, plain, upright, complete, and undefiled. He was a tent dweller or pilgrim passing through this world. Let us not struggle with living here, but let our theme be, ‘This world is not my home, I’m just passing through’. Let us not struggle with this world but let us press on and not desire to be rooted deeper in this world.

The Life Of Jacob

Let us muse today on laying the foundation for the theme of our study in Jacob’s life. The book of Genesis is the book of beginnings of God telling ‘His Story’. That is what ‘History’ is – ‘His Story’. There are five major characters in this book. Adam, Abraham, Issac, Jacob, and Joseph. We find the life of Jacob covers chapters 25-50 so half of the book is about Jacob. God would show us in Genesis how He could take an Adam, depraved and dead spiritually, and make him into a Joseph, or like Christ. In order for us to make this transformation we must go through Abraham, Issac, and Jacob experiences. We find that most of our experiences will be Jacob experiences. Jacob’s mother was told, although he was the second born, he would have all the birthrights of the firstborn. He knew this and yet HE STRUGGLED ALL HIS LIFE TO GET WHAT HE ALREADY HAD. This will be the theme for our study of Jacob’s life.

Reminders To The Church Today

Let us muse today from Revelation 3:21-22 and some ‘reminders to the church today’. He reminds us not to give up until we cross the finish line. May I not only begin well but end well. You might ask what is to be gained by ending well. We get to do what He did when He overcame the world, flesh, and the devil. He sat down with His Father in His throne. We who overcome this world and finish well the race will sit down in throne of Christ. The text tells us we will not just set on His throne but ‘in‘ His throne. We will be in reality and not by faith in Him and He in us. He closes with His favorite reminder of ‘if you have an ear, hear what the Spirit is saying to you’.

Thoughts To The Church Age

Let us muse today from Revelation 3:20 and thoughts to the Church age in general. This verse has been used by many as a soul winning verse. It is not. It is written to the Church. He is ‘knocking on the church door‘. He doesn’t knock on a lost man’s heart because there is no door knob on his side but only on God’s side. In our text He desires to come into the church and ‘sup‘ with them. The word ’sup’ speaks of intimate fellowship. We are to believe that often the church of our day has Him shut out when it comes to close fellowship. Let us go to church next time and open wide the door and plead for Him to come in and fellowship with us.

Closing Remarks To Laodicea

Let us muse on Revelation 3:19 and some closing remarks to Laodicea. Our Lord reminds this church of the last days of what we can expect if we belong to Him. The little phrase ‘as many as I love‘ tells of the redemptive love that He has for His people. He tells us that if He loves us He will ‘rebuke‘ us and ‘chasten’ us. The word ‘rebuke’ has the thought of a verbal admonition. The word ‘chasten’ deals with a more severe admonition of going to God’s woodshed. He warns us to be ‘zealous‘. The word has the idea of pressing on under the worst odds. We are reminded of a need to ‘repent‘ which means to have a radical change of mind about sin. What great words of warning to our church today.

Counsel To Laodicea

Let us muse today from Revelation 3:18 and the counsel given to Laodicea. These are great truths of counsel for the church today. Our Lord mentions a counsel about perseverance in the phrase ‘gold tried in the fire’. This phrase speaks of endurance in times of trials that we may come forth like Him. There is also a counsel about our position in the phrase ‘clothed in white rainment’. Let our practice line up to our position of righteousness. There is also a counsel about our perception in the phrase ’anoint thine eyes with eye salve’. The anointing speaks of a relationship with the Holy Ghost and the eye salve is the Word of God. O, how this church today needs a strong Word and Spirit filled relationship.

The State Of Being Lukewarm

Let us muse today from Revelation 3:17 and the church at Laodicea. One of the marks of a lukewarm Christian is that he is independent rather than dependent. There is a great trust in what they possess of self and not a dependency of what Christ provides in Himself. Jesus says, ‘you say with your life that you are rich, increased with goods, and have need of nothing‘. Is this not the state of most churches in America? Jesus says, ‘you are not aware of the fact that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.’ We think we have it all and in our Lord’s eyes we have nothing and are in desperate need of everything.