Abraham's was a life of...
Illustration
Object:
Abraham's was a life of authority and decision, Isaac's life was one of submission, and now Jacob's life was one of trial and struggle. Each of us has a different calling. We are guided by the Holy Spirit, hopefully, but also by the encouragement of our pastor and congregation. Our church, for example, will confirm a call to the ministry or the mission field where we might find trial and struggle like Jacob. Jacob's call was confirmed by his mother first and then by his father after he had cheated his brother out of first place. Seems like an odd way for a great ancestor of our Lord to begin his assignment. Not a good example for us.
It is apparent that the Lord chose Jacob when he had that dream of the staircase to paradise. The Lord uses what he can get but his mysterious ways are past finding out. But Jacob does get the promise that continues for generations down to the birth of our Savior. Almost all or maybe we should say all of his descendants had moral flaws if we read their records in the Old Testament. Maybe it can be a comfort to us to know that no one is perfect -- except for our Lord. We can claim we are stuck with it. As some do, we can blame it on God -- he made me this way.
It was still God's plan that all the land where he was lying was going to be his for all the generations. They still have it today, but are cranky with anyone who wants to claim a part of it -- like the Canaanites or the Palestinians even if they owned it for many generations! How much more would someone complain if our claim came to us in a dream? Where is the paperwork? I suppose that today we could say that our Bible is the paperwork.
I have had strange dreams, and sometimes they were just dreams, but sometimes God was trying to get through to me. Some nights he has inspired me to write essays or sermons. It was later that I found out it was God who gave me those dreams. I know some whose dreams could not have come from God. Read the daily news or the TV and you will know what I mean. I feel certain that the terrorist's dreams were not from God! I know that a God of love does not give us evil dreams meant for us to hurt others.
It is apparent that the Lord chose Jacob when he had that dream of the staircase to paradise. The Lord uses what he can get but his mysterious ways are past finding out. But Jacob does get the promise that continues for generations down to the birth of our Savior. Almost all or maybe we should say all of his descendants had moral flaws if we read their records in the Old Testament. Maybe it can be a comfort to us to know that no one is perfect -- except for our Lord. We can claim we are stuck with it. As some do, we can blame it on God -- he made me this way.
It was still God's plan that all the land where he was lying was going to be his for all the generations. They still have it today, but are cranky with anyone who wants to claim a part of it -- like the Canaanites or the Palestinians even if they owned it for many generations! How much more would someone complain if our claim came to us in a dream? Where is the paperwork? I suppose that today we could say that our Bible is the paperwork.
I have had strange dreams, and sometimes they were just dreams, but sometimes God was trying to get through to me. Some nights he has inspired me to write essays or sermons. It was later that I found out it was God who gave me those dreams. I know some whose dreams could not have come from God. Read the daily news or the TV and you will know what I mean. I feel certain that the terrorist's dreams were not from God! I know that a God of love does not give us evil dreams meant for us to hurt others.
