Genesis 28:10-19a br...
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Genesis 28:10-19a
A benefit of having a few decades of experience is to begin seeing patterns. On the southern Oregon coast it rains a lot during the winter. On one clear weekend in the spring, two teenaged girls took the chance to ride their horses for the first time in months. Each girl was bucked off and broke a wrist in her fall. In eastern Montana winters can dip to forty below zero. More than one church member during the first ice of the winter, stepped from their car, slipped, and broke a wrist in the fall.
With Jacob at Bethel the pattern of God's gracious interference with one family continues. The first half of the pattern is God's sheer grace that won't leave this family alone. God blesses them anyway. The second half of the pattern, seen throughout the Bible, is that God's grace to us is for others. "All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring."
Genesis 28:10-19a
On his way to Haran, his relative's homeland, Jacob had a spectacular dream one night. In the vision he saw a ladder that gave heavenly access to angels. Those messengers of God climbed up and down an extraordinary step-way.
Few of us dream as vividly as Jacob did that night, but then not many of us use rocks for pillows, either. The Lord not only showed him something unusual, he promised remarkable things. The Lord would keep him safe, give him success, and then help him return to his family. The dream so excited and impressed Jacob, he vowed to make the Lord his God and that he would give the Lord a tenth of all he gained.
It's possible that you have experienced God's care. Did you promise God that you would do something if he brought you through? It's vital that we keep all our vows, especially the ones we make to God.
Genesis 28:10-19a
All of us who are married have occasionally been asked, Where did you meet your wife? My answer brings shock and surprise. "We met on the way to jail." Some clarification is called for. Our farm home was near LeMars, Iowa, where Westmar college was located. When I was a senior, some of us started holding "student volunteer" services in the district jail in Sioux City, Iowa. I had left for seminary, but was home early to be with my family. I made arrangements to be picked up at Hinton, so I could ride along and help with the service. When Fred picked me up, there were two lovely coeds in the backseat of the car. One of them later became my wife. So you see, we actually met there in the car, on the way to a worship service at the jail.
Rachel and Jacob may have answered a question about where they met something like this. "We met in the desert when Rachel watered my camels, and sheep." Her ability and diligence in doing a man's job got my attention. Water was very precious. How could you meet someone and fall in love with her when she was simply acting as the chore boy.
Rachel might well have told this story to her grandchildren. "That's right, I offered to pull water from the only well in the area. There was something mysteriously handsome about this traveling man who said he was a relative of mine, a cousin. I worked diligently providing water, and he was obviously attracted to me. He showed an unusual interest in staying with us, my father was his uncle, and I even overheard my father offering to give my hand in marriage to him. The dowry should be seven years of labor. We had a rich and growing love for each other, and the seven years went by quickly.
"But then my father did something I couldn't believe he would do. On our wedding night he restrained me from going to the wedding bed, instead sending my older sister, Leah, to be his wife, She, of course, was delighted and said the 'tradition' must be kept, and the elder be married first. I thought now he will be gone forever. But Jacob was so loving and caring, that he said, 'I will work another seven years then we will be married.' Maybe this is a story of how we didn't meet on our wedding night."
Romans 8:12-25
In a certain village, the school bell rang at 8:30 a.m. to call the children to class. The boys and girls left their homes and toys reluctantly, creeping like snails into the school, not late but not a second early. The bell rang again at 3:30 p.m., releasing the children to homes and toys, to which they rushed at the very moment of the tolling of the bell.
This is how it was every day, with every child except one. She came early to help the teacher prepare the room and materials for the day. She stayed late to help the teacher clean the board, dust erasers, and put away materials. And during the day she sat close to the teacher, all eyes and ears for the lessons being taught.
One day when noise and inattention were worse than usual, the teacher called the class to order. Pointing to the little girl in the front row, the teacher said, "Why can you not be as she is? She comes early to help, she stays late to help, and all day long she is attentive and courteous."
"It isn't fair to ask us to be as she is," said one boy from the rear of the room.
"Why?"
"Because she has an advantage," he replied.
"I don't understand. What is her advantage?" asked the puzzled teacher.
"She is an orphan," he almost whispered as he sat down.
(From Fred B. Craddock, Craddock Stories [St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001], p. 16)
Romans 8:12-25
If we're alive in this world, we know that at times we're going to have to go through some suffering -- everyone does. E. Stanley Jones, in his book Christ and Human Suffering, says:
We see that the universe had to be hard. But it is not "a vale of tears;" rather, it is "a vale of character-making;" and character cannot be made except in the strain and stress and struggle. We cannot cry out and say, "Why hast thou made me thus?" for [the Lord] hasn't "made" us yet, he's only in the process.
If that process seems without purpose, let us remember that if the cross reveals God, there must be a glorious purpose behind it all, for he is willing to pay the supreme price to bring it to pass.
Faith in God and his redemptive purposes will not save you from the troubles, but will save you through them.
(From E. Stanley Jones, Christ and Human Suffering [New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1933], pp. 197-198)
Romans 8:12-25
Ron was blessed to have two children. His oldest son, David, just turned six. His daughter, Noelle, is in the midst of the terrible twos. Ron discovered that his daughter responded differently than his son to his affection. David would run to greet his dad as he came home from work, while Noelle seemed hesitant. Everything that Ron did to entertain his son did not get the same result from his daughter. Ron was puzzled and unsure what to do.
One evening following dinner Ron sat on the floor. Noelle picked up a doll and hit her dad over the head, then began laughing. The two continued to play on the floor. This soon became a nightly ritual, Ron would lie on the floor and his daughter would approach him.
It was only after Ron got on Noelle's level, the floor, that she responded to his love. The same is true of our relationship with God. The apostle Paul reminds us, "it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ -- if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him."
Romans 8:12-25
Creation groans. According to the World Wildlife Federation's (WWF) 2002 "The Living Planet" Report, based on projections of controlled population growth, improved efficiency in our use of resource technologies, and steady economic growth, by 2050 the earth will no longer be able to sustain the demands put upon it. Indeed, by 2050, the WWF suggests that it will take between 1.8 to 2.2 earth-sized planets to support our consumption of crops, wood, water, and fish, and to hold our CO2 emissions.
If the earth groaned in Paul's time, how much more is it groaning today?
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
The best definition of self-righteous I can offer is "a fat person who just lost twenty pounds." I know. As President Eisenhower said that quitting smoking is easy -- he'd done it 100 times -- so I've lost weight a dozen times. Then, no matter how often I've put the weight back on, I feel superior to those who weigh more than I do.
It seems to be in our DNA to compare ourselves favorably against others. We do it religiously, which negates God's grace. Instead of holding out hope for others (in or out of the church) we define them as the "out" group. Christians can forget that while our current doctrine or behavior (or weight) might be correct, we live upon God's grace. We are unwise as well as unloving to exclude those who are somehow less worthy than we are. We are forgiven sinners; thus, even when we are right, the righteousness of others is best left to God.
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Most people grasp the meaning of Jesus' parable of the sower. Jesus clarified it well. He also explained the parable of the wheat and tares. Unfortunately many people don't get a grip on its meaning. The principle seems plain enough, but folks are slow to apply it.
What was Jesus' point? Simply put, it's really hard to determine who the real Christians are. My wife loves to plant wildflowers. Every spring she has me digging a new area where she can plant them. When wildflowers first emerge, it's difficult for me to distinguish some of them from weeds. If it was up to me, I'd remove lots of expensive flowers because in early stages they resemble pesky plants.
The hearts of people are even more difficult to judge. Some folks think they know so they quickly judge the behavior and motivations of others. If we remember Jesus' parable, we'll wait for the judgment. There'll be many surprises that day.
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Many people carry with them a mustard seed as we know them, a small light-colored seed about the size of radish seed. If you handle seeds at all you know that there are seeds much smaller than the radish. In fact the mustard seed Jesus referred to is not the one you may see today sealed in a ball of plastic. The seed Jesus had in mind was a tiny black seed half the size of the smallest seed you may have for your garden. According to Google, the world's smallest seed is the epiphytic orchid. It weighs only 35 millionths of an ounce.
The truth of Jesus' teaching fits. Today with Google at his disposal he might have said, "Today if you have faith even the size of an orchid seed, no more than a speck of dust, you can say to this mountain, move, and it will move."
In contrast, the world's largest seed is the seed of a palm of the South Pacific, known as the "nut of the sea" or coco de mer. Each seed weighs 45 pounds.
I believe Jesus would be using contemporary truths to bring us information from computers and other types of modern scientific insights.
A benefit of having a few decades of experience is to begin seeing patterns. On the southern Oregon coast it rains a lot during the winter. On one clear weekend in the spring, two teenaged girls took the chance to ride their horses for the first time in months. Each girl was bucked off and broke a wrist in her fall. In eastern Montana winters can dip to forty below zero. More than one church member during the first ice of the winter, stepped from their car, slipped, and broke a wrist in the fall.
With Jacob at Bethel the pattern of God's gracious interference with one family continues. The first half of the pattern is God's sheer grace that won't leave this family alone. God blesses them anyway. The second half of the pattern, seen throughout the Bible, is that God's grace to us is for others. "All the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring."
Genesis 28:10-19a
On his way to Haran, his relative's homeland, Jacob had a spectacular dream one night. In the vision he saw a ladder that gave heavenly access to angels. Those messengers of God climbed up and down an extraordinary step-way.
Few of us dream as vividly as Jacob did that night, but then not many of us use rocks for pillows, either. The Lord not only showed him something unusual, he promised remarkable things. The Lord would keep him safe, give him success, and then help him return to his family. The dream so excited and impressed Jacob, he vowed to make the Lord his God and that he would give the Lord a tenth of all he gained.
It's possible that you have experienced God's care. Did you promise God that you would do something if he brought you through? It's vital that we keep all our vows, especially the ones we make to God.
Genesis 28:10-19a
All of us who are married have occasionally been asked, Where did you meet your wife? My answer brings shock and surprise. "We met on the way to jail." Some clarification is called for. Our farm home was near LeMars, Iowa, where Westmar college was located. When I was a senior, some of us started holding "student volunteer" services in the district jail in Sioux City, Iowa. I had left for seminary, but was home early to be with my family. I made arrangements to be picked up at Hinton, so I could ride along and help with the service. When Fred picked me up, there were two lovely coeds in the backseat of the car. One of them later became my wife. So you see, we actually met there in the car, on the way to a worship service at the jail.
Rachel and Jacob may have answered a question about where they met something like this. "We met in the desert when Rachel watered my camels, and sheep." Her ability and diligence in doing a man's job got my attention. Water was very precious. How could you meet someone and fall in love with her when she was simply acting as the chore boy.
Rachel might well have told this story to her grandchildren. "That's right, I offered to pull water from the only well in the area. There was something mysteriously handsome about this traveling man who said he was a relative of mine, a cousin. I worked diligently providing water, and he was obviously attracted to me. He showed an unusual interest in staying with us, my father was his uncle, and I even overheard my father offering to give my hand in marriage to him. The dowry should be seven years of labor. We had a rich and growing love for each other, and the seven years went by quickly.
"But then my father did something I couldn't believe he would do. On our wedding night he restrained me from going to the wedding bed, instead sending my older sister, Leah, to be his wife, She, of course, was delighted and said the 'tradition' must be kept, and the elder be married first. I thought now he will be gone forever. But Jacob was so loving and caring, that he said, 'I will work another seven years then we will be married.' Maybe this is a story of how we didn't meet on our wedding night."
Romans 8:12-25
In a certain village, the school bell rang at 8:30 a.m. to call the children to class. The boys and girls left their homes and toys reluctantly, creeping like snails into the school, not late but not a second early. The bell rang again at 3:30 p.m., releasing the children to homes and toys, to which they rushed at the very moment of the tolling of the bell.
This is how it was every day, with every child except one. She came early to help the teacher prepare the room and materials for the day. She stayed late to help the teacher clean the board, dust erasers, and put away materials. And during the day she sat close to the teacher, all eyes and ears for the lessons being taught.
One day when noise and inattention were worse than usual, the teacher called the class to order. Pointing to the little girl in the front row, the teacher said, "Why can you not be as she is? She comes early to help, she stays late to help, and all day long she is attentive and courteous."
"It isn't fair to ask us to be as she is," said one boy from the rear of the room.
"Why?"
"Because she has an advantage," he replied.
"I don't understand. What is her advantage?" asked the puzzled teacher.
"She is an orphan," he almost whispered as he sat down.
(From Fred B. Craddock, Craddock Stories [St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2001], p. 16)
Romans 8:12-25
If we're alive in this world, we know that at times we're going to have to go through some suffering -- everyone does. E. Stanley Jones, in his book Christ and Human Suffering, says:
We see that the universe had to be hard. But it is not "a vale of tears;" rather, it is "a vale of character-making;" and character cannot be made except in the strain and stress and struggle. We cannot cry out and say, "Why hast thou made me thus?" for [the Lord] hasn't "made" us yet, he's only in the process.
If that process seems without purpose, let us remember that if the cross reveals God, there must be a glorious purpose behind it all, for he is willing to pay the supreme price to bring it to pass.
Faith in God and his redemptive purposes will not save you from the troubles, but will save you through them.
(From E. Stanley Jones, Christ and Human Suffering [New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1933], pp. 197-198)
Romans 8:12-25
Ron was blessed to have two children. His oldest son, David, just turned six. His daughter, Noelle, is in the midst of the terrible twos. Ron discovered that his daughter responded differently than his son to his affection. David would run to greet his dad as he came home from work, while Noelle seemed hesitant. Everything that Ron did to entertain his son did not get the same result from his daughter. Ron was puzzled and unsure what to do.
One evening following dinner Ron sat on the floor. Noelle picked up a doll and hit her dad over the head, then began laughing. The two continued to play on the floor. This soon became a nightly ritual, Ron would lie on the floor and his daughter would approach him.
It was only after Ron got on Noelle's level, the floor, that she responded to his love. The same is true of our relationship with God. The apostle Paul reminds us, "it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ -- if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him."
Romans 8:12-25
Creation groans. According to the World Wildlife Federation's (WWF) 2002 "The Living Planet" Report, based on projections of controlled population growth, improved efficiency in our use of resource technologies, and steady economic growth, by 2050 the earth will no longer be able to sustain the demands put upon it. Indeed, by 2050, the WWF suggests that it will take between 1.8 to 2.2 earth-sized planets to support our consumption of crops, wood, water, and fish, and to hold our CO2 emissions.
If the earth groaned in Paul's time, how much more is it groaning today?
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
The best definition of self-righteous I can offer is "a fat person who just lost twenty pounds." I know. As President Eisenhower said that quitting smoking is easy -- he'd done it 100 times -- so I've lost weight a dozen times. Then, no matter how often I've put the weight back on, I feel superior to those who weigh more than I do.
It seems to be in our DNA to compare ourselves favorably against others. We do it religiously, which negates God's grace. Instead of holding out hope for others (in or out of the church) we define them as the "out" group. Christians can forget that while our current doctrine or behavior (or weight) might be correct, we live upon God's grace. We are unwise as well as unloving to exclude those who are somehow less worthy than we are. We are forgiven sinners; thus, even when we are right, the righteousness of others is best left to God.
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Most people grasp the meaning of Jesus' parable of the sower. Jesus clarified it well. He also explained the parable of the wheat and tares. Unfortunately many people don't get a grip on its meaning. The principle seems plain enough, but folks are slow to apply it.
What was Jesus' point? Simply put, it's really hard to determine who the real Christians are. My wife loves to plant wildflowers. Every spring she has me digging a new area where she can plant them. When wildflowers first emerge, it's difficult for me to distinguish some of them from weeds. If it was up to me, I'd remove lots of expensive flowers because in early stages they resemble pesky plants.
The hearts of people are even more difficult to judge. Some folks think they know so they quickly judge the behavior and motivations of others. If we remember Jesus' parable, we'll wait for the judgment. There'll be many surprises that day.
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Many people carry with them a mustard seed as we know them, a small light-colored seed about the size of radish seed. If you handle seeds at all you know that there are seeds much smaller than the radish. In fact the mustard seed Jesus referred to is not the one you may see today sealed in a ball of plastic. The seed Jesus had in mind was a tiny black seed half the size of the smallest seed you may have for your garden. According to Google, the world's smallest seed is the epiphytic orchid. It weighs only 35 millionths of an ounce.
The truth of Jesus' teaching fits. Today with Google at his disposal he might have said, "Today if you have faith even the size of an orchid seed, no more than a speck of dust, you can say to this mountain, move, and it will move."
In contrast, the world's largest seed is the seed of a palm of the South Pacific, known as the "nut of the sea" or coco de mer. Each seed weighs 45 pounds.
I believe Jesus would be using contemporary truths to bring us information from computers and other types of modern scientific insights.
