God's first encounter with Jacob is a beautiful illustration of how untrue this is. (Google image, Jacob and angel) By Cheryl Mason
Jacob had spent a lifetime trying to alter his destiny. He'd been born second at a time when firstborn sons typically received their father's blessing—believed to guarantee future prosperity.
So Jacob decided to do whatever it would take to get his father's blessing anyway. Eventually, he succeeded—through deceit—obtaining the blessing intended for his brother (Genesis 27:19-29).
But the price was a divided family, as Jacob fled from his furious brother (vv. 41-43). As night descended (28:11), Jacob must have felt as far from a life of blessing as ever.
But it was there, leaving behind a trail of deception, that Jacob met God. God showed him he didn't need desperate schemes to be blessed; he already was.
His destiny—a purpose far greater than material prosperity (v. 14)—was held securely by the One who would never leave him (v. 15).
It was a lesson Jacob would spend his whole life learning.
And so will we. No matter how many regrets we carry or how distant God seems, He is still there—gently guiding us out of our mess into His blessing."
Let's pray:
"Lord, so often we feel trapped by our mistakes, thinking there's no future left for us. Remind us that you are the God of Jacob, the God who will never give up on Your purposes for us."
(Taken from Our Daily Bread®, ©6/18/ 2018 by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. www.odb.org).
"Lord, so often we feel trapped by our mistakes, thinking there's no future left for us. Remind us that you are the God of Jacob, the God who will never give up on Your purposes for us."
"God never gives up on His Love and purposes for our lives."
Today's Bible verses-
Hebrews 12:11, (NIV) "No discipline seems pleasant
at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces
a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who
have been trained by it."
Phil. 1:6 (NKJV) "Being confident of this very thing,
that He who has begun a good work in you will complete
it until the day of Jesus Christ."
Phil. 1:9-11 (NKJV) "And this I pray, that your love
may abound still more and more in knowledge
and all discernment, (v. 10) that you may approve
the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere
and without offense till the day of Christ, (v. 11)
being filled with the fruits of righteousness which
are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."
Today's quotes-
~ Max Lucado- "Don’t see your struggle as an interruption to life but as preparation for life. No one said the road would be easy or painless. But God will use this mess for something good. This trouble you are in isn’t punishment, it’s training. It is the normal experience of children. God is doing what’s best for us, training us to live God’s holy best!
Listen to UpWords with Max Lucado at OnePlace.com
Today's guest post- By Jane Ault
Jane Ault- "This week several people told me that when they made mistakes, they were very hard on themselves. They wanted to be perfect and they condemned themselves for failures. To live with someone who expects 100% in everything can be very difficult, especially if that person is yourself."
Today's question-
Don't forget who you are!
If God has a plan for your life, and He does, He will provide for it to happen! It's not by force or strength, but by His Spirit. He works through a few obedient people to accomplish His purposes.
We are temples of the Spirit of God, so we're not to despise the beginning of something that seems small, as He will work with us, when we're obedient to His leading in the matter that we're assigned to.
If we take care of how we live, and be wise, God will get the glory for what we accomplish for His name's sake, and He will finish His work in us!
List of recent sermons of CFC ministers. CFC Potsdam church has a live service at 10 am Sunday's for shut-ins. If for some reason you can't make it to the church you usually attend, click on the above link, and still get fed!Don't forget who you are!
If God has a plan for your life, and He does, He will provide for it to happen! It's not by force or strength, but by His Spirit. He works through a few obedient people to accomplish His purposes.
We are temples of the Spirit of God, so we're not to despise the beginning of something that seems small, as He will work with us, when we're obedient to His leading in the matter that we're assigned to.
If we take care of how we live, and be wise, God will get the glory for what we accomplish for His name's sake, and He will finish His work in us!
Upcoming posts-
#105 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 3
12/4 Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
#106 Testimonies of the Infilling- Part 4
6th- Thursday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel
In Progress or Completed?
8th- Saturday's post by Ada Holz
#107 How to be Filled with the Spirit
11th- Tuesday's post by Dr. Wesley L. Duewel |
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