'Praying, Resting And Preparing.'
Genesis 32:13.
a) So Jacob spent the night there
b) Then he selected a present
c) For his brother Esau
d) From the livestock
e) He had acquired.
(This QT reveals to me Jacob's Good Mind)
PRAYER: Asking the Lord to prepare us today for what we are going to face tomorrow.
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'It's Not The Same As Before.'
Acts 17:30.
a) God overlooked and disregarded
b) The former ages of ignorance;
c) But now,
d) He commands all people, everywhere, to repent.
(Through this Second one I understand that It Is Not The Same As Before)
PRAYER: To repent of everything that we need to repent of that would hinder us from living in the Will of God.
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Chris.
The English dictionary meaning of "acquired", for this particular case is: To gain by one own's efforts. Jacob had acquired livestock. It was from this effort of Jacob that he prepared a gift for his brother Esau. Jacob had gained this livestock by his own effort, this sacrifice was both big and special. The Bible tells us to give ourselves to God as a "living sacrifice", this is also big and special, it can mean a complete change of our life and circumstances.
God does care for, and more than we do, our lives in every aspect. Health, finances, family, future and Faith, all these are in God's Mind concerning us. There are sometimes that we do not understand what's going on, what God is doing or saying. It is at these "I do not understand" times that we need to trust Him. He is our Shepherd and He Will lead us on. He will help us to achieve His Plan and Purpose for our lives.
The Lord Jesus would never have achieved the Father's Purpose if He just followed His Own Compassionate Heart. There were times that He needed to move on simply because it was the Father's Will for Him to move on!
Maybe our Church, our Family and our personal selves sometimes miss the Will of God because we do not give from our livestock to our "Esau", or we do not move on when His calling us to move on.
Having lived in East and South East Asia for a number of years, I can see and have experienced, that one of the many reasons for God's Blessing and Church Growth (often in difficult circumstances) takes place. What I have seen, experienced, and hopefully learned from, is the "Jacob heart" of kindness and generosity. Kindness and generosity not only blesses both the giver and the receiver, but they can, many times, eradicate the threat of, or the fear of, conflict.
The gift prepared the way!! This is carried forward in the New Testament. God so loved the people of the World that He gave His Son for us.
May God give His People, their families and His Church the same heart as Jacob. Meanness is not an open door for Grace, generosity is. A truly generous person has, and tries to keep, an open and generous heart.
