Bibledoorajar Looks at Victory over Stress and Distress

Sometimes the night was beautiful
Sometimes the sky was so far away
Sometimes it seemed to steep so close
You could touch it but your heart would break
Sometimes the morning came too soon
Sometimes the day could be so hot
There was so worth much left to do
But so much you'd already done

Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise you
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise you
And I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days.
                                       Rich Mullins


Jacob has faced Esau and found him to be gracious. There may be much more that God was to do in his life, but Jacob was much closer to truly believing--truly believing that he had a special relationship with God. After the two brothers had wept tears of reconciliation, Jacob went to meet Rachel, his beloved, to tell her they were safe and well received by Esau. They may have all been convinced that God could not help them as they faced Esau, but they had now found out how untrue that thought was. Feeling safe, Jacob shares the treasure of his family with Esau.The stress and distress lightened.  After this wonderful meeting, Esau returned to his home in Seir which surprisingly means "hairy" (God allowed Esau to grasp this land from a Hovite named Seir). But Jacob does not go to the place which God had told him. Instead of going on to Canaan Jacob camped at Shechem. This campsite was to be a stopping place on the way to Canaan but Jacob decided to dwell there. Abram sojourned there on his way, but Jacob decided to live there and bought land from the father of a young man named Shechem. It was a mistake that would have serious consequences for Jacob and his family. But there is at least a redeeming feature of the stop. Jacob built an altar there to God. He named it El-Elohe-Israel. El means God and Elohe means God so Jacob was making a declaration that God was the God of Jacob. That was personal progress and a declaration as stated in the song above--"I will follow You all of my days." Today, I declare God as El-Elohe-Rebecca and declare "I will follow Him all of my days". How about you?

Jacob Sees the Face of God AGAIN

     Jacob has kept moving toward the one he had offended. He has placed his family in as much a place of safety as he can. Now, the moment arrives. He is face to face with Esau. How was he received by the offended? Esau, the potential murderer, had come to fully welcome his brother. Upon this reception Jacob wept. It is good at this point to see some tender feeling manifested in Jacob. The Father had definitely been working on his emotions and his guilt little by little. And, sure, Jacob was still Jacob, but definitely a softer, more gentle man. Jacob the natural man did every thing he could to humble himself before Esau even to the point of bowing seven times. How surprised do you think Jacob was when he got that hug?
     In Matthew 18, Jesus describes in detail how one of his followers should handle the difficulty of having offended someone. It is our natural inclination to avoid such an encounter fearing a terrible outcome. We, like Jacob, feel "I have seen thy face as though I have seen the face of God." Truly God is in these times--we are fearful of approaching the offended, but fearful of God in not doing so. It is a beautiful thing when the offended receives well and accepts our difficulties and fears in taking this action. Jacob and Esau were the issue of the same parents, both had come from their mother's body. As Christians, it is especially important for us to remember that we are all a part of the Body of Christ. We must examine our actions to see if they have led to offenses and handle them face to face as Jesus said knowing that the face of God is importantly present at these times. The body of Christ is not to be rendered asunder and left to languish according to God. The miracle of forgiveness with all its' inherent healing should, indeed must, be allowed to work.  

Bibledoorajar Likes the Source of Jacob's Endurance

     You have to admit, Jacob has been through a lot on his journey to the promised land. Endurance is a word that comes to mind. Just where did Jacob get that gift of endurance? I say through inheritance. Yes, as the Duck Dynasty boys say, inheritance may be inheri tense at times but for Jacob it has turned out to be a blessing because God has been a part of it. From the grandfather, Jacob has learned about faith. From the father, Jacob has learned about being a son. And masterminding all of this learning has been the Almighty, the heavenly Father.
      Of course, God's involvement is a fundamental question for all believers. Does God have the ability and desire to help us live a life of faith and spiritual stability?  Some may believe we are on our own, but the events of Jacob's life say otherwise. In the face of harsh trials, Jacob was forced to face his fears and to determine if he truly believed God would deliver him. Which would be the greater, Jacob's trials or God's power to help him? How real were the promises God made to him? How real are the promises God has made to you through His Son? His claim is to transform your every experience and circumstance into a blessing if you are a believer. This is what led the apostle Paul to cite this key promise of God made for you and me:

     "We know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Herein lies the strength of endurance. Behind our endurance is the power of our Almighty God--our Father. We can decide to take the next step. Praise Him.

Bibledoorajar Approaches Esau with Jacob

     Our journey with Jacob continues. God has been teaching him that even though He had gifted Jacob with great human capability, ultimately he can only accomplish his spiritual destiny with God's help.  It was quite a wrestling contest, but because of God's power,  Jacob fell on Him unable to do anything else at that time in his own strength.  So strong was Jacob's natural self, God had to touch his thigh to limit him.  Experts tell us that a human's thigh is the strongest muscle in the body. If our thighs are diseased or injured, we become handicapped and our natural ability is limited. His story tells us this: 1) it is not natural to rest upon the promises of God; 2) enjoying a life with Christ is a learning process, and, 3) we can only be truly transformed to God's pleasure with the help of the Holy Spirit. So the story repeats. As John said, "I must decrease and He must increase." To do this we must submit to the process and learn to really enjoy this place of faith and, like Jacobm we must submit our fears to God. Jacob was afraid Esau would not only kill him but also his sons and their mothers. Jacob was not aware that he was wrong. He was not believing God completely.
     Yesterday afternoon, we took our 10 year old niece (who is quite bright and mature for her age in many ways) to see Grace Unplugged, a new Christian film. In the film, Grace had been raised in church and raised by godly parents. She had been gifted with a beautiful voice and she craved stardom. Her parents wanted her to serve God with her talent. As the story played out, it became clear that Grace had been exposed repeatedly to the promises of God, but she had never learned to own them as her own. Wondering why things were going so wrong, she had some moments to reflect on her relationship with God. What followed was realization, repentance and acceptance of God's ways.
Any Christian who truly "puts his hand to the plow" must allow the Spirit to transform our strengths (which in the Light may be a weakness) and our fears. It's discipline and we run from it just as Grace did in the movie. But it is, and always must be, part of our response to God's promises. It is, after all,
for our sakes. We may think we are greatly overshadowed by the maturity of some Christians, but our growth and our maturity is just as important as theirs as we seek to honor God. Let mature Christians be an inspiration, not a limitation in your life. Speaking of saintly inspiration:

                    And I shall see Him face to face,
                    And tell the story--saved by grace."
                                                
                                                              Fannie Crosby