December 3 ~ Genesis 28:20-22
And Jacob vowed this vow to God: “If God will help and protect me on this journey and give me food and clothes, and will bring me back safely to my father, then I will choose Jehovah as my God! And this memorial pillar shall become a place for worship; and I will give you back a tenth of everything you give me!”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
We learn at an early age to “bargain.” Little children tell adults, “Just let me have five more minutes…eat one cookie…do XYZ…and I will go straight to bed, brush my teeth, or whatever it is we are wanting them to do at the moment. On the flip side, we adults make promises to children if they will behave a certain way, clean their rooms, or simply brush their teeth and go to bed!
But we adults have truly mastered bargaining…particularly with God. If only He will make life perfect for us, we will serve Him with our whole heart and give back to Him at least a tenth of all we have been given! If only He will get us out of our current mess, we will serve Him with all we have for the rest of our earthly lives! Sounds fair…right?
I can see why Jacob bargained with God. This was Old Testament times. Jesus had not come to earth yet. Jacob felt like this was a fair agreement…and perhaps for the time, it was. But the God who loved us enough to send Jesus to die on the cross for our sins – before we were even born – deserves ALL that we can give Him. Of course, everything we have came from God, so anything we give to Him will essentially be a “re-gift!” But still, to put contingencies on these “gifts” seems as if we don’t believe in His promises. Surely that is not the case!
How about we do this? Why not just cut to the chase and lay it all out before God? What if we simply say, “Lord…I give You my best…all that I can…whatever You desire. You gave me a promise of eternal life with You in Heaven. What can I give You while I’m still on this earth?” Whatever God asks of you, He will equip you to accomplish. Even if it seems impossible - like giving up a circle of “friends” who are not the right crowd for you…breaking a lifelong habit…or putting yourself “out there” in a way you would rather not - God will assure that everything comes together perfectly. If GOD ordains it, you cannot fail.
So let’s quit bargaining with God, revel in His promise of Eternal Life, and serve Him on this earth with every ounce of energy and courage we can muster. Let’s put our faith into action and show the world that with God, anything and everything is possible. And let’s give Him our very best each and every day without a single though about what is in it for us. Are you with really ready to give?
©2016 Debbie Robus
And Jacob vowed this vow to God: “If God will help and protect me on this journey and give me food and clothes, and will bring me back safely to my father, then I will choose Jehovah as my God! And this memorial pillar shall become a place for worship; and I will give you back a tenth of everything you give me!”
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
We learn at an early age to “bargain.” Little children tell adults, “Just let me have five more minutes…eat one cookie…do XYZ…and I will go straight to bed, brush my teeth, or whatever it is we are wanting them to do at the moment. On the flip side, we adults make promises to children if they will behave a certain way, clean their rooms, or simply brush their teeth and go to bed!
But we adults have truly mastered bargaining…particularly with God. If only He will make life perfect for us, we will serve Him with our whole heart and give back to Him at least a tenth of all we have been given! If only He will get us out of our current mess, we will serve Him with all we have for the rest of our earthly lives! Sounds fair…right?
I can see why Jacob bargained with God. This was Old Testament times. Jesus had not come to earth yet. Jacob felt like this was a fair agreement…and perhaps for the time, it was. But the God who loved us enough to send Jesus to die on the cross for our sins – before we were even born – deserves ALL that we can give Him. Of course, everything we have came from God, so anything we give to Him will essentially be a “re-gift!” But still, to put contingencies on these “gifts” seems as if we don’t believe in His promises. Surely that is not the case!
How about we do this? Why not just cut to the chase and lay it all out before God? What if we simply say, “Lord…I give You my best…all that I can…whatever You desire. You gave me a promise of eternal life with You in Heaven. What can I give You while I’m still on this earth?” Whatever God asks of you, He will equip you to accomplish. Even if it seems impossible - like giving up a circle of “friends” who are not the right crowd for you…breaking a lifelong habit…or putting yourself “out there” in a way you would rather not - God will assure that everything comes together perfectly. If GOD ordains it, you cannot fail.
So let’s quit bargaining with God, revel in His promise of Eternal Life, and serve Him on this earth with every ounce of energy and courage we can muster. Let’s put our faith into action and show the world that with God, anything and everything is possible. And let’s give Him our very best each and every day without a single though about what is in it for us. Are you with really ready to give?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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