S – These were Esau’s sons, who were born to him in the land of Canaan. Esau took his wives, sons, daughters, and all the people of his household, as well as his herds, all his livestock, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan; he went to a land away from his brother Jacob.
Genesis 36:5–6 CSB
O – Esau is experiencing more earthly prosperity and actually “possesses” the land of Canaan. The fact they were born there and “owned” the land made it interesting that Joseph traveled for much of his life, yet the land was promised to him. Esau’s extensive family and flocks caused him to leave for greener pastures to take care of them. God’s promise to Jacob was fulfilled when it didn’t look like it would.
A – God will make a way for his will and purpose to be accomplished. Even when it doesn’t make sense, God has it under control.
R – Lord, I can trust in your plans and purposes, even when I don’t see or understand them.
S – “We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me everywhere I have gone.” Genesis 35:3 CSB
O – After the journey of leaving his parents, living under Laban’s authority, and reconciling with Esau, Jacob remembers that he made a vow to God. He goes back to the place but makes the statement that God has been with him everywhere. God fulfilled his part of the vow and now it is Jacob’s turn to do his part. A strong point to recognize is that God goes with us everywhere – the good and the bad. God is faithful to his word and promises. We need to do our part.
A – I need to have faith in God’s purposes, resolve in his promises and courage to walk out what the Holy Spirit leads me to do.
S – “We will agree with you only on this condition: if all your males are circumcised as we are. Then we will give you our daughters, take your daughters for ourselves, live with you, and become one people.” Genesis 34:15–17 CSB
O – The root of deception that characterized Jacob all his life is evident in his sons. They make this agreement based on the fact that the Canaanites would not do this. When they did, the son’s actions were deceitful. A couple of items:
The Israelites asked the Canaanites to do something that represented their covenant with God. Outward actions do not equal relationship or commitment. It must be in the heart and in their own faith.
The Canaanites offered them the land in return. The Israelites were already promised the land by God. Who did you trust in that moment?
The plunder was the possessions and people of the land but invited the wrath of all those around the area. There will be trouble – do you invite it or do you oppose it?
A – I need the Holy Spirit to lead me today to recognize what is of him and what is my own desires.
S – “But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from me. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face since you have accepted me.” Genesis 33:10 CSB
O – “Like seeing the face of God.” Interesting that Jacob has actually seen the face of God and likens it to seeing Esau. Both represent Jacob leaving his past and moving toward a new future. He wrestled with God and was given a new name. He was changed from a deceiver to one God fights for. He also had a change with Esau from the younger brother who deceived him to a loved sibling. With God’s healing of his past, Jacob is ready to move forward with a new character.
A – I need to continue to learn from the past but leave the character and narrative behind. Once it is under the blood of Jesus, I do not need to carry it into my future.
S – Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip. 26 Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”
Genesis 32:24–28 CSB
O – In wrestling with God physically, Jacob was given new insights spiritually.
1. If a man can wrestle with God and not lose, he can wrestle another man with God and not lose. For all the “battles” we face as humans, with God on our side we can win.
2. When Jacob had to say his own name, he revealed who he really was – deceiver, heel catcher, thief. God changed his name, which gave him a new path for his character. That happens to us today when we enter into a relationship with Christ.
3. Jacob left with a physical limp. Interaction with God will mark us so that others can see it.
A – I can invite God into each day so that I can win. Continue to change my character to reveal God’s. I want to walk in my scars to show others God’s love for them.
I am writing this at 35,000 feet as I travel to Haiti on a mission’s trip. I have a backpack full of stuff to make the trip go smoothly – lap top, hat, protein bars, water, hand sanitizer, glasses, sun screen and of course, my passport.
If you are like me, you don’t give your passport a lot of love. If I am not traveling, it sits in my drawer collecting dust and basically doing nothing. I don’t think about it at all. I don’t carry it in my pocket, keep it handy, check to see if it is up to date…basically, I don’t value it.
YET…when I travel outside the United States, it becomes a really big deal. I wipe off all the dust and empty it of any prior airline tickets. I check to make sure it is within the termination date and all is in order. I will carry it with me wherever I go. It will be the most important item I can carry while outside the USA.
Why is this little book so vital? It identifies who I am and who I belong to. It gives my name, physical description and has a picture. If anyone wants to verify who I am, my passport allows them to do this in just a few moments. It tells that I am a citizen of the United States of America. It clearly identifies that I have all the rights given as a citizen of my home country. You can have the same name or even look like me, but this information is mine alone. There is only one passport that identifies me as me.
Do you realize that you have your own passport? It’s your Bible.
It is easy to treat our Bible like my passport. Leave it on the shelf and gather dust until needed. Then, we clean it up and get ready to “dive in.” My challenge for you today is simple… “Read your Bible daily.” Do you just read it for the “trip” or time of need? Do you use it only when you encountering a new problem or difficulty? When that resolves, do you put it back on the shelf only to be ready for the “next trip?”
I encourage you to treat your Bible like your phone. In fact, you can actually put it on your phone. There are some tremendous versions out there that make the Bible easy to understand. I like the Youversion Bible app.
Most importantly, your Bible will do what your passport does for you. It identifies who you are if you have accepted Christ. It will give you the principles that Jesus and the disciples taught in living a Christian life. Those principles are evidence of your citizenship in Christ. It will cause you to identify you as you. The Bible has a lot to say about you and how God sees you. It will give you the truth about you. It will guide you into growing from your vision into the vision God has for you.
Pick up your Bible today. Read it each day…you will go to a place you have never been before.
I did something that I have never done before. I actually measured the distance between my nose and my heart with a tape measure. (At least where I think it is.) 8.5 inches! Mystery solved…all is well in the world.
With a distant so close that it is shorter than my left foot, you would think connecting my head and my heart would be an easy task. Yet, it is my biggest challenge…and probably yours as well. Romans 7:15 NLT says, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you recognize the challenge. We want to follow God’s Word, teachings and even the things we get from our prayer time. We know these principles and truths are what is best for us. We know it is time for a change. But, then we either do nothing or do something contrary.
Why?
In a physiological definition, the heart keeps alive by pumping the blood, oxygen and nutrients to our body. Our head (brain) is one of the most complex decision making, voluntary/involuntary control centers and system keeping organs in the world. If you want to know if there is a God, look at the human body. To me, it is the most fascinating achievement in the world. It is created, ages, heals, thinks, feels and has a soul.
Which moves us to the spiritual. Our heart is what houses our desires, loves, beliefs, convictions, passions and relationships. Our head is what intellectualizes, thinks, decides, acts and makes choices. In the physical, these two can remain separate because their functions are unique to themselves. Not so in the spiritual. It is messy. Our desires and beliefs intersect with our choices and actions every day. To throw a curve ball into that fun relationship, we are all sinners and are tempted to do our own thing all the time.
God isn’t waiting for our next mess up…He is waiting for our next shared moment. Good or bad, He wants to be part of that moment. He wants to see how you react. He wants to be invited in. He wants to talk to you about it. He wants you to really open your heart and pour out your emotions, feelings and beliefs. He wants you to listen to His thoughts and ideas. (He has some good ones!) More than anything, He just wants to be with you.
Will you let Him? He is so close…don’t make Him be so far.
There is a lot of pressure being Pop.; One of the biggest challenges is actually coming up with my “Grandfather Name.” I wanted something different and unique. When I seriously suggested “Slash,” Kristin said, “That is silly. You should pick something more sensible.” (No concerns when she picked Big Momma. She’s pretty petite in stature.) She said, “You should be ‘Pop.’ That is a simple name.” Ironically, both of my grandfathers went by “Pop.” The name stuck.
Pop’s world is the greatest place. Each of my grandkids is a blessing. I have seven with number eight on the way. They are all unique and special. Even I was surprised how each baby brought such amazing joy. They are so different in their talents and personalities.
I never imagined how much fun it is to have children in your life the second time around. It helps that all the diapers and discipline are relegated back to the parents. How fun is that? Very Fun! You get to see all those flare-ups, the challenges, the disobedience, and rebellious moments, all as a bystander. In those moments, I look to the parents to see what they are going to do. It is the most entertaining “tennis match” I have ever seen. I know it sounds like a negative. Irony again – it is just the opposite. Kristin and I spent a lot of time and effort pouring into all of our children. I am so proud of them as parents. They are far from perfect, so were we. They make mistakes, so did we. They accept things they need to confront, so did we. But they are also hitting home runs, they are patient, they are loving, and they are winning.; They are great parents!
I am learning so many new things with my grandchildren.
One of them loves animals and dinosaurs. Since I wasn’t a big fan of either growing up, I have a lot catching up to do with his help.
Another is into gymnastics and everything girlie. She makes me tear up because every time Kristin has to leave to come home, she begins to cry. (I’m not crying. You’re crying. Ok, Pop is crying too.)
The next one is the best at fishing in the family.; He’s been known to throw a line in while talking to me and catch a fish without looking at the water. I just watch and learn.
We have one who is definitely going to be the next mayor. She loves to talk, sing and run around the back yard, but watch her; she’ll trick you into doing what she says.
One is our hot chocolate queen. The first time she tried it, she was buzzed for 45 min – running, moving, squirming, and yelling until she hit her wall and was asleep on her dad like a sack of potatoes.
This one is the wild card. She is SOS – Straightforward, Opinionated, and Stealth….yeah, that sums it up.
Lastly, we have one who is built like a brick – he is strong, sturdy, and squirmy. He has no fear much to all of our dismay.
That’s all of them – 7 to 2 years old, and the next one is warming up.
There is also some pain in being a grandparent. I love my kids, but I love these little ones a tick more. Why? Because they come from my children.; I see so much of my kids in in each of their kids. So, when they hurt, it hurts a bit more. A boo-boo needs a little bit more care and kisses. When they go through a challenge, it just seems more challenging. The toughest was the one who was miscarried. I was surprised how deeply it affected me when I heard the news, knowing I would not meet that grandchild. My daughter was hurting, and I was there for her. It was over the next few days that I had to spend time with God dealing with my own loss and sadness over a baby I would never see, hold or watch run. For some reason, the pain level is larger when it comes to my grandkids.
“Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.” Proverbs 17:6 NLT
Kristin and I are blessed. Even with one of the kids in another state, we feel so close to all of them. Pop’s world is a great place!
“Something is wrong if you are walking with God and you are doing all the talking.”
Priscilla Shirer
I was driving early one morning and I was looking forward to an uninterrupted time of prayer with God. Something about no traffic and the bump of the road works for me. This particular morning, I was a full fifteen minutes into all that I had to download. It was just gushing out. Then, I started listening to what I was saying and I abruptly stopped. Didn’t utter another word for the rest of the drive…a full twenty-five minutes. What thought made me stop? I’ll tell you in a minute.
The quote above is spot on wisdom. There is an inherent problem if all the conversations we have with God is one-sided. God is not Santa Claus, a wishing well or even our therapist. He is the Creator of all things. He is omnipotent and knows all things. He is unlimited and can do all things. See the theme – when it comes to “all things,” He’s got this. Why would I be presumptuous enough to think I need to do all the talking? Why do I not give him enough gravity to slow down and listen to what He wants to say?
I can’t imagine any relationship going well if one of the participants didn’t express themselves. Instead, that person would listen, serve and empower the other person continuously. There would be not back in forth. Instead, a constant outflow of their inner being to help the other person grow, take new ground, heal, vent, struggle and succeed. While the muted one never says a word.
I encourage all of us to take time to be quiet before God. We still need to pour our hearts out to Him. He wants to hear all that we feel, think and believe. He created our wiring and passions – it brings Him immense joy. But we need to listen. We need to ask questions and listen. We need to trust Him and listen. We need to worship and exalt Him and listen. We need to seek His presence and listen. We need to be quiet and listen.
I remember listening to a message and the speaker used this quote – “Silence is loud.” It really is. Few people enjoy the utter sound of silence. As I type this, I hear the hum of the refrigerator. I love instrumental music. I enjoy sitting by the water – ocean or lake – it is so relaxing to me. Even on one of those early morning drives, the hum of the tires is rhythmically beating in my head.
We run from silence because we feel the need to do something.
I stopped talking that morning because the thought hit me, “You always have something to say. Why?” I am wired to cast vision and fix things. I love strategizing the future and making things as close to 100% as possible. That morning, I felt the Lord prompting me to stop giving Him what I thought so He could tell me what He thought. For all the things going on in my world, He had some ideas. The first few minutes were awkward. I had to tell myself to not run ahead when I heard something. The silence was loud, but the strength of God’s presence was stronger.
I encourage you to take the challenge. Stop talking to God all the time and give Him time to talk to you. You will see the difference the silence makes.
I recently flew to Charleston and then to Charlotte a few weeks later. All four flights were excellent. The takeoffs were thrilling surges in power that thrust us into the atmosphere. The landings were deft, skilled approaches that touched down gently and braked to a slow roll.
Honestly, isn’t that what we want when we fly? No issues, no problem, no turbulence in the middle. When you are 30,000 feet in the air, you don’t want to hear, “This is your captain speaking, we have a situation we are dealing with…” You want a flight where your most important question is, do I read, sleep, or listen to music?
Yet, that isn’t the case in our daily lives on the ground. I have noticed that we don’t do “day-to-day” life very well. As a pastor, I have witnessed some of the most incredible highs in a person’s life. I have been a part of celebrating births, weddings, anniversaries, new jobs, travel plans, and overcoming life’s challenges like cancer, sickness, and reconciling relationships. I have also been part of some tremendously tough challenges. I have been in the room for loss of jobs, opportunities, marriages, finances, relationships, and death.
Both the valley and the mountain top bring so much energy to them. When we are not in one of these extreme places, how do we do with the day-to-day? We get up, do our thing and go to sleep. If we do that enough without a spike, it becomes monotonous…life becomes boring. There is something in all of us that gets restless. We will feel like we need “to do something.” Change our routine; look for different results. We might take the next step and change it up.
Or, we break things. We purposefully destroy what is expected and acceptable by creating our own chaos. We don’t break to bring good; we break for the negative, to feel something. The question “What if I do this…” becomes a catalyst for actions you would not think of taking before. You poke the bear to see if it will wake up. You see how close you can get to the temptation or ill-advised behavior without affecting you. Eventually, you found out that you broke something good for yourself.
The key to avoiding “boredom” in daily life is to avoid getting bored. If you are continually growing and taking new ground, it is hard to feel like life is routine. Now, don’t get me wrong. I like my routines. I am a creature of habit. But, I am curious; I’m an avid learner and enjoy taking on new challenges. I hardly ever feel bored. There is always a book to read, skill to develop, language or culture to understand, and of course, there are people.
People make life exciting and challenging. In the last ten days, I have seen some stuff. I listened to someone share the keys to lifelong marriage and, not too long after, sat in tears while hearing about a failed marriage. I saw someone almost hit a hole in one while another almost hit a house with his tee shot. I watched a team of five-year-olds “play” soccer and cheered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they won their second Super Bowl. I watched a small group of men tearfully remember a great friend who passed away and laughed with my wife when I got caught fishing in a thunderstorm.
All “boring” stuff. My life didn’t change dramatically…but I changed. I grew, stretched, remembered, celebrated, lit up, and shed powerful tears. The “boring” stuff that makes life extraordinary.
I encourage you to take a moment to recognize how great your life is right now. Remember the blessings and the challenges. Recognize the people who make life great and test your patience. Finally, know your source. Where would you be without God who loves you and desires the very best for you?
Just Add Water . Chris Bonham 