Dinner? Or your destiny?

Today: Genesis 25-26

Some choices we make seem pretty arbitrary--your life is probably not going to be seriously changed if you choose to wear red tomorrow instead of blue. But if you had to choose between eating dinner or living the life you were destined to live, my guess is that you'd pick the latter...right? Right?

I hope so. But many times, I think we're tempted to make decisions that seem right at the moment, but can totally take us off track from what's best for the long term. In today's passage, a story about Esau and his younger brother, Jacob, illustrated this human dilemma:

Esau said to Jacob, "Give me some of that red stew—I'm starved!"...

Jacob said, "Make me a trade:

my stew for your rights as the firstborn."
Esau said, "I'm starving! What good is a birthright if I'm dead?"
Jacob said, "First, swear to me."

And he did it.

On oath Esau traded away his rights as the firstborn.

Jacob gave him bread and the stew of lentils.

He ate and drank, got up and left.

That's how Esau shrugged off his rights as the firstborn.

At first glance, it would be easy to judge Esau and his choice as, well...stupid. Esau gave up a blessing and an inheritance from his very wealthy father Isaac (a guy so rich that he had to move because his stuff was taking over an entire area and the neighbors were seriously jealous). And Esau gave it up for...lentil stew and bread (not even steak or lobster!). Esau rationalized his decision--it actually seemed logical to him at the moment.

I actually feel sorry for Esau. Everyday there are people who do the same thing--trading a God-given destiny for something that seems right at the moment. They rationalize their decisions--"I need this job! It's a paycheck." or "I'm lonely and he says he loves me." or "I need an escape and going out drinking with the guys is so much fun!" But how will their lives be impacted by these choices?

Sadly, it appears that Esau didn't learn to make wise long-term decisions from his dinner v. destiny mistake. Later in the passage it says:

When Esau was forty years old he married Judith,

daughter of Beeri the Hittite,

and Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite.

They turned out to be thorns in the sides of Isaac and Rebekah.

Ouch. It looks like Esau didn't make the smartest decision about who to marry, either. I don't know about you, but I'm hoping not to have a thorn by my side for the rest of my life!

Even though Esau didn't learn from his mistake the first time, I hope we can learn from him. Pray for wisdom and when you're faced with a decision. Then ask, "How will this affect my future?" and "What could I be giving up by going this direction?" If you're giving up on God or what His Word says, run the other way. "Dinner" isn't worth your destiny.

(Acknowledgement: When I was a teenager, I remember hearing a message on this topic and passage by Pastor Steve Hage. I've heard gazillions of messages, but I never forgot this one. Thank you, Pastor Hage.)

Tomorrow: Genesis 27-29

Love and life on the line

Today: Genesis 22-24

Have you ever been asked to give up something that meant the world to you?

In today's passage, Abraham was faced with that exact dilemma. God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac...the promised miracle child Abraham had waited for years....and years...and years to receive (and did I mention that God was the one who promised Abraham the son?). Abraham trusted God and headed to a mountain to put his love and his son's life on the line:

They arrived at the place to which God had directed him.

Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood.

Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood.

Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son.
Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Yes, I'm listening."
"Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him!

Now I know how fearlessly you fear God;

you didn't hesitate to place your son,

your dear son,

on the altar

for me."
Abraham looked up.

He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.

Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering

instead of his son.

Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It).

Abraham was willing to put something he dearly loved on the line for God. But instead, God saved Abraham's son by providing a ram for the sacrifice. Abraham called the entire place God-Yireh--which means basically "God sees and provides."

What's really interesting about this story when you think about it (and when you're reading the Bible in reverse like we are this year!) is the fact that God provided more than a ram. Not only did He spare Abraham from proving his love by killing his son, He actually went through the exact same thing. God proved His love by sacrificing His Son, Himself...for Abraham's descendants...and for all of us, too. He put His love and His life on the line.

Tomorrow: Genesis 25-26

What now, God? moments

Today: Genesis 19-21

(Confession: I actually wrote this post on another blog in 2008....but thought of it again when I re-read the passage today. I hope it encourages anyone reading this now.)

Have you ever had a "What now, God?" moment?

I have.

And most people I know have faced at least one--sometimes they happen when something unexpected occurs--or on the flip side, when something you do expect doesn't. So what exactly should we do in the "What now?" moments?

Today's passage included a story about a woman in the Bible named Hagar with a pretty serious moment like this. Hagar was a servant whose master, Abraham, couldn't have children with his wife (even though God promised he would be the father of nations). So his wife told him in effect, "Sleep with Hagar--maybe she'll give you a child." And it happened--but not the way God intended.

As always, God came through on His promise and Abraham and his wife had a child--the Plan A promised child. And Abraham's wife got nervous,so she kicked Hagar and her son to the curb (okay, the desert to be exact).

This was definitely Hagar's "What now, God?" moment. I'm sure she felt abandoned. As a servant, she probably didn't have much choice in the circumstances that led her to the desert--she was in a desperate situation.

But some things about Hagar's story caught my attention, so I thought I'd share a bit of it with you:

She wandered off into the desert of Beersheba.

When the water was gone,

she left the child under a shrub and went off, fifty yards or so.
She said, "I can't watch my son die."
As she sat, she broke into sobs.
Meanwhile, God heard the boy crying.
The angel of God called from Heaven to Hagar,

"What's wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid.
God has heard the boy and knows the fix he's in.
Up now; go get the boy. Hold him tight.

I'm going to make of him a great nation."
Just then God opened her eyes.
She looked.
She saw a well of water.
She went to it and filled her canteen and gave the boy a long, cool drink.
God was on the boy's side as he grew up.

Even though she may have felt deserted, desperate and alone, God was with Hagar in her "What now?" moment. God cared about what was wrong in her life and encouraged her to let go of her fear. But the words that are repeated stand out to me--"God heard." In our moments of confusion or sadness, God hears us.

The other thing I noticed? An answer to Hagar's prayers was right in front of her face--she just had to look for it.

I think sometimes we have expectations for exactly how and when God will answer our
prayers--and those expectations drive how we look at our situations. Sometimes we just have to get a fresh perspective and look at things in a new way. Because in the "What now?" moments, God is always there. We just have to trust He's listening and have the faith to look for His answers.

Tomorrow: Genesis 22-24

Crazy promises, lies and laughter

Today: Genesis 16-18

"The truth always comes out."

I can remember my parents saying this all throughout my growing up years (mainly to prevent my sisters and I from lying during our childhood--it was their equivalent of "We know and see everything."). :)

They were right. Time and time again I've seen that sooner or later, the truth comes out (and if not on this planet, I think it will come out in eternity). I think sometimes the worst lies are those we tell ourselves...or try to tell God Himself. Today's passage illustrated those principles.

Abraham and Sarah welcomed several visitors to their home--special visitors who were really God's messengers (maybe angels). Here's what happened:

One of them said, "I'm coming back about this time next year.

When I arrive, your wife Sarah will have a son."

Sarah was listening at the tent opening, just behind the man.
Abraham and Sarah were old by this time, very old.

Sarah was far past the age for having babies.

Sarah laughed within herself, "An old woman like me?

Get pregnant?

With this old man of a husband?"
God said to Abraham,

"Why did Sarah laugh saying, 'Me? Have a baby?

An old woman like me?'

Is anything too hard for God?

I'll be back about this time next year

and Sarah will have a baby."
Sarah lied.

She said, "I didn't laugh," because she was afraid.
But he said, "Yes you did; you laughed."

First off, I'll admit that God's promises to Sarah were...a little crazy. But aren't those the best kind of promises from God?

Sarah seriously doubted, laughed then lied to herself and to God--because of fear. And God called her out...because He knew (duh!). The cool thing is that despite her laughter and lying, God still made His crazy promises come true for Sarah...because my Mom and Dad were right...and the truth always comes out.

The leap of love

Today: Genesis 12-15

"Love is a leap," is a quote I remembered as I read Abram's story today (after completing a Google search, it looks like I might have heard it in the movie Kate and Leopold).

Honestly, I don't know if there are many people in the Bible who illustrate the concept of faith more than Abram. Think about it--Abram didn't have a Bible. He didn't have a pastor or a church to teach him or support him in his faith. He learned about God only by listening to His voice.

I don't know what I would have done if I were Abram for example, when God told him to leave his home country. I don't know how I would have reacted if God made promises for my descendants...while I still didn't have even one child. I probably would have doubted and asked at times, "Is that really God?" I don't know if I would have been able to take the leap of love and faith like Abram did.

One of the cool things I noticed about God in this passage, though, was His ability to communicate a vision to Abram. He used these great word pictures (counting the stars, picturing God as a shield) to help Abram "see" what was beyond his present circumstances.

God is the same yesterday, today and forever. There are moments where all of us need to take leaps of faith and love. He was there to guide Abram through those moments--couldn't He also be there for us? Couldn't He also give us hope and a vision for something beyond where we're at right now?

Let's dare to take the leap.

Tomorrow: Genesis 16-18

Famous last words

Today: Genesis 8-11

What would you do if someone saved your life?

My guess is that totally disregarding what they said wouldn't be at the top of the list. But that's what happened in part of today's passage. God saved Noah and his family from a great flood. When it was all over, he told them, "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth!"

But instead of following the instructions to fill the earth, the people stuck together. They said:

"Come, let's build ourselves

a city

and a tower

that reaches Heaven.

Let's make ourselves famous

so we won't be scattered

here and there across the Earth."

Ouch. Not only were they totally disregarding God's instructions to spread out, they tried to make themselves famous.

I thought this was interesting in light of our culture today. Did you know that kids actually aspire to be famous? And not just for doing something (winning the World Series, singing, making a scientific discovery)--they dream of being famous just for the fame itself.

On a smaller scale, many people live for praise and approval. They want to be recognized, awarded, and publicly acknowledged for their work or their service. While I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with "giving honor where honor is due," I think there is something wrong with working, serving and striving to simply make yourself famous. It's wrong because it's an attempt to take full credit for someone else's work--in this case, God's work--in your life. No human being would be alive and breathing if it wasn't for Him.

Instead of disregarding God, let's honor Him--let's make God famous instead of attempting to be famous ourselves. There's a big difference...and it starts with having a heart to obey.

Tomorrow: Genesis 12-15

He liked what he saw

Today: Genesis 4-7

They met in a school hallway.
And he liked what he saw.

They were friends at work.
And he liked what he saw.

They were on the same team.
And he liked what he saw.

How many times have you heard stories like this--typically about a romance or a "love at first sight" moment?

I don't know if love at first sight is possible, but I think it's possible that sight itself can be different from what we think. If you took the scenarios above at a basic level, they were about a guy who physically saw a girl he found attractive.

But what if the guy in the school hallway saw the girl laughing with her friends and thought her happy, joy-filled spirit was stunning? What if the guy at work saw the girl wow her clients by excelling at a project? And what if the guy on the team saw the girl who always encouraged the people around her?

There are people who see you and me and there are people who see you and me.

God definitely tends to choose the latter form of sight. I love what it said about his view of Noah in today's passage:

God liked what he saw in Noah.

This is the story of Noah:

Noah was a good man,

a man of integrity in his community.

Noah walked with God.

These are simple words, actually...but I would be really proud if God said those kinds of things about me. Does God like what He sees in us?