He is horrified to learn that his brother hascheated him out of his father‘s blessing and vows to kill Jacob to avenge himself. - P136
But Jacob is not the only one at fault here; let us not forgetthat Esau was the one who showed disdain toward his birthright by
willingly giving it up for a bowl of stew. - P136
Both brothers must now face the
consequences of their sinful actions: Esau is left with no birthrightor blessing, and Jacob is forced to flee. Not all sin has immediate consequences, and this may deceive
us into thinking that we will get away with our actions. - P136
But our sin will surely catch up to us, so we would be wise to quickly recognize our
transgressions and repent before our
merciful God before we cause harm to ourselves and others. - P136
The PersecuteLaos is a Buddhist nation run by a Communist state. This means that any church that does no thave the
government‘s approval is considered
illegal and must conduct worship services
in secret. - P136
Conversion to Christianity is seen as a betrayal of Buddhist tradition, so converts aresubject to pressure and violence from their communities. - P136
Golog in ChinaThe Golog are a nomadic people descended from Tibetan soldiers who were sent to protect the northern borders
in the seventh century. - P136
When the Tibetan kingdom fell under
China, the Golog remained where
they had been stationed. Very few Golog have heard about Jesus,
although some mission agencies have tried to reach out to them in the past. - P136
Dear Jesus, thank you for the gifts You have given us, both seen and unseen.
- P137
Give us wisdom to take good care of Your gifts and use them well instead oftreating them carelessly. In Your name, amen. - P137
[NIV] 1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Thenhe commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman.
- P138
2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of yourmother‘s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there,
the daughters of Laban, your mother‘sfrom amongbrother. - P138
Although the conflict under Isaac‘s roof has divided the family, we seeg limmers of
hope as they now seek to obey God. - P140
This obedience is first shown as Isaac
accepts that the Lord has chosen Jacob
to inherit the promise He first gave
to Abraham. - P140
Isaac‘s second act of faithfulness
involves sending Jacob away to find a wife from among their kin. - P140
Just like Abraham,
Isaac does this to protect his covenant heir from being spiritually compromised by
the culture of the Canaanites. - P140
We all make mistakes, but it just takes a
few small steps of faith and obedience
to get back on track with God. - P140
Trusting in God‘s promise that He will bewith us the whole way, let us continue to move forward in our journeywith Him. - P140
After realizing how much his Canaanite wives displeased his father,
Esau attempts to reestablish favor with Isaac by marrying an Ishmaelite.
- P140
Esau‘s actions reveal how little he understands about the situation at hand.
He shows no concern for the will of God and only takes steps to improve his own
position within his family. - P140
God cannot be fooled-He always knows whether we are acting
in genuine obedience or in self-in-terest. - P140
In the presence of an all-knowing God,
let us carefully check our hearts and ask
Him to remove all pride and worldly ambition. - P140
Only when we humble ourselves before
the Lord can we sincerely pursueHis will. - P140
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