God appears to Jacob and, in a vision, Jacob sees a ladder with angels ascending and descending: a link between heaven and earth. God is committed to continually be present with Jacob and keep his promises to him. This passage is a comfort to Christians and a signpost to the true and ultimate link between heaven and earth; Jesus Christ.
Luke 7:36-50 // Woman with the Alabaster Jar
After performing a variety of miracles, Jesus has a meal with a Pharisee. He is not treated with traditional hospitality and is joined by a woman who anoints his feet with perfume and washes his feet with her hair and tears. Jesus responds to the Pharisee with condemnation and the woman with love and forgiveness.
Mark 10:32-52 // The Son of Man Came to Serve
As Jesus foretells his coming death, two disciples make a request to sit at his side in the coming kingdom. Their request is for prominence with Jesus. The response of Christ in this passage shows us that true prominence for disciples of Christ is found in Christlike humility. The son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
John 14:1-17 // I Am The Way
In this passage, Jesus encourages his followers to not be troubled, shares his second to last “I am” statement and promises the Holy Spirit to his disciples and to us. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and none can come to the Father but through him. May this convict and encourage us to embrace the gospel of Christ.
Matthew 11:28-30 // Come to Me
Deceit, Destruction, and Sovereign Will // Genesis 27
In Genesis 27, we see the unrighteousness of man on full display. Issac plans to give Esau the blessing meant for Jacob after a hearty meal. When Rebekah hears this she springs into action and assists her favorite son in securing the blessing. Jacob is true to his name and, clothed in goat skin, deceives his father. God is sovereign through it all of the family’s unrighteousness, just as he is in our lives.
How Faith Grows // Genesis 26
In Genesis 26, we see Isaac face adversity; famine, fear of losing his life, and quarreling over sources of water become the soil in which Isaac's faith grows. Like his father Abraham before him, Isaac gives in to sinful self-interest as he faces adversity. And like his father Abraham before him, Isaac also receives grace and blessing from the LORD who works through weak sinners to bring about his plan of redemption.
Jacob and Esau // Genesis 25
In Genesis 25, Abraham dies and is buried with Sarah. Issac and Rebekah pray for a child for 20 years and are blessed with twins, Jacob and Esau, who are at odds both in and out of the womb. This chapter begins the next section of Genesis, focused on Issac’s line. We see man continue to sin and see God exhibit sovereignty and grace; the plot of the entire Bible. What more can we learn from Issac’s family about the character of God and the depravity of man?
How to Live in God's Will // Genesis 24
As Abraham approaches the end of his life, he sends a servant back to his own people to find a wife for Isaac. God's purposeful sovereignty and the servant's faith are on full display along the journey as the servant meets Rebekah who marries Isaac. God’s divine governance is unmistakable. God was seeing to the fulfillment of the promises he had made to Abraham to continue the line of promise.
A Burial in Hope // Genesis 23
In Genesis 23, Sarah dies after a 127 year life filled with wandering, mistakes, waiting, laughter, and trusting the Lord. We watch as Abraham mourns the death of his princess and beloved wife and continues to trust in the Lord’s promised land, Canaan, as he negotiates with the Hittites to secure a burial place for Sarah. Here we learn what it means to remember death, walk in faith, and live with our ultimate hope in the God of the living.