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Is the truth sometimes hard to believe? It was for the Israelites. They had spent years in slavery and God’s promise of redemption seemed like false hope “because of their discouragement and harsh labor.”
"“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’ ” Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor." (Exodus 6:6-9)
They were physically and emotionally exhausted. God’s words of truth fell on empty ears.
My encouragement for today is that God’s Word and His promises ARE truth. You may be physically or emotionally drained and unable to hear that He loves you and longs to redeem you and your situation, but it is true! May we see past our current circumstances. May we trust beyond our current feelings. And may we remember that God is faithful.
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Genesis means beginning. The book of Genesis narrates the creation and the beginning of the world, but it also communicates about fresh beginnings for each of the characters in the patriarch story. God wiped their slate clean each time they messed up and continued to choose them as His people.
Genesis should be subtitled, "God specializes in using screw-ups." It is the book of the Bible that has most taught me about grace and transformed my thinking about how God works.
I am a typical oldest child, type-A personality, believer in cause and effect - you work hard and you are rewarded for your work. However, God doesn't always work that way.
Abraham lied twice about his wife being his sister, yet he was the father of many nations whose faith was counted as righteousness.
Isaac showed favoritism with his sons and also lied about his wife being his sister - a bad family pattern. But God did not turn His favor from the family.
Jacob lied to his dad, schemed with his mom, stole his brother Esau's blessing, and continued the bad pattern of favoritism. Even still, God chose him to be named Israel and blessed him with twelve sons that became the twelve tribes of God's people.
If I were God, I would've cut that family off long ago. They didn't deserve to be chosen or to be the names by which God is often referred, "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
But I was forgetting one major thing. It's not about what we do. Whew! It's about what God does and who He is. By doing things the way He does, extending grace and blessing to undeserving people, He gets all the glory!
So, don't beat yourself up if you're falling into a bad family pattern. God can help break destructive cycles. Feeling unworthy of God's mercy? You're in good company.
Let's have a genesis moment for Makeover Monday - a new beginning offered in God's grace and extended to those whom God has chosen to bless, namely you!