#1 Scripture: Genesis 42:38 But Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."
#1 Observation: Jacob may be a great patriarch but he is a terrible father. His words here show such utter disregard for the other ten sons that are listening. Here are ten men hearing their father say that they don't matter -- almost that they don't exist. It's shameful.
#1 Application: Favoritism is so damaging in families. It is especially prevalent with today's blended families: his, hers, and theirs. But favoritism promotes rivalries, jealously and destroys family unity. Steer clear.
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#2 Scripture: Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.
#2 Observation: David presents this simple exchange with God. There is a time (in the morning) when he talks with God. Apparently out loud. And he lays out his requests, then he waits.
#2 Application: It is the waiting part that we don't do so well. We may be good at making requests of God. But waiting in expectation is something that I need serious work on.
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#3 Scripture: Luke 17:1 Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.#3 Observation: Sometimes people rationalize bad behavior by saying, it was going to happen anyway. If I didn't do it, somebody else would have. Like, "If I don't let my teenagers drink beer at home, they will just drink it somewhere else." Or, "They're going to get their condoms from someone, it might as well be me." But Jesus makes it clear that this kind of argument won't work on judgment day.
#3 Application: Do the right things. There is never a good reason to do something wrong. Any time I have to rationalize a behavior, I am probably doing the wrong thing.
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Prayer: Lord, lead me in wisdom in Your paths. May I be a seeker of Your face, and may I, in all my seeking, find You and know You more and more closely.This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 comment:
All good observations. I especially liked the one in #3. I remember discussiing with a girl scout leader the fact that I found one of the songs they taught the kids appalling because it talked about them sneaking out at night to go meet boys from another camp. The leader used just the "illogic" you pointed out, "They're going to do it anyway; wouldn't you rather have them do it with us there?". My answer was, "Absolutely not! I want my values to be so clear to my kids that they would feel guitly about doing wrong and have to sneak around to do it. That way the guilt would be more likely to make them uncomfortable enough to stop, and even if it didn't, it would be evidence that I had successfully instilled a knowledge of right and wrong in them."
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