You Shall Not Give Me Anything

So he said, “What shall I give you?”
And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks. Genesis 30:31

Did Jacob gain nothing then? Well, we know from the other stories of Jacob that he is a sharp one. Jacob gained access to the herds of goats and sheep, and he did a little breeding until Laban had the pretty, but weaker flock, and Jacob had the speckled and stronger flocks. Jacob became quite wealthy with his breeding program. Sometimes it is easier to take offered money, but it may not be the best course in the long run. It is the 1st of the month, I apologize for bringing this up right after a payday. Yes, I took the offered money yesterday too.

While we might pause for a moment and wonder if the monthly bills could be paid with something long term in place of money, there is wisdom to be found in the stories of the patriarchs. Through wise decisions, mistakes, and sins, the men and women of old taught us much, and one of these is something often lacking in this age - long term thinking. We want the quick reward and the immediate pleasure. We want the pain to go away right now, without pausing to ask God if He has a better plan with a goal we cannot quite see. Yes, I am just as guilty of that as anyone: when it hurts, I want it stopped, please!

Endurance, steadfast, faith - these words speak of a longer time frame than we usually want to contemplate. We would rather enjoy a banquet this morning and enter Heaven this afternoon. The thought of a large number of tomorrows while enduring pain in steadfast faith makes us a bit faint and cranky. Trusting in God and His plan for our development is on the tough side of difficult. Praise God for the kind and loving encouragement and strengthening of His dear Holy Spirit. Couldn't do it without You, Mate!

Bucky