Our Relationships are Very Important - Genesis 29-30 and Matthew 9:1-17
I believe we can all learn some very important lessons from Jacob's life, if we will consider the influence of his relationships. We can all come to realize that life is relationships. It is not based on material things, but on our relationships. How are you doing with your relationships?
Jacob had trouble getting along with his brother, Esau, because he acted selfishly and took advantage of him. Jacob was closer to his mother than to his father, and he ended up taking advantage of his father, too. His deception caused him to leave home at a young age, because he was afraid his brother would kill him. What a mess, but it only got worse. He went to Laban and worked for seven years so he could marry Rachel. Then, Laban deceived him and gave him Leah, instead. This led to having two wives and two concubines. That was never God's will, but he worked through Jacob's relationships and the culture of the day to do His will. Can you imagine the conflicts and heartache of having these wives and so many children with different mothers? That is why God intends for marriage to be one man and one woman for life. It is no wonder that Jacob's relationship with God was not all it should be until later in his life. He was constantly having to deal with all of these relationship challenges. I see this with so many people today. They don't get along with brothers, sisters, and parents. They have broken families and blended families. Please, realize that God can bless you through all of this as He did Jacob, but He did not intend for us to have all of these relationship problems. He wants to give us grace and wisdom to have strong, loving relationships with family and others.
Think about Matthew 9 in this way. Jesus healed the paralyzed man, when He saw "their" faith. Who were "they?" The paralyzed men and his friends who carried him to Jesus. Now, isn't that a great sign of love? His friends cared enough to take him to Jesus for healing. This was a picture of unselfish relationships. Then, Jesus called Matthew to follow Him as a disciple. Matthew was a hated tax collector, but Jesus loved him any way. That was a great relationship statement to others. We should not hate a group of people for what they do. We should relate to them and bring them to God. This is what happened at Matthew's house later when he brought his tax collector friends to Jesus. The Pharisees refused to have relationships with these sinners, but Jesus had come to earth for that very purpose. Will we look down our noses at those Jesus loves like they did? Jesus showed us that it was all about relationships. Primarily, it is about our relationship with Him. That was the reason for His answer about fasting. It is not about rituals or doing things the way they have always been done. It is about knowing Him. In reality, out relationship with Him dictates how we will relate to others. If we really love Him, we will love others, too. There is no way around it. Let's check our relationships and make sure they are right.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 31-32 and Matthew 9:18-38.
Jacob had trouble getting along with his brother, Esau, because he acted selfishly and took advantage of him. Jacob was closer to his mother than to his father, and he ended up taking advantage of his father, too. His deception caused him to leave home at a young age, because he was afraid his brother would kill him. What a mess, but it only got worse. He went to Laban and worked for seven years so he could marry Rachel. Then, Laban deceived him and gave him Leah, instead. This led to having two wives and two concubines. That was never God's will, but he worked through Jacob's relationships and the culture of the day to do His will. Can you imagine the conflicts and heartache of having these wives and so many children with different mothers? That is why God intends for marriage to be one man and one woman for life. It is no wonder that Jacob's relationship with God was not all it should be until later in his life. He was constantly having to deal with all of these relationship challenges. I see this with so many people today. They don't get along with brothers, sisters, and parents. They have broken families and blended families. Please, realize that God can bless you through all of this as He did Jacob, but He did not intend for us to have all of these relationship problems. He wants to give us grace and wisdom to have strong, loving relationships with family and others.
Think about Matthew 9 in this way. Jesus healed the paralyzed man, when He saw "their" faith. Who were "they?" The paralyzed men and his friends who carried him to Jesus. Now, isn't that a great sign of love? His friends cared enough to take him to Jesus for healing. This was a picture of unselfish relationships. Then, Jesus called Matthew to follow Him as a disciple. Matthew was a hated tax collector, but Jesus loved him any way. That was a great relationship statement to others. We should not hate a group of people for what they do. We should relate to them and bring them to God. This is what happened at Matthew's house later when he brought his tax collector friends to Jesus. The Pharisees refused to have relationships with these sinners, but Jesus had come to earth for that very purpose. Will we look down our noses at those Jesus loves like they did? Jesus showed us that it was all about relationships. Primarily, it is about our relationship with Him. That was the reason for His answer about fasting. It is not about rituals or doing things the way they have always been done. It is about knowing Him. In reality, out relationship with Him dictates how we will relate to others. If we really love Him, we will love others, too. There is no way around it. Let's check our relationships and make sure they are right.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Genesis 31-32 and Matthew 9:18-38.