Genesis 31 (1)

Father, thank you for You. Speak to our hearts LORD God and open up the eyes of our understanding to be able to perceive and see everything through the lenses of the Holy Spirit. Help us Holy Spirit to be both hearers and doers of Your Word and instruction upon our lives. We receive the Holy Spirit's help and the grace to be obedient to You LORD in every season and right now we join our faith in advance and thank you LORD for the blessings that flow from obedience in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Genesis 31 starts off with Laban's sons accusing Jacob of taking away all of their father's wealth. Laban's sons opinions cause a shift in his behaviour towards Jacob (Genesis 31:1-2). The LORD then instructs Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you." (Genesis 31:3).

Jacob informs Rachel and Leah about their father's actions, how he served him for twenty (20) years but he kept treating him unfairly and changed his wages ten times but thankfully God did not allow Laban to hurt him (Genesis 31:7 & 38). Jacob also mentioned how Laban only wanted him to take the streaked and speckled flock of lambs and goats as His wages and the LORD God ensured that Laban's flocks bore streaked, speckled and gray spotted rams in order to bless Jacob (Genesis 31:8-12).

Upon hearing Jacob, Rachel and Leah were in agreement with Jacob and encouraged him to obey God.

They said, "Are we not considered strangers by him? For he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money. For all these riches which God has taken from our father are really ours and our children's; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it." - Genesis 31:15-16 NKJV. Jacob then prepares his household and sets his sons and his wives on camels to depart from Laban (Genesis 31:17).

Friend, could it be that when God requires our obedience to Him, He may not be too stuck on the 'how' it's done? - It may be easier to get fixated on the "process/procedure" of things yet sometimes, all God requires from us is to simply take that one step of obedience in faith trusting that He will take care of everything else, including you. When you become a child of God, obedience is no longer difficult as God's grace upon your life empowers you to do His will. 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV reminds us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." As a new creation, God, with the help of the Holy Spirit, has 're-engineered' all of us to obey Him where we desire and are willing to follow God's will with His help in Christ Jesus.

Later on in Genesis 31, Laban discovers that Jacob fled with his family and in fury, he pursues Jacob. However, the LORD God appeared to Laban in a dream and warned him, "Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad." (Genesis 31:24). This is an example of how God will keep you as you go along in your obedience to His instruction. Laban was furious at Jacob but the LORD appeared to him and warned him to not do anything to Jacob.

lt is important to note that Laban was also furious because he discovered that one of his household idols had been taken during Jacob's departure. Unknown to Jacob, Rachel had stolen her father's household idols (Genesis 31:19). Rachel, whom Jacob loved dearly as a wife clearly did not share the same reverence and holy fear of God like her husband who was a man that literally had a covenant with God. Rachel believed in the LORD God and her father's household idols. This was a big problem.

Friend, nobody can serve two masters at the same time and the LORD God is not an exception. The 'idols' today may be portrayed differently and they do not necessarily have to be bad things, it could be a job, career, kids, money, wife, husband, ministry, social status, or anything else that you have put in the same category with your personal relationship with God in your heart.

Jesus says the first and greatest commandment is; "You shall love the LORD your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul and with all of your mind." (Matthew 22:37 NKJV). Genesis 1:26 reminds us, that we were created in the image of God. This means that as God's creation, we are naturally inclined to feel after God, to worship Him, to obey Him, to love Him with all of our hearts, souls and minds. And Jesus Christ came to restore us to this place of fellowship with God our Maker and Father.

Invitation to salvation: If you would like to become a child of God where you become a new creation who walks in obedience to God's Word by God's grace, His blessings for you and are able to love Him with all your heart, soul and mind just like Jacob who had a covenant with God;

I invite you to make this confession that invites you to even a better and new covenant that is found in the precious blood of Jesus Christ:

"I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that; Jesus Christ, the Son of God came in a human body to die for my sins so that I could have a new life where I am dead to sin and alive to God. I repent of my past sins and enter the Kingdom of light where I choose relationship with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and with God as my loving Father today and forever." AMEN.

Congratulations, by grace you are saved and are now a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old life has passed away and you have received the free gift of salvation into your life (2 Corinthians 5:17) where you get to freely access everything I've shared in this post. To the glory of the Almighty God. Amen.

Please feel free to reach out to us on info@bibleversionoflife.com. We would love to hear your story and send you a free Bible! God bless you.

GENESIS 31 TO BE CONTINUED...

I'll end with Jesus' Word found in John 10:10 AMP

"The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]."

AMEN. Thank you LORD.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 AMP

"14.For the love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died;

15.and He died for all, so that all those who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and was raised for their sake."

AMEN. Thank you LORD.