Author: astherainandsnow

“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:5-6,9,11

“Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
    you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:23-26

“‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
    ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” Lamentations 3:24

A portion is: 1: an individual’s part or share of something: such as a: a share received by gift or inheritance; b: dowry; c: enough food, especially of one kind to serve one person at one meal; 2: an individual’s lot, fate, or fortune; one’s share

Choosing God as our portion is the best decision, ever. Jesus our Portion, Jesus our Only. David knew it. Asaph knew it. Jeremiah knew it. In Christ we own every spiritual blessing, guaranteed and without fail. In Him ours is an eternal inheritance, bounty, abundant life, satisfaction, and treasure. (John 4:14; 6:35; 10:10; Ephesians 1:3; )

So why do we toil for what does not last, and partake of so much that does not satisfy? What influences our reason to invest in what deteriorates or fades away? How are our hearts so easily inclined to wayward affection? Is it the media’s voice that convinces us what we need, or deserve, or should think, and might we do better to take a hiatus from the incessant feed? Does the company we keep steer us to godly or worldly thinking? Would we take enough time alone and quiet to assess the influence of our companions? Do we investigate and search until we find those who will feed us what our itching ears want to hear, or will we honestly pour over God’s word to hear His truth? (Ecclesiastes 2:11; Isaiah 55:2; 2 Timothy 4:3-4)

What circumstances are showing up the gaps in our worldview, our knowledge, our purity, our health, our desires? Will we look for God there? He is the One who abides, guides, and satisfies. What change of direction, or affection, or determination, will it take for us to root our strength and hope in God alone? What will it look like in our priorities, workplaces, ministries, and expenditures, to absolutely trust Him, and nothing else, as our Portion?

Thy Way is Perfect

“Long is the way, and very steep the slope,

Strengthen me once again, O God of Hope.

Far, very far, the summit doth appear;

But Thou art near my God, Thou art near.

And Thou wilt give me with my daily food,

Powers of endurance, courage, fortitude.

Thy way is perfect, only let that way

Be clear before my feet from day to day.

Thou art my Portion, saith my soul to Thee,

O what a Portion is my God to me.”  ~Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Lord, keep me choosing You as my highest and best, my only Portion, day by day, and forever.

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9

Jesus, His gift of faith embraced and applied, is all it takes for open access to freedom and its delights. We walk through the open door of justification He accomplished at the cross on our behalf. We step into salvation’s pasture, we stand in grace, and there is no going back. No more enmity with God, no legitimate fear of wrath or judgment. No uncertainty, no hopelessness, no condemnation, no shame. (Romans 8:1)

It is a natural tendency to linger near the entrance, to spend effort getting ready, to wear ourselves out preparing, trying hard, and making ourselves worthy or sufficient. And we never arrive. We’ve missed the point, that Jesus has made the way for us. He has borne our guilt, He has paid the price, He has flown wide the door. Open access is exactly that, opened by the precious blood of Christ so that we only need enter by faith, also His free gift. (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

Jesus beckons us from toil and effort, confusion and discord, to the wide and glorious and infinite and secure place of grace. He says to leave our striving, our self-justification and self-righteousness, and come into His broad place. Here we find reconciliation, rejoicing, and certain hope of glory. Here we find rest for our souls. Here we can rejoice no matter the hardship, because Jesus has gone before us. He produces much in us through suffering and endurance. He transforms our character, we are filled like a wellspring with His Spirit’s love. Have we entered? If not, would we? (Psalm 18:19; 31:8; Matthew 11:29; Romans 5:8-11; Hebrews 6:19-20)

“Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidd’st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

“Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.” ~Charlotte Elliot (1789-1871)

If we are in Christ, are we living in the fullness of our freedom, and relishing our spiritual abundance? To what extent are our daily outlook informed, and plans motivated, by our salvation, and gratitude for it? Are we driven by guilt, a constant ‘must-do,’ the need to earn favor? Or by divine compulsion to honor and give back to the One who gave Himself for us? How does freedom in Christ fuel efforts for peace, mutual edification, and good will in our relationships? Are they bathed with mercy, forbearance, patient and selfless love, and generosity? (Romans 14:19; Titus 2:14)

Lord Jesus, may I enter Your presence daily and be so enthralled, and so filled, that You spill over in my life.

“And he called the people to him again and said to them, ‘Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.’ And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, ‘Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’” Mark 7:14-23

“Search me, O God, and know my heart!
    Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting!” Psalm 139:23-24

We can become masters at playing hide. We let evil thoughts run rampage in our minds. We coddle wickedness in our hearts, and put on tidy clothes and a pleasant or compassionate face. We mentally excuse curt and bitter reactions because we think we are the judge. But the Lord sees through it all. Jesus’s condemnation of the Pharisees cut right to the quick of their best practices. They were experts at putting on airs, donning cloaks of righteousness, and sauntering with legalistic swag. They honored Him with their lips but their hearts were distant and vain. (Mark 7:6-7)

What we need to become masters at is seek. Before we turn our noses upward at another’s hypocrisy, we need to turn eyes toward our own. What are we condoning on the inside under the guise of self-control-on-the-outside? What wayward proclivities do we relish concealing? The enemy is an expert at deceit, and delights when we fall to these destructive habits and think them benign. What will it take for us to search our own hearts?

We can go to God’s word, and allow its truth to spotlight and penetrate our sin. We can go to God’s throne of grace, humbly naming that sin, and asking for mercy, forgiveness, and help. We can invite accountability with a sister or brother in Christ, willingly, honestly, and lovingly confessing our sins and receiving admonishment. (2 Samuel 12:13; Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 27:17; Ephesians 4:15-16; Hebrews 4:16)

Hide and seek is no child’s game. It is played too often and well by those who claim to be mature in Christ, and our heavenly Umpire says, ‘Tag, you’re it! Come to base and get cleaned up.’ When we open ourselves to His merciful discovery, we can be ‘all in free,’ washed by His grace and cleared to live out what He has purified and redeemed inside. No more camouflage in the world, no more hiding among those whose behavior makes ours look better, or us feel superior. Will we determine to correct our game today?

Gracious Lord, please purify me from the inside out of any defilement. May all I think and say and do bring Your holy name honor and praise.

“And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.” Genesis 13:10-13 (14:11-12; 18:20-22; 19:15-22,29)

“And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city. And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.

“Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her.” Genesis 33:18-34:2,(6-10,13-31)

There was something in both Lot and Jacob that was drawn toward cities, bastions of worldliness from which the Lord had called their family. Their heritage was heathen and polytheistic, and He called them out to form a people that would know and serve and honor the One True God. Where He purported to build them as a nation apart, they thought they could mix and mingle with no consequences, but that proved foolish. Once near and toward, the will softens into, in, and among. It’s impossible to separate a blended affection. (Genesis 11:31-12:4; Joshua 24:14)

City lights are alluring. The draw of anonymity and indulgence of the flesh make noise and sparkle attractive, and once we settle on the fringes, sneak becomes saunter. Whether it is a temptation of mental, sensual, or geographic wandering, resistance softens when our juices start flowing. We take a peek, we dip the toe, we taste the sweet, we handle the jeweled trinket, and it’s hard to stop once the spigot of giving in opens. (Proverbs 5:3-6; 23:31-32)

More prudent is the one who avoids the sin place altogether than the one who thinks he can flirt at the edge and not be affected. God gives discernment and spiritual strength to know how and where to be in and not of the world. He is mighty to hem us in, and prays for our faithfulness as we spread salt and light, yet frowns on our foolishness. (Matthew 5:13-14; John 17:15-18; 1 Corinthians 10:13)

What “cities” tempt us? A step toward laxness in fellowship leads to isolation from edification and encouragement, leads to flabby faith? Sloth in the spiritual disciplines leads to first-thing-in-the-morning tuning in to a screen of world-speak, leads to warped thinking and a humanistic mindset? Over-indulgence in comfort and luxury leads to hoarding rights and entitlements, leads to greed-clenched fists and condescension toward others? Self-gratifying is never soul satisfying. (Romans 12:11; Hebrews 10:23-25)

Father, guard me from skirting or indulging those places of mind and flesh that would pull me from you. Sanctify me in Your truth, that I live fruitfully and honorably in, and not of, the world.

“The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.  

“Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ And they said to him, ‘Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves do you have? Go and see.’ And when they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’ Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.  So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish.  And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

“Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.” Mark 6:30-46

Jesus was never scattered. His time was filled, but his schedule was flexible. He was pressed on every side, but never in a hurry. He spent himself for others, but always drew away to his Father for refilling. Because he prioritized time alone in prayer, he was able to recognize and fulfill every opportunity put before him.

Opportunities abound in the days of a believer to give out to others, and so give out of strength. There are people and situations that are hard, unyielding. There are urgencies that clamor for our attention, where we need patiently to “begin to teach.” Many are hungry, lost, confused, and when we look to Jesus, He makes a way for us to minister His life, nourishment, solace, and love.

Are we so scheduled, with so little margin, that we have no heart room for compassion, no time at day’s end to feed the famished? Do we dismiss crowds because we have a crowded house, or hours, already? And when our days are full, do we make it a priority to get alone with Jesus? He is life-giving, always sufficient.

Lord, connect the synapses of my mind and the sinews of my hands to the needs of your people. Keep my eyes open to see, and my feet willing to seize, every opportunity You put before me to be Jesus to others.

“I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints.

You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
I said, ‘Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.’
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
‘Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?’ 

Then I said, ‘I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.’

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph.” Psalm 77:1-15

The sky is so heavy this morning it is hard to see eternity. It all looks close, thick, a barrier between the heavens and me. My vision is limited, and so seems my ability to connect with the One who is seated above heaven and earth. The crow flying overhead, and cawing, is in my room. I’m pressed into the here and now, nearly suffocating on temporal concerns and sorrows. Yet, beyond the clouds, my limitless Lord reigns, and making them visible, light still shines, and leaves its smudge of hope. Redemption stands and rings its melody of grace, and wonder.

In the deepest of trouble, with faint spirit and longing so desperate he felt abandoned, the psalmist made search of his Lord. Turning his eyes from forlorn despair to the holy Most High, he found his balm. There is no circumstance so grim, no situation so disconcerting, that Jesus has not touched it, nor cannot redeem it.

When darkness closes in, and cruelty, sorrows, and deception storm our souls, God embraces us into His limitless love. Lingering illness, financial destitution, relationships in ruin- situations with dimmest hope meet God’s infinite goodness and glorious grace in His arms of mercy. He, the wonder-worker, gives songs in the night. (Job 35:10; Psalm 42:8)

What personal limits can I bring to God’s unlimited? What impossible to His possible? What uncertainty to His “yes and amen,” regret to His redemption, shame to His forgiveness, weakness to His strength, despair to His hope? Where can I trust Him to meet my dirge with His melody, my burdens with His yoke, my lack with His supply? Will I do so now? (2 Corinthians 1:20; Hebrews 4:16)

“Come, you disconsolate, where’er you languish; 
come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel. 
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; 
earth has no sorrows that heaven cannot heal.” ~Thomas Moore (1816)

Infinite Lord, in every temporal distress, cause me to appeal to Your wide mercy, remember Your infinite goodness, ponder Your limitless grace, and exalt Your holy, matchless name.

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said, ‘Take your quiver and bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me,  and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it so I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.’

Now Rebekah was listening… So when Esau went to the field.., Rebekah said to Jacob,.. ‘Bring me two good young goats, so I may prepare delicious food for your father, such as he loves… so that he may bless you before he dies…’

So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and [she] prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the garments of Esau… The skins of the young goats she put on his hands and the smooth part of his neck. And she put the delicious food… into the hand of Jacob.

He went in to his father… ‘Who are you, my son?’  Jacob said, ‘I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me…’ Isaac said, ‘Please come near, that I may feel you, to know whether you are really Esau or not…’ ²²  Isaac… felt him and said, ‘The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau… Bring it near to me, that I may eat game and bless you.’ So he brought it, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then Isaac said, ‘Come near and kiss me, my son.’ So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him…

“When Jacob had scarcely gone out.., Esau came in from hunting,.. prepared delicious food and brought it to his father… ‘Eat, that you may bless me.’ Isaac said, ‘Who are you?’ ‘I am your firstborn, Esau.’  Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, ‘Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? He shall be blessed. Your brother came deceitfully, and has taken away your blessing.’” Genesis 27:1,3-6,9-10,14-19,21-22,25-27,30-33,35

Appetite. Favorites. Competition. Urgent cravings. Scent. Touch. Misplaced fear of not getting my way, and guilt associated with getting caught, but not with doing wrong. Feelings all, whipping in a frenzy of plotting and ploys to get the promised prize. And all, when disordered or over-magnified, make for much mistake. They distort reasoning, propel passions out of control, and ruin honest communication.

But it wasn’t intended to go this way. God’s prophetic promises stand on their own, secured in His character and truth, His ordaining and time table. He is the One to see them through in the lives of His faithful. We’ll never know how He would have accomplished this one had not feelings ruled. (Genesis 25:21-26)

Making too much of feelings, and allowing them to dictate our choices and control our mindset, sets us loose on a wind-frothed sea, bobbing afloat in uncertainty and without an anchor, flitting like foam in the air. Feelings will always entice with urgency, fickleness, and the tease of instant gratification. Gut instincts will come and go. The fruit of the Spirit is patience, goodness, and self-control. It requires discipline to bring our feelings under God’s lordship, and harness them to benefit as He intended. (Galatians 5:22-23; Titus 1:8)

How do we handle our feelings? Do we coddle and excuse, or understand their dangerous sway and bridle their power? God’s Spirit will sanctify them for HIs purposes when we surrender ourselves to His rule over all.

Jesus, direct and redeem every feeling You give, for Your ultimate good and glory.

“The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.  And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:14-20

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” 2 Corinthians 9:6

Halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, deep inside a mountain on the island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago, more than one million seeds from across the globe are stored in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. This secure facility protects the world’s largest backup collection of seed samples of essential food crops and plant species from factors and forces, natural and manmade, that can alter the composition or viability of seeds in the environment. Unless they are retrieved by the nations that stored them, they remain sealed and frozen in crates in the permafrost. (Sources: Norway Government, Wikipedia)

There are many seeds available for us to sort and stow. Some are good and worthwhile, some bad and destructive. We always have a choice.

We’ve all been entrusted with the potent seed of God’s word, and it is not meant to be stored away dormant, or put on frozen hold, but hidden deep in receptive hearts to grow and break forth in a life of righteousness. Its viability and fruitfulness depends on our heart condition and will. (Psalm 119:11)

How carefully do we prepare for and tend God’s good and generous seed- His changeless truth, His holy desires? Are we diligent to remove stones of resistance or sin habits that would inhibit growth? How thoughtfully do we distinguish between thorns and truth? Do we deliberately avoid or extinguish what chokes, and nurture what promotes multiplication?

Against what seeds should we guard? Many pesky kernels of doubt, lies, dissension, and anxiety flit on the culture’s winds, ready to settle and take root on fertile soil of mind and heart. Have we established spiritual safeguards? Have we intentionally educated ourselves and protected our will and heart space with God’s armor? Do we know the truth well enough to recognize the counterfeit and false, and are we strong enough to eschew its enticements? (Ephesians 6:10-18; Hebrews 12:15)

Selecting and sowing God’s seeds take time and effort. Bearing fruit and multiplying for Him is what we were made for. A spiritual harvest is always worth the glory God receives. (Genesis 1:27-28; James 5:7)

Good Father, give me wisdom to sort and diligence to plant good seeds, sowing always to please Your Spirit, not my flesh. May I produce much fruit of righteousness for the blessing of others and delight of You. (Ecclesiastes 11:6; John 15:16; 2 Corinthians 9:10; Galatians 5:22-23; 6:8)

“Haman went out joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and… brought his friends and his wife Zeresh [and] recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants… Then Haman said, ‘Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.’ Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ‘Let a gallows be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it…’ This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.

“So Haman came in, and the king said, ‘What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?’ And Haman said to himself, ‘Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?’ Haman said to the king, ‘For the man whom the king delights to honor, let royal robes be brought,.. and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set.^.. Let [the king’s most noble officials] dress the man, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming:.. “The man whom the king delights to honor.”‘ Then the king said to Haman, ‘Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned…’ Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered.” Esther 5:9-14; 6:6-10,12

Puffed in importance, Haman not only relished his high life as top official of King Ahasuerus, but his plan to take down the ‘low life’ Mordecai and all the Jewish people. After all, anyone who refused to pay him the homage he deserved himself deserved punishment. Cocky and confident, he managed his world from the throne of self, unaware of the trap that lurked. He had not only misjudged Mordecai as an individual, but the deadly consequences of his nefarious plot.

We step on dangerous ground the moment we entertain superiority. At the instant I’m better, more important, more deserving, I’ve entered a pool of deception that will swirl and choke and drown me in disillusionment while I attempt to submerge others. What is good for me is too good, or must never be allowed, for anyone else is a destructive mindset to all involved.

Where has a sense of entitlement distorted our view of reality and polluted our opinions with prejudice? Are there areas we expect more, or less, from some than we do from ourselves or our loved ones? When and how are we investing in those different from us, to get to know them and understand their circumstances, their motivations? Where are we guilty of a double standard that falls far short of God’s for us all? We will be exposed and bear the consequences. (Luke 12:2)

Lord, please guard my heart by, and compel my actions toward, Your sole standard of holiness. (1 Peter 1:16)

“The Lord said to Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.’ ⁴ So Jacob called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was and said to them, ‘I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me… The angel of God said to me, “Jacob,” and I said, “Here I am!” And he said,.. “I have seen all that Laban is doing to you… Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred…”’

“So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac… And Jacob tricked Laban, by not telling him that he intended to flee. He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

“When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, he took his kinsmen and pursued him… Laban said to Jacob, ‘What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters? Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs..? And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house..?’ Jacob answered, ‘Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.'” Genesis 31:3-5,11-13,17-18,20-23a,26-31

Jacob the deceiver had been deceived enough, and was likely relieved and overjoyed to receive God’s call to return to his homeland. Without delay, he prepared his family, then his flocks and possessions. But then his right obedience took a wrong turn, swayed by that pestering flesh fear that ran in his blood. What if? (Genesis 25:26; 29:15-28; 30:28-36; 31:38-42)

It is one thing, and it is a good thing, to obey God’s clear command. But it is another thing altogether to obey it the right way, completely trusting His sufficiency for every step. How fickle the human heart, and weak the will, that jumps at the opportunity to follow God, but then trips over fear in finishing the determination God’s way. He is able to see us through completely, and provides a way of escape with every temptation. (Matthew 26:33-34,58,69-75; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Philippians 1:6)

Where have you and I made a good start on the track of God’s call, only to allow niggling voices of doubt to distract and deter us from continuing? Or where have we decided to follow, but forged our own easier, or supposed better way, that involves deception or neglect? Have we accommodated ‘little sins’ in otherwise righteous obedience, and failed to see how that dishonors the God we are serving?

Lord, keep me wholehearted and pure as I seek and follow You. May I be all in for Your way, for Your glory.