charisbarak

Jesus is first--pre-eminent--above all created beings. No, He isn't a created being--He is the creator/sustainer of all creation. He made it possible to have followers--He opened the way--was the first of many to come. He is the immage of the invisible God; all things were created by Him and for Him/all held together by Him; before all things creator/sustainer

Jesus was the only live image of God. He was an exact representation. He is God in the flesh!

redemption & forgiveness To buy back. God made us. Satan took us. Jesus paid for us with His life. We get a second chance! He pays for our sins & prepares us spotless to be with Him forever!

qualified, rescued, redemption, forgiveness God through Jesus us! Jesus qualified us through our acceptance of His Work We were stuck with satan and doing his will--When we accept Jesus' death forus, we are rescued from that relationship into one with the Father.

There is a grand difference between Satan and his realm & God's realm. It is a darkness--not being able to see well, depression as opposed to light, love & being rescued. It is good to know where we were to where we are now--that there has been great progress. Our inheritance is with Jesus forever--we have forgiveness/redemption. Because we have accepted His gift of salvation that qualifies us as saints in His kingdom. We have been rescued from the dominion of darkness--being a slave to satan to the kingdom of God's Son--a willing slave to God because of our redemption by Jesus.

Knowing God and His will for them. He prayed that they would be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding that they may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power that they may have great endurance and patience, giving thanks to the Father. Knowing God is the most important. It's hard to have a least important--all are needed for every area & time of life to become fruitful. I think if some are missing, we're not balanced. Growth may be inhibited.

The gospel brings growing fruit--faith, love & hope. He reminds them that the gospel is alive and those who hear are growing--are fruit producersl Sometimes, when things are dull and just the same every day, we can assume that is the same thing that is going on in the world. But to hear of the gospel's fruit in different parts of the earth, encourages us. The church will lose credibilit of it's witness if the gospel becomes an embarrassment or is unimpressive. It will also lose members. And,worse than that, it can go off believing lies and setting up a false church, with false beliefs.

Jacob knew God had been leading him all his life. Everything he went through was a preparation for him to be the beginning of God's special people. God was faithful to him. God uses all that has been in my life to prepare me for ministry to others. I can see his hand in the worst of circumstances. I may have gotten myself into these problems, but God used it for His purposes. It is a daily struggle to focus on God & let what happens--happen. Satan would like to see me fall, but God is in control!! I hope I don't rebel that much against His leading. We grow closer to God in trials.......

We tend to see blessings being good things, Crises as not being good or blessed--we think we need to be happy if we're blessed. Crises bring us to a point to prove our faith. We grow when we know in our hearts that God is in control and that He works all things to our good in the end and live our lives believing this. Trials can pull us out of our faith when we allow ourselves to be completely involved in the problem & let it start eating us up--forgetting totally that is it God who is in control & that He loves us & wants the best for us.

Jacob crosses his arms, I believe, because he was being directed by God. Joseph was upset because the elder always came before the younger. This blessing was a prophecy--and it, because it came from God, came true.

Our life here on earth is a relatively short one. We do not belong here. Our heart, soul & mind are with God & our eternal home. We have a short stay here-depending on the Lord. When we get too comfortable with our lives here, we put the eternal on the back burner. We prioritize in the wrong direction. Our relationship with the Lord is not as sharp as it was nor does it grow very much. We need to be ever thankful, realizing God gives us gifts to serve Him for His purposes, not our own. Prayer & Bible study need to be a daily desire.

First of all, reminding Jacob of Who He is, He assures Jacob that He will be with him in Egypt and bring him back again. He tells him not to be afraid. He stopped believing it because his eyes were on his problems, not the Problem-Solver! God's words are truth, but if you don't have faith to walk in that truth, they're just words.

Jacob didn't see things through God's eyes. He was focused on himself. Joseph, with all the injustices he went through, kept his eyes on God and reacted knowing God was in control. Jacob when fearful, held tightly to his possessions. Joseph, gave it to God and trusted that God would bring him through. He was aware that God had put him there as a fulfillment of the promise to Israel. Where he was, was in a position that God had put him in so Joseph would be able to provide for His people. He saw how God used his brothers' jealousy to put Joseph just where God wanted him. Oh, that we would keep this mindset--keep our eyes on God--not let our situations rock us!! Praise Him!

After the first trip, Jacob was angry at the brothers for them mentioning a younger brother in the family. He was determined that the younger brother would not go with them next time. I think he was super-depressed and had resulting paranoia. He had experienced many losses--especially that of his favorite wife. Also, being stuck in a famine is difficult and the situation had just become more difficult. There was no recourse but to send the brothers for grain. There was no where else for them to get it. That was the reality Jacob was dealing with.

The son's attitude toward their father was shown to be not of love, but "oh well, it looks like an animal got to Joseph & killed him." They were so glad to get rid of him they did not even think about how it would affect Jacob--and I think, frankly they didn't care at that time. The loss drove him into depression and probably aged him quickly. He holds on tightly to anything or anyone related to his beloved wife.

Reuben's sin ruined his chances to be the leader of the clan. It was a direct insult to his father and against the law. I think Jacob had to have been very disappointed, angry. I think the brothers looked down on him as well. However, Ruben stands up for his brother Joseph & keeps the other brothers from killing him; was willing to have his life put on the line to defend his family; then defending his father--he realized the pain he & his brothers had caused him when they sold Joseph & this was very clear to Joseph too when he was questioning him.

I think God appears to Jacob again to encourage him in his old age--prior to giving his sons their blessings & his death. He #1 is #1 God is Almighty God. First & foremost, the most important thing to pass on to his children. Then to be fruitful & multiply, bringing many nations out of their family, and the land to house them.

Jacob's household was divided. They needed to get rid of any other "gods" and fully worship the one true living God. Washing is a repentance and a cleaning, edging on purity--only the best for God. Foreign gods for me are anything that takes my time away from God. I need to repent of spending too much time on other things rather than on relationships. :-(

When the Israelites disobeyed God & intermarried their hearts were drawn away from God. God wanted the Israelites to keep their purity & monotheism--keep them set apart for Him. I think it was ultimately a spiritual reason believers vs unbelievers. Christians should marry in the Lord--that's who they'd have basic things in common. The unbeliever could influence the believer & draw him away fromn God. Most people think it's the other way around, that the believer could influence the unbeliever.

It seems Jacob feared the Shechem. He should have made a judgement that would be fair & according to the laws of the land at that time. The sons had righteous anger. They took it too far. They now face the threat of Shechem joining other enemies against Jacob.

Esau had grown up. God had evidently blessed him too. He had the pleasure of being near his parents all the years Jacob was away. He was more peaceful. Jacob, like Esau, had also grown up. Was humble, a peace-maker, walking close to God. Jacob was thinking ahead to his meeting with his brother. He was picturing an angry Esau and was acutely aware of how he had manipulated his brother & his father. Guilt drove him to prepare many gifts for Esau & his family. Moving ahead with the plans showed his faith in God's well-keeping of him & his family. Humbleness was moving his craftiness turning it into wisdom!

The man Jacob wrestles with is God himself. The wrestling was a power struggle--Jacob still had plenty of ***** and was determined that God bless him. I believe it was both physical & spiritual. He wouldn't have come away with a limp if God hadn't touched him on his thigh. The wound was a reminder to Jacob that God had touched him, that he received the blessing and a new name. I think, too, it secured his humbleness.

Jacob's fears show up as he prays. He knew he left Esau alone with his anger for how his brother used him. He also showed his reliance now on God to save him & pave the way. No longer could he "do it himself." It showed as he was leaning on his staff, so he was leaning on God, reminding himself of God's promises to him as he prayed, telling God the same thing. His faith was growing. Signs of his pride were taken over by humbleness. He wished to be a peacemaker now & to placate his brother.

God revealed His army to Jacob to reassure him and to show His promises are true & that you can count on them. The significance of this army was to show the lengths to which the Lord saves those He has plans for--God was with them. Two camps--the household of Jacob & the camp of the armies of God.

We often miss the blessings in our lives when things seemingly are not going well. Our emotions are all in a tangle. We learn from the conflicts to look at our blessings & thank God for them. We don't have the big picture, but God has. We have hope--there is an end to the trouble and light at the end of the tunnel. Besides, if God is with us, he as been through the same things & has overcome! We can be overcomers too!