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Day 9 or January 9. How does God affect your daily life? Our thought today is rooted in

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Genesis chapter 26 verse 28. We saw clearly that the LORD was with you.

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Now the big picture surrounding this verse. Abraham marries again. This time he has six

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sons with Keturah. They all miss out on Abraham's wealth, as only Isaac the favorite inherits.

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Isaac has twin sons with Rebekah. One is very hairy, so is called Esau, which means

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hairy. His brother is much smoother, and is named Jacob. Esau is an outdoorsman and relates

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to his father, but his brother Jacob is quieter and prefers to stay at home with his mother.

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Needless to say, with so little in common, they don't get on particularly well. Both

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are subject to different influences—godly ones as well as parental ones. Jacob, under

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his mother's influence, becomes a good cook, and one day prepares a bowl of red stew, which

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his brother Esau impetuously exchanges for his priceless birthright. Jacob always seems

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to be self-centered, but he does turn to God when he's in trouble. Esau, on the other

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hand, never gives God a thought whatever life throws at him. Their father Isaac does his

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best for his family, but sadly he has a favorite twin son, while his wife's favorite one is

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the other twin, and this is a problem that affects the whole family. Both sons need a

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godly influence, but rarely see it in their parents.

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And now our action-step for today. Of all four patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and

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Joseph—Isaac is the one about whom we know least, and yet we have a lovely glimpse of

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him in Genesis chapter 26. In the midst of negotiations about well-digging, Isaac's

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opponents say something quite striking. They tell him that they can see clearly that God

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has been with him. I believe if we can keep this thought in our minds, it will, with God's

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help, enable us to be a sweeter fragrance for God wherever we go. Why not make a conscious

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effort to encourage others to react to you like this today? It really doesn't matter

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if you never hear about it, does it?