Day 9, or January the 9th. How does God affect
your daily life? Our thought today is rooted
in Genesis chapter 26, verse 28. We saw clearly
that the Lord was with you. Now the big picture
surrounding this verse. Abraham marries again.
This time he has six sons with Keturah. They
all miss out on Abraham's wealth as only Isaac,
the favourite, inherits. Isaac has twin sons
with Rebekah. One is very hairy, so is called
Esau, which means hairy. His brother is much
smoother and is named Jacob. Esau is an outdoorsman
and relates to his father, but his brother Jacob
is quieter and prefers to stay at home with his
mother. Needless to say, with so little in common,
they don't get on particularly well. Both are
subject to different influences, godly ones as
well as parental ones. Jacob, under his mother's
influence, becomes a good cook, and one day prepares
a bowl of red stew, which his brother Esau impetuously
exchanges for his priceless birthright. Jacob
always seems to be self-centred, but he does
turn to God when he's in trouble. Esau, on the
other hand, never gives God a thought whatever
life throws at him. Their father Isaac does his
best for his family, but sadly he has a favourite
twin son, while his wife's favourite one is the
other twin, and this is a problem that affects
the whole family. Both sons need a godly influence,
but rarely see it in their parents. And now our
action step for today. Of all four patriarchs,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, Isaac is the
one about whom we know least, and yet we have
a lovely glimpse of him in Genesis chapter 26.
In the midst of negotiations about well -digging,
Isaac's opponents say something quite striking.
They tell him that they can see clearly that
God has been with him. I believe if we can keep
this thought in our minds, it will, with God's
help, enable us to be a sweeter fragrance for
God wherever we go. Why not make a conscious
effort to encourage others to react to you like
this today? It really doesn't matter if you never
hear about it, does it?