Do you ever stop to think about your sin? Maybe you feel overwhelmed, tired of the daily struggle against sin. Perhaps you wonder why God continues to guide you, to love you, to keep you in the faith. If anyone had reason to wonder that, it would have been Jacob.
Jacob wasn’t the most righteous man on earth. He definitely wasn’t mentioned as righteous like Job was. He wasn’t taken up to heaven like Enoch. Jacob deceived his father to get what he wanted. He had children with four women. His family was a mess as well. In fact, Jacob didn’t have a spiritual awakening until later in his life.
Jacob was a train wreck, and yet what do we see in Hebrews? He’s in the hall of faith. He received the same promise Abraham and Isaac received: part temporal and part eternal. Jacob received the promise his descendants would be a great nation and the eternal gift they would be children of God.
God doesn’t give up on His children, even when they fall short. Just look at Jacob. God continued to guide him, bless him, and even allowed Jacob to die with all of his children near him, including his long lost son, Joseph. We need not constantly worry about all of our shortcomings and how we miss the mark. Instead, we should focus on becoming righteous, with the help of the Holy Spirit, by having faith that God will continue to carry us, come what may.
Dear Lord, thank you for saving us despite our inadequacy and failures. Please give me the grace to fight sin in light of your love. Amen.
Go Deeper — Read Hebrews 11 and take a look at those listed in the hall of faith. Think about their lives. How many led sinful past lives? Take heart in the fact that God saves to the uttermost!
Photo Credit: Bailey Hall