Jacob worked for seven years for the privilege of marrying Rachel, and it seemed to him but a few days. This is because of his love for her. That is all that is said about these years, but we can feel the heartbeat of expectancy of those two young people. Girls of the east mature quickly, and it is possible that Rachel was only thirteen years of age when Jacob first saw her. By the end of the seven years, she was a mature young woman, and Jacob was anxious to receive the reward of his labors.
The custom of the land was to have a great wedding feast, all the neighbors gathered, and the wine flowing freely. The bride was kept out of sight until time to come to her husband. Finally, late in the evening, when Jacob was well filled with wine, the bride was brought in, her face covered with a veil, and the marriage was consummated.
When morning came and his head was clear, he found he had married Leah, the older sister. He was furious and went to Laban in a rage. “Seven years I labored faithfully, and you have tricked me! Why would you do this to me, your own nephew?” He was now reaping the harvest of his own cunning, deceiving nature. What a man sows that shall he also reap.
“Oh,” said the cunning old Laban. “Didn’t I explain the law of the land to you? The younger sisters cannot be married off until first their older sisters are married. According to the law and the custom of the land, I had to let you marry Leah before Rachel was qualified to be wed. But now she is ready, so if you will fulfill the wedding week for Leah, give her the customary honeymoon, then we’ll have another wedding, and you and Rachel can be married.”
What could Jacob say? He was trapped by the law, and he did not want some other man to marry his beloved Rachel. Where was she during the wedding? Hidden away somewhere by her scheming father, most likely grieving about her promised husband and her hated sister. So Jacob agreed, and the honeymoon week went on, unpleasant though it must have been.
After Leah’s honeymoon, Jacob wedded Rachel, his true beloved, before any payment was made. He had to work yet another seven years in return for her. The bride of the law was paid for in advance, but the beloved was the bride of grace, nothing having been paid for until after she was really his. So it is with us. We cannot be satisfied with what we have earned or worked for under the law. When we receive the real thing, we find we have paid nothing for it, but we labor the rest of our lives in a labor of love and gratitude (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Sunday, November 24, 2002
Godly Habits: Depend on God, Serve Others
In today’s world of self-centeredness, service to others is not a cultivated virtue. Everyone who decides to look for ways to help others, to invest in them, would have their own lives change for the better. In fact, if you will help enough other people get what they want, you will be truly helping yourself.
To this approach in life are three keys that lead to more abundant living. These are: caring about others, daring for others, and sharing with others. This is assigning to one’s self the purpose of making others happy and successful. People have a way of becoming what you encourage them to be. For this reason invest in others because it pays great dividends (William Ward). In Jan McKerihen’s words, “If you can not win, make the one ahead of you break the record.” Character will develop properly when you think of what you might do for people (Woodrow Wilson).
Character is the foundation of all worthwhile success. A good question to ask oneself is “What kind of advice do I give others that I need to follow myself?” It is a known fact that living a double life will get you nowhere twice as fast. In Tyron Edwards’ words, “Thoughts lead on to purposes, purposes go forth into actions, actions form habits, habits decide character, and character fixes our destiny.”
One good habit we can all seek to form is the habit of consulting God about everything. Unless in the first waking moments of the day we learn to fling the door back wide and let God in, we will work on a wrong level all day. Swing the door wide open and pray to the Father in secret, and every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God (Oswald Chambers). When God is all we have, then He is all we need.
The Scripture says, “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard you heart and your mind in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7). “Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you” (1 Peter 5:7). Anxiety comes from fear. Fear in itself is faith in the negative, trust in the unpleasant, assurance of disaster, unbelief, and defeat.
Therefore, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). God is never more than a prayer or praise away. Add to it the pursuit of God and get to know Him in your daily walk. Each time we bow before Him, we should ask to be changed ourselves, not our God nor the circumstances we face. Our hearts’ cry should sound loud and clear, “I want to be in your will not in your way, Lord.”
Sunday, August 4, 2002
The Uniqueness of Christ and Its Impact on our Walk
"What manner of Man is this...?" - Mark 4:41
"What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us..." - 1 John 3:1
"What manner of persons ought ye to be..." - 2 Peter 3:11
It is impossible to think of God manifested in flesh without contemplating someone who was entirely different from everyone else, and such our Lord was. He was unique in His birth, unique in His life, and unique in His death. But it is in connection with His life that these words of amazement were uttered by His disciples. The Savior must have been a continual source of wonder to all who met Him. Here was one who was Master of every situation, in whose presence death was conquered, demons were powerless and disease put to flight. No wonder "the people were astonished saying, 'From whence hath this man these things? And what wisdom is this which is given unto Him, that even such mighty works are wrought by His hands?" (Mark 6:2). No wonder that when the daughter of Jairus was raised from death, "they were astonished with great astonishment" (Mark 5:42).
As a man, Jesus was unique. He was the Man of Bruised Heel (Genesis 3:15). He was the Man of Bored Ear (Exodus 21:6). He was the Man of Broken Heart (Psalm 69:20). He was the Man of Beautiful Feet (Isaiah 52:7). He was the Man of Black and Bushy Locks (Song 5:11). He was the Man of Blessing Hands (Luke 24:50). He was the Man of Bended Knee (Luke 22:41). He was the Man of Bleeding Side (John 19:34). Beloved, take a steadfast gaze at this unique person and walk in His steps. Allow this gaze to make dim the things of this life in the light of His glory and grace.
If our Lord was unique to the multitude of His day, how much more so is He to us who are His people! He is our Savior, or Shepherd, our Lord, our Master, our great High Priest, our Advocate with the Father; and one day we must stand before His judgment seat. Seeing then what manner of Man He is, a Person absolutely unique, may we each give Him a unique an unrivalled place in our hearts and lives.
In 1 John 3:1 we are presented with a unique affection. God's love is unique because it is eternal. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jeremiah 31:3). God's loves is unique because it is causeless. Human love is only excited when some cause for loving is apparent, but "the Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the Lord loved you..." (Deuteronomy 7:7,8). There was nothing in us to evoke His love; there was everything in us to repel it. We have rebelled against our Maker, trampled upon His commandments, revolted against His will and defiantly declared, "Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways" (Job 21:14).
Yet, "behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:1). A unique love indeed by cost. "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propititation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another" (1 John 4:10,11).
"Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to Him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to Him" (Romans 12:1,2 CEV).
In this way we will be observed as a unique people as the Holy Spirit proclaimed through the Apostle Peter. Before the proclamation we were reminded of the fate of this doomed world when the day of the Lord comes (2 Peter 3:10). So be a unique people through holy conversation and godly living. This does not mean we are trying to appear strange and unreasonable in our manner of life. As God's people we should be sober and level-headed. Apart from holy conversation and godly living we display our uniqueness in various ways.
1. Our lives should be blameless when we contemplate the fearful doom which awaits the ungodly all around us. How careful we should be in every detail of our lives lest anything should stumble an unbeliever.
2. Our affections should be set upon things above (Colossians 3:2); we should be seeking first God's kingdom and righteousness (Matthew 6:33): knowing all things will be burnt up, how lightly we should grasp the things of this life and rather be concerned with that which which will last eternally.
3. We should be characterized by a holy zeal in the extension of God's kingdom. If such a terrible doom awaits the lost around us, if before them there is "a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation" (Hebrews 10:27), how concerned and how zealous we should be in the propagation of the good news of salvation. Such was the spirit which characterized the Apostle Paul. In 1 Corinthians 9:16 he wrote, "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!" "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22).
Finally, we should be watchful. "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6). "...it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed (Romans 13:11).
May this unique Person occupy the first place in our hearts and affections. May this unique love be shed abroad in our hearts, and then most certainly we shall be for God a unique people.
Dr. T. Cyprian Kia
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