Jacob (Part Two)

Jacob (Part Two)

Praise God for His transforming grace. Apart from His grace and His power, there would be no hope for change in our lives.
Let's continue on now with Jacob and see what we can glean from His conversion story.

His Transformation...
In a dream Jacob has an encounter with God; the God of Abraham and Isaac. God speaks to this fleeing son of Isaac, and says....

"I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants...Behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis 28

In spite of how poorly he has behaved, God still chooses to come to Jacob in a dream and speak His transforming Word into Jacob's heart.
When Jacob wakes up, he is so shaken by the dream that right then and there he makes a decision to make God his God. "Surely the Lord is in this place." says Jacob.

He takes his stone pillow, anoints it with oil and sets it up as a memorial altar; a place of worship to God. Then Jacob makes a vow to give God one-tenth of everything that God will ever give him.

Thus begins Jacob's conversion story and the beginning of ongoing relationship, relationship, relationship with God.
Did you notice I said relationship three times? If you read the rest of Jacob's story, you'll find that he finished well. He is committed to honoring God with his whole life.

This was only possible because Jacob never forgot God in his day to day life. He never forgot his promise to God, nor did he waver from his decision to make the God of his father Isaac and His grandfather Abraham, the God he loved and served.

Does he do it perfectly? No. Just like you and I, Jacob makes many mistakes -mistakes which have consequences- but his heart is bent toward honoring the Lord in his life until the day he died.

I encourage you to take the time to read the biblical account of Jacob's life and find in it hope and encouragement for your own life. Whatever your mistakes have been; whatever the ways are that you believe you have messed up or blown it, take courage and know that the same God, who sustained our brother Jacob, can, will and does sustain you through each and every moment.
Jacob was a regular person; a simple person, like you and I, who trusted God in and through it all.
Stephanie