GENESIS 21-40

Well, today I'm in beautiful Sunriver, OR with our new church staff members.  I have been teaching them and going over 75 pages or more in our staff manual full of philosophies, procedures, and practical information to build a work for Christ.  We have hired some great people and it is a joy to serve Christ with them.  Our church will experience the blessing of it and has already! Today, as I read in Genesis, I thought of these things: 1) GOD WILL PROVIDE- Gen. 22:8 says: "God will provide himself a lamb".  Notice that it does not say "God will provide a lamb"; it says, "God will provide HIMSELF a lamb".  God provided Himself a lamb when Jesus became the LAMB that would die for our sins.  John the Baptist said: "Behold the LAMB of GOD that taken away the sins of the world."  God did provide a lamb and it was GOD himself in the presence of His Son, God in flesh!  In verse 14, we see that Abraham called a place, Jehovah-Jireh.  It means: The LORD will provide.  If God cares enough to provide His only Son, He will provide everything else as well.  The Bible does say: Rom 8:32  "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" 2) LOOKS ISN'T ALL- Gen. 29:17 says: "Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and wellfavoured."  and verse 30 says: "and he loved also Rachel more than Leah,"  Leah had four sons: Reuben (See a son); Simeon (hearing); Levi (Joined); and Judah (praise). Now when she bore Judah, she "left bearing".  Rachel was greatly loved, but God chose Leah to bear Judah from which JESUS would be born!!  Now here is the lesson... we may not be well favored with looks, talent, abilities, wealth, personality, etc... But, God can still use us in a great and might way!!  Doesn't the Bible says something about that? 1 Cor. 1:26-28  "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:" Now another footnote: Gen 35:19  And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. (she died and was buried in the way, there Jacob put up a pillar) (later, Leah died and Jacob buried her with some well known people in the family plot) Gen 49:31  There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. 3)  DREAM BIG! - Gen. 40:8 "We have dreamed a dream".  This was Pharaoh's servants talking, but Genesis is full of dreamers starting with Joseph.  I love dreamers!!  I hope I am one too!  Why not be a dreamer for the cause of Christ?  Why not dream of teaching a class, singing a special, running a bus route, helping in Children's Church, giving to build a building or sending missionaries around the world.... dream, and dream big for God!! Well, so much for today, just three simple but profound thoughts.  May God's very richest blessings be yours today!! Pastor Mike Mutchler