Have you ever seen someone do something really bad and thought, “It’s a good thing I’m not God…!”
That’s my inner response when I read the story of Jacob lying to his blind, aged father in order to deceive him so he can steal his brother Esau’s birthright and blessing. What a despicable act!
Then along comes Genesis chapter twenty-eight. The scoundrel is running for his life, stops for the night, and God suddenly decides to speak His mind. If I had been the Lord and was choosing that particular moment to communicate with Jacob for the very first time in his life, the first sentence out of my mouth would have been a single word, “REPENT!”
But, then again, it really is a good thing that I’m not God, because I would have gotten it all wrong. Instead of pronouncing judgment, the first words the Lord spoke to Jacob were words of destiny and blessing,
“I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying…All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go…I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Why did God do that? Because He knew it was His unmerited favor (what theologians call, “grace”) that would change Jacob’s heart.
The Apostle Paul understood this dynamic. He wrote in Romans 2:4,
“Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? (NLT)”
Eugene Petersen’s The Message paraphrase renders the same verse this way,
“…did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.”
An important part of growing in godliness is learning to extend the same grace to others that God has extended to us. As we do, our witness for Christ becomes more effective in leading others to Him.
As Christians, there is a time and a place to speak words of correction, but our default approach should always be grace. As my mother used to say, “An ounce of sugar will catch more flies than a pound of vinegar!” The New Testament puts that principle this way,
“Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:6 (NLT)”
The next time you are incensed at someone’s sin and open your mouth to tell them what you think about what they’ve done, remember what God said to Jacob. He may want to use you to tell them what He thinks instead!
When you get this devotional, I encourage you to pray this prayer,
“Heavenly Father, help me to be like you. Help me to say what you would say in every situation and to every person. May the words that I speak to others cause them to want to know you. In Christ’s name, Amen!”
Pastor Mark
In High School, my best friend's mom always told me Jesus loves me and she would also tell me when i was naughty that God was going to get me, it's only now that I see that He has gotten me in a good way, not the way I was thinking I'd get got at the time. I thank God for my best friend and her mom's powerful witness to me through my turbulent teens.
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