Say what you will about scheming, lying, cheating Jacob, but he wanted God more than anything else! In contrast, his brother Esau wanted only grub to satisfy his carnal taste; he was not interested in the spiritual.
We hear much preaching and singing today about God’s grip on us, but little of our grip on God.
I remember an incident when our firstborn son, Andrew, was still a child. We lived upstairs over my in-laws. Tornado-type winds arose sending us outside to be with our loved ones on the lower, safer level. As I took my boy in my arms, I recall I had an almost smothering hold on him. But no more than he had on me; you could not have torn him away from me. To say the least, I loved it. And let me add, so does our heavenly Father when we hold Him as such!
I have always loved the story of the Shulamite girl in Song of Solomon. In chapter three we find that she temporarily lost contact with the Lover of her soul. So she set out determined to find Him, looking and searching everywhere. Finally we are told, “I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go.…” May God help us to emulate her example.
Barnabas exhorted those early believers at Antioch, “…that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.”
by an Aged Saint
Dear Bro. Richard. I was moved to share today's lesson on my Facebook feed with my friends. We often thank service members for their service to our nation and rightfully so. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your faithful service to the Lord and your continuing blessing of His people through your words. Here is what I wrote about you on my Facebook post: From time to time I have shared the writings of an aged saint of God whom I first met when I was a child. He was one of the finest preachers that I have ever had the privilege of hearing teach from the Word of God. He must be nearing ninety years old by now, but still writes impactful words that touch the hearts of his readers. Today's lesson blessed me and I thought it might my friends and family as well. Please consider reading this short observation by Richard Sandlin.