Happy Friday. It is January 20, 2023. Your future is filled with potential and loaded with promise. However, like any precious treasure, it must be protected from thieves and robbers. It can even get misplaced and, consequently, lost. Our futures are priceless but fragile and can be forfeited overnight. It happened with Reuben. It happened with Esau, and it can happen again. So, read on …
Today's Reading:
Genesis 49,50; Psalms 8; Luke 20
Scripture
“Reuben, you are my firstborn; my might and the beginning of my strength, but … you shall not have preeminence because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it …” (Genesis 49:3-4)
Observation
In this section, three of Jacob’s twelve sons are judged for their prior behavior. Simeon and Levi would eventually be absorbed into the other tribes, and Reuben would lose his firstborn rights. He traded his inheritance for a night of pleasure. Typically, being the firstborn would have meant he’d be the most prestigious. However, Reuben did not protect his future. He had relations with one of Jacob’s servant wives, Bilhah. He let his lack of self-control and loose sexuality impeded his future.
Application
God has promised me my future; it is filled with hope and infused with the potential to influence and impact the next generation. I will see his promise come to pass through books, mentoring, and shepherding. However, it is not ironclad or guaranteed. Reuben forfeited his future through looseness. Esau, Jacob’s brother, was another example. Like Reuben, he did not protect his future and lost his inheritance. Esau didn’t think his future was something intentional. He didn’t believe it was in the hands of God but instead left it up to himself or chance. He figured that his future would simply “happen.”
Some years ago, God impressed my heart with Joseph’s blessings as what would be my own: “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; its branches run over a wall. ‘The archers … shot at him and harassed him; but his bow remained firm, and his arms were agile from the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Genesis 49:22-24).
I must protect my future by protecting my root system, my closeness with God, and my self-control.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to protect my future today. Thank You for this incredible lesson. May I live in obedience while walking very closely with You so that one day, I will look back and see Your Promise fulfilled!
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