354-Wherever You Go, He Will Bless You#
354-Wherever You Go, He Will Bless You
(Jp Text Group - Benjamin Compilation)
Let's start with a prayer together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for preparing this time for us to come before You. In Your Word, please supply us with what we need. May the Holy Spirit help us to stand strong in Your Word, to learn to use Your Word, and to remember Your promises in any situation, allowing our faith to grow in our circumstances and to gain victory in our lives through Your Word. Bless all the brothers and sisters who seek You. We pray in the name of Lord Jesus, Amen!
The topic of sharing is: Wherever You Go, He Will Bless You
Genesis 28:10-22:
10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 When he reached a certain place, the sun had set, so he stopped there for the night. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and He said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” 18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Through Jacob's life, we can see that he went through many hardships, and it was only in the latter part of his life that he understood God's intentions and began to live according to them. Jacob is someone everyone should learn from because he has both negative and positive sides; many people’s early lives resemble Jacob's.
The name "Jacob" means "to grasp," and true to his name, he wanted to grasp everything and make it his own. This is the state of many people today, using all means to turn what belongs to others into their own, not realizing that all blessings come from God.
Although Jacob lived in a family of believers, he seemed to have never truly experienced God; he only heard about Him from his parents. Therefore, when he wanted to obtain something, he did not pray to God but relied on his own strength to grasp it. When a person lives completely centered on themselves, they will go to great lengths. What did Jacob do? He deceived his brother out of his birthright for a bowl of stew and tricked his brother out of the final blessing. What was the outcome? All his scheming resulted in nothing. Although his brother could not outsmart him in cunning, he was physically stronger and, realizing he had been deceived, wanted to kill Jacob. As a result, Jacob had to flee his home and seek refuge with his uncle.
Brothers and sisters, Jacob spent the first half of his life relying on his own strength to grasp things, but in the process, he lost even more. He left home and did not return until after his mother passed away. The passage we are sharing now describes what happened while he was on his way to his uncle. At this point, he had nothing.
Genesis 28:11-12:
11 When he reached a certain place, the sun had set, so he stopped there for the night. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
Brothers and sisters, what do you see? He had fallen to such a low point that he left home with nothing. Where did he sleep? Anywhere would do; he slept on the ground with a stone as his pillow. If in the past you were very clever and used your schemes to grasp many things and deceive many people, but now you have reached Jacob's point, it might be better to turn back and not live that way anymore. Look at how Jacob's life changed.
In verse 12: He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
This was Jacob's first experience of God. I don't know how many of you listening today have experienced God multiple times. If you have never experienced God, you can pray and ask Him to reveal Himself to you; He will surely do so. But before that, please put aside all your cleverness, unless one day you say, “Lord, I really have no way out.”
Jacob's feelings at this moment were very complex. He had his own thoughts and wanted to grasp things, but now he had nothing and did not know what the future held or what kind of person his uncle would be.
Now, lying on a stone to sleep, it should be said that this was the most miserable time in his life. God came to him; He appeared in Jacob's dream. What did he dream? He dreamed of a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and there were angels of God ascending and descending on it. This can be said to be the angels. In the past, Jacob may have only heard about God from his parents in theory, but this was a practical experience, allowing him to personally encounter God. He established a relationship with God on his own, meeting God for the first time in a dream. This stairway can be seen as a connection between us and God, serving a similar role to a mediator; this stairway symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 1:51: He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
Jesus explained Jacob's dream. We understand today that the stairway is Jesus Himself. In the past, our sins severed our relationship with God, but now, between heaven and earth, there is a stairway that allows you to reach God and reconnect with Him. This is a blessing that comes down from heaven. What are the angels doing? They are delivering blessings and your prayers. This is what the angels are doing now. Even if you don't know it, you can imagine that every time you pray, your voice reaches God.
The phrase "ascending and descending on the Son of Man" means: your prayers will reach our God through Jesus, and the blessings from heaven will come down through Jesus. But if you live your life apart from Jesus, it is as if the stairway is broken. If you have never encountered Jesus in your life, or even rejected Him, then your relationship with God is also severed.
We do not want to rely on ourselves to grasp everything. I believe some people are already very tired of living a life of deceit and scheming. From now on, expect to live a blessed life, but not at the expense of others. Instead, pray to God, and everything you need will come down from heaven. It is easy for angels to come down and bring blessings. This is what Jesus did on the cross when He died for your sins; all blessings were given to you through Jesus. No matter what your needs are, our Heavenly Father will surely supply you. Remember one thing: do not grasp like Jacob did, for the outcome will only leave you with nothing.
The first point of sharing: Believe in God's promises, even if you fail.
Believe in God's promises. When is it easy to believe in God? It is easy to believe when we are doing well and achieving success. When we make mistakes, sin, or even fail, we feel unworthy to pray to God, thinking that He may not listen to our prayers. Look at Jacob's experience:
Genesis 28:13-15:
13 There above it stood the Lord, and He said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
This passage is God's promise to Jacob. When God gave Jacob this promise, it was not when he was grasping many things or feeling victorious; it was precisely when he was failing and had nothing, in his weakest moment. God did not rebuke him but came to say, “I am the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of Isaac.” Who is Isaac? He is his father. God's meaning is clear: I am the God of your grandfather and your father, and I am now your God.
I don't know how many people today believe in God only as the God of their father or grandfather. When will you see Him as your God? Just as God said to Jacob, “I am your Lord, I am your God. I will give you the land on which you are lying.” This is something Jacob could not grasp on his own. How could Jacob obtain this land? But God said, “I will give this land to you.”
Have you noticed that when you come to Jesus Christ, you do not have to work hard to belittle others or harm others' interests to receive blessings? Instead, God wants to bless you. God gives you blessings not only for your own abundance but also so that you can become a blessing to others. This is what God wants to give you in Christ Jesus.
Jacob had nothing at this point; what he needed most was God's blessing, and what God gave him exceeded his imagination. God said, “I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying, and your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth. They will not only be blessed but will also be a blessing to all nations.” At this moment, Jacob was not even married, yet God extended this blessing to him and his descendants.
Brothers and sisters, this is the blessing God gives us, which no one else can provide. Even if God tells you, if you do not believe it, look at those people in the Bible and see if they received it in the end. I encourage everyone to read the Bible and find the answers for yourself; you will have certainty.
God now begins to protect Jacob and take responsibility for him. In the past, Jacob was led by his parents, but now God will personally lead him. God will discipline him. What is discipline? The original meaning is “to train a child.” Jacob is like a child now, not yet knowing God, so God will personally train him because his parents can no longer guide him; they can no longer lead him, and God takes over.
Brothers and sisters, I don't know how many parents are still unwilling to let go of their children, even when they are 30 or 40 years old. You worry about them, and when they make mistakes, you worry even more. It is actually time to let go. When you let go, God will take over.
Just like Jacob, if he had always lived under his mother's protection, he might never have come to know God. But now he has to leave his home and live alone, and God begins to take over. God will discipline him and train him. Discipline does not mean making him fail; it means training him in love to change him.
At this moment, Jacob seems to have no good qualities. He deceived his brother and father, yet God did not rebuke him. Why not? God made it very clear at the beginning: I am the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of Isaac because God remembers the covenant He made with Abraham. Because of this covenant, God wants to bless him.
This statement is also what God said to Abraham and to Isaac. I am the God of your ancestors, and I will bless your descendants, making them a blessing to all nations on earth. Abraham had heard this, and Isaac had heard it too. God is simply reminding Jacob of this promise.
What I mean by this is: I hope you know that you are also a descendant of Abraham. This promise applies to you as well. I will give you the land on which you are lying and your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth. They will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. Does this sound familiar? God repeated His promise. At Jacob's lowest point, God repeated His promise, not looking at his actions. This is what God said to Abraham, and now He is saying it to Jacob. This shows that my God is a faithful God. He promised, and He will surely fulfill it. Do you know that you are a descendant of Abraham?
Galatians 3:29: If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Do you know this promise is for you? You are a descendant of Abraham; you belong to Christ. How do you belong to Christ? By believing that Jesus shed His blood for your sins on the cross and rose from the dead three days later, you belong to Christ. Being in Christ means you are Abraham's seed, and according to God's promise, you can inherit the blessings. This is what God said to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and you and your descendants will also be blessed. Hallelujah! All nations on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
So I keep saying that you need to recognize yourself correctly because you have God's promise and can become a blessing to others. First, God wants to bless you. And where is your assurance? You need to go back to the Bible and find God's promises for you. Whether you have failed or succeeded, remember that this is a gift from God. Even if you have nothing now or have messed things up due to your ignorance or self-righteousness, you still have the right to look up to the Lord and believe in His words. Jacob had nothing at this moment; surely you are better off than him. Let's take a look at Jacob's response to God 20 years later.
Genesis 32:9-10:
9 Jacob said: “Lord, God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, you said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper.’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps.”
Did God lie? No. In 20 years, God blessed Jacob. In the past, he was all alone, but now he has wives, children, livestock, and servants, all becoming two camps. Can you imagine? You may be failing and have nothing now, but this can be seen as a starting point, just like Jacob's starting point. Starting from zero, this is a new year; you can start over and look to God every day. I believe that in less than 20 years, you will also have two camps of inheritance. Amen!
The key is: can you believe this? Can you believe that God's promises will be fulfilled in you? God's words are for everyone who belongs to Christ, but not everyone who belongs to Christ believes that it will surely be fulfilled in themselves. God said to Jacob: “I am with you, and wherever you go, I will bless you.” God did not say, “Okay, I will first give you a house and a few wives.” No, when he woke up from the dream, he still had that stone and was still empty-handed.
But Jacob's heart had already begun to believe in God's promises. He believed that even though he had nothing now and had failed, the words God spoke to him would surely come to pass. Why did this work at this moment? For a person who likes to grasp things and rely on themselves, when they have nothing, they can finally hear what God has to say!
This is how people are. When we are prosperous and successful, it is hard to believe what others say about Jesus. But when a person is weak, fails, and has nothing, they know to call on this God, no matter what name they call Him. They might call out all the names of God they know because they have no way out. Why wait until that moment to look up to God's promises? Don't wait until you reach Jacob's point to seek His promises.
I still tell everyone, do not rely on yourself to grasp things; you really cannot hold on to them. Ecclesiastes tells us very clearly that Solomon spent his life grasping many things, but what happened in the end? After he died, those possessions were scattered and gone. Grasping anything in this world will ultimately leave you with nothing, returning to Jacob's starting point, sleeping on a stone. That is the outcome.
That night, Jacob encountered God, and God began to train him, teaching him that there are some things he should not do. Today I want to tell everyone that God trains us. He allows certain things to happen, even bad things, not because they are of no benefit to us, but because God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him. When Jacob was old, he looked back and realized that he had done many foolish things in his youth. It took 20 years for Jacob to change. Does our self-righteousness really need 20 years to change completely? We cannot afford to waste that time!
Look at the second point: Believe that He will fulfill His promises and bless you and what you do.
Genesis 28:15:
I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
God cares for Jacob not because of Jacob's good behavior, but because God is a faithful Lord. His promise to Jacob means that wherever you go, I will be by your side. Even if you are in the wilderness, I will not leave you alone; I am with you and the angels are with you. The land where you sleep, I will give to you and your descendants.
Wherever you go, I will bless you. This means: wherever you go and whatever you do, I will bless you. Do you know how great a blessing this is? Many people understand this blessing but do not grasp the meaning of this phrase. God tells Jacob, “Do not worry about what will happen when you go to your uncle's house. Wherever you are and whatever you do, I will bless you.” But it took Jacob 20 years to understand the true meaning of this phrase.
When he arrived at his uncle's house, he was still using his own tricks and schemes, only to encounter a cunning uncle. For 20 years, he used many methods he thought would lead to victory, but he failed in front of his uncle. Looking back, no matter how he tried to make the sheep mate, if there were no blessings from God, relying solely on Jacob's cleverness would not have accomplished anything. Jacob was still relying on himself, which is such a pity!
Many times, our lives are like Jacob's. We have already believed in Jesus, but even within 20 years of faith, we still rely on ourselves, fighting against the world, against our bosses, against our families, and against our children. Isn't that just like our “uncle” Laban?
What I mean is that if you keep relying on yourself to grasp things, it is as if God has not blessed you. In reality, even while you are grasping, God is still blessing you. Otherwise, Laban would have killed Jacob many times over. At that time, God said to Jacob, “Get up and go back.” At that time, his uncle was already determined to kill him, yet God still intervened. What Jacob did not know was that for 20 years, God had protected him and blessed what he did.
Many times, because we do not see God performing miracles, we think God has left us and is not protecting us. If God withdrew His hand, countless disasters, diseases, problems would arise in our lives. Look at the many people in this world who experience suffering, diseases, problems, and pressures every day; they have no support. The reason you can be at peace is that God's hand is upon you, blessing you and what you do. Because God has promises for you, even if you do not understand or know it, relying on yourself, God is still disciplining you, blessing you, and protecting you. This cannot be achieved by your own efforts.
Many times, when we succeed, we think it is due to our own efforts, but in fact, it is God who has lifted you up. We just do not want to let God support us, relying on ourselves. Jacob spent 20 years struggling; we do not hope for you to spend 20 years struggling.
Our lives are too short. We must believe that God can bless you in all that you do. Since God said, “Wherever you go, I will bless you,” you can go ahead and do things without harboring deceit. If you are in business, do not harbor deceit against others. Let go of your schemes, tricks, and self-serving actions. Others may say their schemes are better than yours, but if they come at you hard, won't you still get hurt? What I mean is to rely completely on God, believe in His promises, and trust that He will bless you and what you do.
Let’s look at a passage, Genesis 28:20-22. When Jacob woke up, he realized it was a dream, and he immediately became clear-headed. He knew that this dream did not come for no reason. In the past, he had heard his parents talk about this God, and now he had actually dreamed of Him. So Jacob began to make a vow.
Genesis 28:20-22:
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”
Now it is interesting; Jacob indeed had some theoretical teachings about God from his parents. After dreaming at night, he began to make a vow the next day, which is essentially a prayer. Jacob's vow is what we call prayer today. He believed in God's promises. Although he had nothing now, he was not afraid because God was with him. He also believed that God would bless him, but he was afraid that God would change His mind. So he used his own scheme to pray to God: “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey.”
Do you see? God has already said, “I will be with you,” but Jacob said, “If you will be with me.” This clearly shows his uncertainty. Even so, our God still fulfills His promises. Even if you have doubts, do not worry; just tell God. Do not doubt and then stop believing; this will only lead you further down the wrong path.
Jacob said, “If you will be with me and will watch over me on this journey.” At this moment, Jacob expressed his true needs very specifically and clearly to God. This is something we should learn from. He asked for food to eat, clothes to wear, and to return safely to his father’s household. He said, “Then the Lord will be my God.” This is a conditional prayer.
When we first believe, we often pray in this way to threaten God: “If you really love me and are truly my God, then please do this for me.” I believe many new believers have made similar prayers; I have too. God has fulfilled them, but after that, I still had a scheming heart. The next time I would say, “That last time doesn’t count; it was a coincidence, and that might not have been You. This time, if You fulfill this for me, I will believe You are my God.” And when it was fulfilled, I would say, “This was someone else helping me; that doesn’t count.”
In reality, we do not realize that even if someone willingly helps us, it is God who moved that person to help us. We always think that angels must appear with wings to count. Many people do not know that your neighbor who willingly comes to help you is also sent by God. Jacob's understanding of God was too limited, and he did not know how to communicate with this God. He simply told God the true state of his heart, and God likes that.
In the presence of our Lord, do not say exaggerated and hollow words: “Ah! You are my Lord, the God who created the world, the ocean, and the sun…” There is no need to say these useless things. It is better to be straightforward like Jacob:
“If You will be with me and will watch over me on this journey,”
which means: “Do not let wild beasts eat me, do not let robbers take me away.”
“Give me food to eat,” means: “I have nothing to eat or wear; please provide for me.”
“And let me return safely to my father’s household,” what does that mean?
“It means my brother wants to kill me; I need to return safely. If You can fulfill this for me, I will take You as my God.”
In fact, this kind of prayer, like a child’s prayer, is completely fine when we first believe, but do not let it become a habit of being a child who never grows up. Let’s think about it: even if God does not provide you with food or clothing, He is still God. He will not cease to be God just because you do not acknowledge Him. Sometimes we do not even understand this simplest principle.
Instead, think about it the other way: you are God, Your glory is full, and Your blessings are abundant. You will not be happy because others praise You, nor will You be angry because others insult You. You are God, willing to bless all things and all beings. You are such a God, so I can rely on You. You hear my prayers, and I am so happy; it is my honor. If we communicate and pray to our God with this heart, I believe our hearts will be filled with peace and gratitude toward our God.
At that time, Jacob was still using a transactional mindset: “If You bless me, I will take You as my God.” The stone I set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and one day I will set up a pillar here and offer sacrifices. Of all that You give me, I will give You a tenth. In fact, this teaching also came from his parents.
Brothers and sisters, the principle of tithing is not under the law; at this moment, there was no law yet, right? So, it is God who wants us to know that He is the God who blesses you, the God who protects you. When you are prosperous and receive blessings, please willingly take a tenth of what I have given you and offer it to me to prove that I am your God, to prove that you honor me. This is the principle of offering.
It is not that if I give you a tenth, You must give me a hundredfold, thirtyfold, or sixtyfold blessing on what I give You. God will give you, but if you have that mindset when you give, it will be hard to receive. Do you understand? Because you are still living in selfishness. If God does not give you, you might not offer again.
At this moment, Jacob's prayer was transactional. He repeated his needs: food, drink, and restoring family relationships. This was the content of his prayer, which seems very secular, but God heard it and kept watching over him. Why 20 years? Because it took 20 years for him to let go of himself and walk out of self-righteousness.
We do not hope to accept such a short training content and take such a long time to complete it. Letting go of self-righteousness means admitting that you cannot do it. “Lord, I cannot; please help me.” God is training him to let his life grow from immaturity to maturity. Now he is in a childish, immature prayer state. God will still give him blessings, but God hopes he will seek greater blessings, not only for himself but also to become a blessing to more people.
Jacob's life transitioned from constantly taking to selflessly giving others, which took many years. That is okay; God can wait. I also believe that God has this kind of attitude toward everyone who believes in Him; He can wait. If you are still living a life of self-centeredness, forming cliques, and relying on yourself, God can wait. When you fail, God will say, “I am your Lord; I will guide you.” When will our lives transition from constantly taking to selflessly giving? That will indicate that our lives have matured.
Genesis 28:16: When Jacob awoke, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!”
In fact, God is omnipresent. No matter where Jacob goes, God is there. Jacob named that place Bethel, which means the house of God. “I was sleeping in a place that is the house of God, the gate of heaven.” Is God's house really there? Is the gate of heaven really there? Jacob thought it was there, which is why he did what he did and said what he said. In fact, God wanted to tell him, “No matter where you are, the gates of heaven are open to you.” This is God's promise to him: Wherever you go, I will bless you.
I also want to tell you that the gate of heaven is not necessarily in Bethel, Israel. The gate of heaven is wherever you go, wherever you lie down, wherever you work, and wherever your home is. Whenever you are willing to open your heart to Him in prayer, the gates of heaven are open to you. We are living under an open heaven today. At this moment, the door of grace is wide open. Our God is always calling you; He hopes you will come before Him to receive His blessings. He does not want you to live like the world, relying on yourself to grasp and live selfishly. In the end, you will not gain anything. Only what God gives you cannot be taken away by anyone.
Jacob took the stone he had used as a pillow and set it up as a pillar, pouring oil on it and naming that place “Bethel.” In fact, he was saying, “God, right now, what I have to wear and use is just this staff and these clothes. I believe You will bless me. I believe the words You spoke to me will surely come to pass.”
Brothers and sisters, if you read on about Jacob's life, you will understand. He went to seek refuge with his uncle, then fell in love with Rachel, but he ended up with Leah. After one deception, another deception appeared. He deceived his father and tried to deceive his uncle. God always has a way to make us realize that this way of living is truly not blessed. If Jacob did not realize this, he would continue to learn this lesson.
In our lives, some things keep appearing repeatedly. If that lesson fails, and you keep failing the exam, what should you do? Keep taking the exam, keep learning. Until when? Until we truly realize the problem and let God help us overcome it. Then God will no longer let that lesson appear because you have overcome it.
At first, he deceived his brother, then deceived his father, and then deceived his uncle. What was the result? He failed. It took him 20 years to learn this lesson. God always has a way to make us let go of our cleverness and rely completely on Him. God does not force us because many times, when we grasp things ourselves, messy situations will arise.
Discipline is a manifestation of God's love. I want to mention that we should not think of discipline as something terrifying. God does not discipline you with accidents, diseases, or death. That is impossible. God disciplines us to benefit us, to help us bear abundant fruit. Discipline is training, and training means there are certain things we should absolutely not do. This is training. For example, do not deceive others. This is a lesson Jacob taught us through his life!
You are loved by God, and He will definitely train you, removing those excesses and obstacles that prevent you from receiving God's blessings. Of course, God will not forcibly take them away. God will use people, environments, and situations to gradually make us indifferent to those things. In the later stages, when Jacob went to meet Pharaoh in Egypt, he no longer deceived but instead extended his hand to bless Pharaoh. He became a giver. Brothers and sisters, I hope you can understand this because all our blessings are not grasped by us but given by God. Amen! Thank and praise the Lord!
If you are a hot-tempered person, God wants to change that temper. You pray to God, “Lord, my temper is too explosive; please help me change.” After praying, if you encounter a boss with an even worse temper, do not complain, saying, “Lord! Why did You let me meet such a person?” Because this is beneficial for you. Only under his authority can you truly restrain those flaws and eventually make them disappear. If you were given a gentle boss, you might eat him alive, and your temper would become even worse.
Isn't Jacob like this? God was blessing him and training him. Unless he encountered someone more capable than himself, in the past, he deceived his brother and father because those two opponents were not capable. Now he met his uncle, who was cunning, and he could not outsmart him. Have you noticed that in such an environment, Jacob's temper changed, and his character changed? Amen!
I hope brothers and sisters can know through these lessons that we are the ones who inherit blessings. There is no need to live like Jacob. Please remember that if you are the best in some area, you are definitely not. One day, when you meet a rival, you will know you are not. There is a saying: “There are mountains beyond mountains, and there are people beyond people.” Do not say you are the best at anything. The word “best” should not be used to describe people; it should be used to describe Jesus.
God, through certain environments and people, smoothed out the things that hindered Jacob from receiving God's blessings. This is God's blessing. If he had always lived in his mother's house, such bad habits might have continued to grow, and he would not have recognized himself. God trains us to benefit us. Hallelujah! Now that we are in an environment, we pray to the Lord, “Please help me overcome this environment.” But do not become discouraged or despair because of the environment, or even deny God. Please remember that in all things, God can use them to ultimately benefit us. Amen! Just remember this: God loves you, and wherever you go, He will be with you, protect you, and bless you.
Many times, we should not be anxious. Why is a person hot-tempered? Because they are too anxious. So God gives them someone who makes it useless to be anxious. For 20 years, Jacob tended sheep. He could not deceive the sheep, right? In the wilderness, there are wild beasts. What about his temper? At that time, it would not work. It took Jacob 20 years to change, which is not easy. We do not hope for brothers and sisters to take such a long time to learn this lesson.
Because our purpose in coming to the world is to inherit more of God's blessings, I hope you all live like Isaac, obeying God's words. Do not become like Jacob, experimenting with whether God's words are true in your first half of life. Do not fight against God. Jacob's temper was so explosive that he could wrestle with an angel and not give in.
There are too many people who do not give in, but such people generally have a bumpy life. It is not that not giving in is bad; it depends on where you use it. If you use it for good deeds, not giving in will absolutely benefit your life. But if you use it for evil and scheming against others, it will be very tragic. Therefore, we still need to be wise about some things.
God changes Jacob and renews him to bless him so that he can inherit greater blessings. God is expanding his heart. Once his heart is expanded by God, He will immediately give him blessings. God promised to protect him and what he does. This is God's promise to Jacob, and now we see that God's promise has been fulfilled. He gave birth to 12 patriarchs, 12 tribes, and now they are all over the world. This is not easy; it is impossible to achieve these things by his own efforts. But God, through the terrible things in his uncle's house, accomplished beautiful things for him. What I mean is that even if the environment is terrible, God's promises are still fulfilled. Amen! God has promises for you, and He will also protect you and what you do. When you do not see results, please do not be discouraged. Continue to look up to His words and live, waiting for that day to come. Amen!
Finally, let’s look at a passage from Romans 4:13-16:
13 For the promise to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world was not through the law but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham.
This passage I give to you at the end: remember that you are a descendant of Abraham. God promised that Abraham and his descendants would inherit the world. What does it mean to inherit the world? God will bless you and what you do. God will bless all that you do; this is what it means to inherit the world. Whatever you do, you must believe that God will bless you, make you prosperous, and make you successful.
But you still need to be diligent. If you say you know you are inheriting the world, but from now on, you are unwilling to do anything, being lazy and selfish, you will still end up with nothing. It is not that God has not given you; it is that you are simply unwilling to put in the effort to receive the blessings. Just like when God was in the wilderness, manna fell around the camp of Israel every day. The blessings had already arrived. What did the Israelites need to do? They just needed to take their baskets and bowls to collect the manna. It was that simple to receive.
Many people understand grace and say, “I know, I have heard a lot about grace. We do not need to do anything; we just pray, and God will give us everything.” Three years, five years, ten years have passed, and these people still have nothing. It is not that God's words have become void; it is that they have not acted. Therefore, they cannot inherit the world.
You must believe in God's promises and believe that you are a descendant of Abraham; this is the first step. The second step is to be diligent in your work. This is not the law. What is the heart of the law? It is like Jacob, relying on schemes and tricks to seize things. That is the law. However, regardless of which category you fall into, whether you live under the law or within faith, God will not let His promises become void.
Inheritance comes by faith, therefore it belongs to grace. You belong to grace, and you must rely on faith. What do you believe? Believe in the words God promised to Abraham. Believe in the words God promised to Abraham's descendants. Amen! If you grasp these promises, live by them this week, and you will surely see the blessings. Over time, you will also be like Jacob, whether in wealth, relationships, or other aspects, God will lead you into a place of abundance. Amen!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You. Thank You for using such words to give us strength and help. Wherever I go, You will bless me, not because I have done well or stopped sinning, but because I am a descendant of Abraham. I belong to Christ, and You have promises for me. Because of this covenant, because of these promises, You will bless what I do. Right now, I may not see the results, but I still believe that in time, these prosperous blessings will come upon me. I will be more blessed than Jacob because I am a descendant of Abraham.
Lord! Please also give me a gentle heart and listening ears, so that I can keep Your words in my heart every day and live according to Your words. Thank You and praise You, allowing me to experience the power of Your words in my life every day. Hallelujah, all glory be to You. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen!