Growing our faith
Jacob relied on the faith of his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. He learned to rely on the Lord God of the Holy Bible for himself. How?
Jacob experienced God keeping His promises to him.You and I are not to rely on someone else’s faith. We are to have faith in the living God from our own personal experiences.
We are to worship the living God in an intimate way, personally knowing Him. He is the same God which Abraham, Isaac and Jacob worshiped! Astounding truth! He is God, the maker of heaven and earth, the unchanging, faithful God of the past. He is the same today as at the beginning of creation.
God promised Jacob to bring him back to the land of his birth.
(NASB) Genesis 28:15 “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’”
God fulfilled that promise – twenty years later.
After Jacob arrived in the land of his birth, did Jacob obey God immediately? No, he didn’t. He procrastinated; he took his time getting back to Bethel where God had given the promise.
God uses our experiences to grow our faith, and Jacob was no different. Did Jacob always make wise choices after he began his journey of faith in God? No, he didn’t.
As we grow in our faith, we need to increase our reliance on God instead of ourselves or others or our circumstances.
Putting God’s word into our hearts (memorization) and putting His words into action – this is how our faith in God will grow. Has anyone arrived yet at perfection? Not in this lifetime!
We are to rely on God, leaning our full weight on Him… and not relying on our own understanding. So many times our understanding is faulty, incomplete, and simply not trusting God!
God takes the twists and turns of our tortured thoughts and makes them straight. Our faith grows in Him as we trust Him in our circumstances.
~ Take it to heart ~
Perhaps you can relate to the following:
I am to watch God work in my life with growing confidence and faith in Him.(NASB) Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.”