What's stew got to do with it?

Today I read the very next passage in the Bible that mentions "Love".  Genesis 27:4, ironically, talks about food.  (You remember that we are taking this study "one bite at a time"?)  The Scripture reads, " and prepare a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die."  This was Isaac talking to his son, Esau.  Isaac knew that his days on this earth were short and holding true to Hebrew tradition, he needed to pronounce his blessing on his firstborn son.  Esau was that firstborn, so the blessing went to him, right?  WRONG!  Rebekah, Isaac's wife, had been listening to Isaac give Esau the task to go hunting, shooting the game and bringing it back to prepare for him the "savory dish" that he loved.  As Esau left to do as his aged father asked, Rebekah started scheming for the son she loved most, Esau's twin brother, Jacob.  Jacob, at his mother's command, was to play a game of "dress-up" and pretend to be his brother.  Jacob was to go into his father and receive a blessing that didn't belong to him.  Jacob, blinded by greed no doubt, obeyed his mother and did exactly that.  

After reading this passage, I asked the Lord repeatedly to show me what this has to do with Love other than have the word in the passage.  To get my answer I needed a little background:

While Rebekah was pregnant with her twins, she felt a struggle within her womb.  She inquired of the Lord as to why this was happening.   "The LORD said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." (Genesis 25:23)  She knew that the last born of the twins was to be served by the first.  This was a oracle from God.  Had she forgotten this on the day of the masquerade?  Had her abounding love for her second born (Genesis 25:28) clouded her judgement?  

And let us not forget Jacob.  There is no doubt that he wants to live up to the meaning of his name -- Deceiver.  Had deceit clouded his memory of the fact that he had already "purchased" the blessing with a bowl of lentil soup?  (Genesis 25:31-34).

Now, for "Bite #2.  Although Isaac LOVED his stew, the lesson is not about food at all.  Remember we previously talked about Abraham's love for God.  A love that compelled him to take his beloved son to a place of sacrifice.  Abraham some how knew that God would provide another sacrificial lamb.  His love for God put his faith in God to action.  That's it!!  Action!!  Love has to have a component of action.  Unfortunately, walking in a flesh that always has "self" as its centerpiece, our actions, although meant for "love" can become clouded, jaded, self-seeking.   

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."  
1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Lord, may I not be like Rebekah and Jacob.  May I always strive to act in love!  Help me to be patient and kind.  Take greed from me that I may not envy, boast or be filled with pride.  I don't want to be rude or self-seeking, easily angered.  Help my memory be short and help me to rejoice in truth.  May I be a protector, always trust, hope and persevere.  May I cement in my mind that your love NEVER FAILS!!  Amen.

One bite at a time.

As I began to think about studying the Fruits of the Spirit, I became overwhelmed with ideas of where to begin.  Then I thought I would work at this study the same way I would eat an elephant -- One bite at a time.

I thought the best way to begin was to look up Love in a Bible concordance since this is the first Fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5.  WOW!!  So many entries.  Surely God has something to say about Love.  So, just like when eating that elephant, I'm gonna take this one bite at a time.

When I think of Love, I think of that warm, mushy feeling you get when you are staring at that special someone across the room and catch their eye.  You know, when your heart is about to pound out of your chest!  Or of the first time your eyes meet those of your newborn child.  Love in an instant!  Although there is nothing wrong with these feelings, I'm not sure this is exactly all God wants me to know about Love.  So let's dig in and see what God had to say today.

Bite #1:  I started with Genesis 22:2, the first mention of Love in the Bible. This is the passage where God is telling Abraham to take Isaac up to the land of  Moriah and sacrifice him there.  Can you imagine taking the child that you have waited for all of your life and climbing the hill on which to slay him?  I can't even begin to let my mind wander there.  I know that Abraham must have had great faith in the God he served to make such a trip.  Faith and love!  He loved God enough to take his precious boy on this journey.  He loved God enough to tell the men that went with them the he and his son would go ahead and worship and then THEY would be back.  Did Abraham somehow know that God was going to provide another way? Is that what LOVE does?  Does it believe that the impossible can happen?  Does it know that God will always provide another way?  The right way?  Lesson learned:  Love is not just a feeling.  Love is an action and Abraham acted on his love for Jehovah God!!  I'm not sure that I love like Abraham did but I sure want to learn too.  

 Not much of that elephant was eaten today but I sure did get full on what I had.  I can't wait to see what God has in store when I pull up to the table tomorrow!

New Year's Resolutions...NOT

I've never been one for New Year's resolutions. I never keep them so what's the point?  This year will be no different. However, I have decided to start working on the Fruits of the Spirit. Lord knows I could use a lesson in how to develop each of them in my life!! LOL! 

Each year I plan to work on learning what each fruit is (so this will be a 9 year process) and by God's grace I hope to apply each one to my life. According to Galatians 5, the first fruit is Love. Come along with me as I search out TRUE love, meaning Jesus! May I be willing to REALLY learn how He loves me and how I can extend that love to others.