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The Bent Knee Time – November 14

STUPIDITY AND WOOING

 Genesis 27:46; Gen_28:1-9

God’s wooing never ceases while there’s the least chance of winning. Isaac’s blessing— in the very language used—was a reminder to scheming Jacob that only through God’s blessing could he be blest or succeed. His cunning bargaining would fail. Its results wouldn’t be worthwhile when the final reckoning was made. They would only embitter his last years. He goes stupidly on scheming and bargaining, depending on himself alone, but the wooing goes on, too, and finally wins.

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The Bent Knee Time – November 13

GOD WINS

Genesis 28:10-22

God and sin are sharp rivals: sin, ugly, hard, persistent, and God relentlessly pure, gently, patiently wooing men. It’s a continual nip and tuck, with God a head and a heart in the lead. The sting and hurt of sin are everywhere. And God is always on the heels of sin to heal the hurt, neutralize the sting, and woo the man. Jacob flees from Esau’s hounding hate. God eagerly pursues Jacob. And God wins.

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The Bent Knee Time – November 10

PAYING THE BILLS

Genesis 37:29-36

Sin is self-executive. Every sin pays its own bills. There’s a hell of suffering in every sin. When sin is let into the life its brood— pain, broken hearts, broken lives, remorse, and worse—comes in, too, and some day will break out and run riot, unless a stronger power intervenes. Jesus’ dying is appreciated fully only where sin’s badness is fully recognized.

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The Bent Knee Time – November 09

MOTIVE MORE THAN EMOTION

Genesis 27:30-45

Weak impulses or bad ones, yielded to. are hard on the tear-ducts. There’s bound to be a bad emotional storm before the thing’s over. Tears are very impressive; they sway a lot of people. But one should look through the tear-mist to see what motive controls. Motive is more than emotion. If Esau had been thoughtfully right in his motives beforehand, his emotions wouldn’t be having such a hard time now.

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The Bent Knee Time – November 08

IMPULSE OR PURPOSE?

Genesis 27:11-17

A man’s character is revealed most by his sober second thought. An impulse may be bad or good; a deliberate purpose is worse or better; it can strengthen or check the impulse. Esau was impulsive, a bundle of impulses, sometimes good, sometimes weak or bad. God couldn’t use him. Jacob was the stronger character, a cool, deliberate thinker. That made his badness worse, and his goodness better, when at last he yielded his life to God.