May 10 - Week 15 - Taylor Hays

Genesis chapters 31 & 32

You have heard the saying “What goes around comes around” and it applies well to Jacob’s life. Jacob lived his life by his wits and cunning but he finally met his match in Laban his father-in-law. Jacob thought that getting ahead in life meant outsmarting your opponent. Although he believed God’s promises, his faith was small. In chapter 31 Jacob saw a prime opportunity to escape from Laban’s grasp and he took it. He did this knowing that God had already promised to return him to the land that was promised to him. There was a lot of fallout from Jacob’s decision… his wife Rachel ended up becoming part of the deception and his relationship with his father-in-law was damaged beyond repair. They decided to draw a line in the sand and part ways. We can only wonder what might have happened had Jacob lived by faith and not by sight.

In the concluding verses of Genesis 32 Jacob is finally confronted with a decision about how he was going to live his life… guided by God or by his own will. Everything in his life to this point had been a “wrestling match.” He wrestled with his brother, his father, his wives and his father-in-law. The truth is all his life he had been wrestling with God… resisting God’s guidance by making his own way. On one night he finally met his opponent in the ring… God in the form of “the man.” Although it sounds like the match was a draw, in reality Jacob was hanging on for dear life. He limped away from that fight with a broken body but a spirit that was finally whole. Are you wrestling with God?


Psalm 16

It is hard to say that life is always “good.” When really bad things happen everything can start looking bad. That is why God is a “refuge”… a safe place no matter what is going on. The key word in this Psalm is “always” (v. 8). His refuge extends from birth to beyond the grave and “forever” (v.11). These verses are also looking forward to Jesus death and resurrection (see verse 10). The fact that He lives forever is assurance that we also will live forever with Him.


Proverbs 16

This chapter is packed with famous “words to the wise.” Your mother must have said some of these things to you:

Pride goes before the fall (verse 18).

Man proposes but God disposes (God is in control ultimately- verses 1, 9, and 33).

There is a way that seems right to a man but the end is destruction (verse 25).

My personal favorite is verse 31… I knew there was something good about turning gray!


John 16

Important things are often said as “famous last words.” In this chapter Jesus continues to provide his last words of instruction to his disciples… in just hours he will be facing his crucifixion. Although they do not understand all he is saying (despite the fact that they say “now we understand”), with our perspective today, we do understand.

There were 3 important messages:

1) The Holy Spirit would come and indwell every believer. In this way we are now able to be directly connected to God (see v. 13);

2) All believers now have direct access to God since Jesus has opened the way (see v. 23-24); and

3) Hardship is inevitable, but we will overcome because Jesus has overcome (see v. 33). Because of this we can “take heart” no matter our circumstance.