Sunday Rewind 7.27.08

Our "Journey thru Genesis" has brought us to the story of Leah and Rachel. And it's a strange story from the perspective our our world today. Most of us don't go to our Uncle when looking for a wife. Most of us aren't married to two sisters at the same time. Most of us don't buy our wives with years of work.

But as odd as this story is, there is one striking similarity with our world today...deception. Whether it's in dating, employment, business transactions, or char and home sales, deception is an integral part of many interactions.

The problem with deception is that it breeds deception. And that shows itself in this story in so many ways:

• Laban degrades his relationship with Jacob to economics.
• Laban shamelessly uses his daughters to secure his self interests.
• Jacob isn’t discerning enough to recognize the obvious traps.
• Leah and Rachel are set up for envy and division.

Through this experience, Jacob learned the reality of Galatians 6:7, "Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life".

The world tells us to sow seeds of deception:

• Relationships are regularly degraded to economics.
• People are used shamelessly to pursue self-interests.
• Blind eyes overlook obvious deception.
• Envy and division are allowed to fester.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Christ’s sacrifice opens the door for us to live differently:

• We're free to be the people He created us to be.
• We’re free to enjoy real relationships with real people.
• We’re free to place relationships over economics.
• We’re free to sacrifice our own interests to invest in others.
• We’re free to view the world with perceptive eyes.
• We’re free to find healing and wholeness.

Brothers and sisters, we are free to be the Body of Christ. A collection of people bringing glory to God…living wholly other lives than the world…sowing seeds of righteousness…harvesting a crop of real life…eternal life.