January 15, 2011 Ordinary to Extraordinary

Ordinary to Extraordinary
Read Genesis 27-28

Gen 28:16-17 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

GOD AMAZES me. Jacob is far from perfect. He’s even a liar. Now his life is in jeopardy because of this deceit. Yet God enters into Jacob’s life and chooses him!
Through the rest of Genesis, there will scarcely be a time when Jacob is not involved either directly or “on the side” in the story. Jacob is a big deal. God will name him “Israel”. God’s people will take on his name. And a name is a very, very big deal to the Hebrews. It is who you are. The Hebrews would be “Israel”.
Why would God create Jacob with this kind of character?
I’m thinking of people I know who have been transformed from a life of deceit into a life of promise and peace, just as Jacob would be. Seeing these transformations assures me God is at work. And, I look at my own life and know how different I am because I have decided to follow God.
That is the story of Genesis, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These three men, the foundational generations of Israel from whom our Savior would come, are ordinary men whom God chooses to guide to fulfill his Kingdom purposes.
You and I are the same: ordinary in the world, extraordinary in the Kingdom of God. Seeing these changes in Jacob, in our own lives and in lives around us, we can trust God to take us to the gate of Heaven.


Pause and Consider: You are so extraordinary, God sent Jesus to save you.