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In Pastor’s sermon from Genesis 29-30 he explained, unlike Genesis 28 where we see Jacob looking to God, these two chapters stand in stark contrast as God is never mentioned.  Jacob, along with his two wives, and Laban are shown making choices that outright ignore God. As I have reflected on these passages, two concepts stuck out to me: 1) God was still true to his word, despite Jacob’s sinfulness, and 2): God still allowed Jacob to “reap what he has sown” in his disobedience. How then, can we take these ideas and apply them to our lives today?

For believers in Christ, we can see these themes of Jacob’s life as we consider our own salvation. According to passages like Ephesians 1:5, 11 and Romans 8:29-30, God is clear that he has “predestined” (literally, “to decide beforehand”) people to inherit salvation. Though much more can be said about this theological concept, I want to specifically highlight the fact that the source of this salvation is God himself—He is the one who accomplishes this act. Our salvation is not dependent upon any merit or deed that we do; the ability to put our faith in Christ is only possible because of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) Even though we “complicated” things by choosing to live in unbelief and even outright reject God, His word is still clear: Those whom he has chosen to be saved will be saved because He has declared it to be so. To borrow another phrase Pastor used, God was with us, directing us even when we did not ask for it.

Now, even though our sins are fully atoned for by the blood of Christ, God still allows us to “reap what we sow” whenever we disobey Him. However, according to Hebrews 12:3-11, God does this for our good because he is our loving father: “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (v. 11).

How then should we take these ideas and put them into practice even this week? I offer two specific applications:

1) Remember that our salvation is not dependent upon our own merits but on God’s faithfulness to His promise. Especially remember this when you are tempted to become proud, whether it is arrogance (foolishly thinking, “It’s good that God has me on His team; look at all that I contribute to God!”) or what I call “inversed pride” (saying “Look how worthless I am; God’s grace could never cover my sin!”). This week, in moments when I am tempted to selfishly boast about my salvation, I will seek to humbly come before God and remember that He is the only one who enables me to do what pleases Him; when I am tempted to fall into despair about my sinfulness, I will find comfort in the hope that my salvation is determined by God’s faithful Word (Romans 8:1-11)

2) Praise God for the times in your life when he allows you to reconcile for the consequences of sinful actions. Moments like these are unpleasant and even painful, but they function as an opportunity for us to reorient our desires and affections towards God and away from ourselves. When I inevitably disobey God this week, such as when I irresponsibly use the time God has given me for my own selfish desires instead of fulfilling responsibilities like homework, I will seek to turn back to God in trust and dependence on Him.