Give Grace Again

Give Grace
In Genesis 32 we read the story of how Jacob was alone and unexpectedly wrestled with God all night long.  Jacob would not quit wrestling until God had blessed him.  God did bless Jacob and even gave him the new name of Israel.  Jacob was a changed man! 
The reason Jacob was alone was because he had sent his men with gifts to give to his brother Esau.  Twenty years had passed since the brothers were together and Jacob was afraid Esau was going to kill him over the trickery used by Jacob to secure a better inheritance from their father.
Jacob was worried for twenty years!  That seems like a burden to carry for far too long.  The day had finally arrived, and the brothers were going to be face to face again.  Genesis 33:1  “Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men…”
Do you know what happened?  If it was a made-for-TV show, this moment would have been a great season cliffhanger!  Genesis 33:4 answers how things turned out: “But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”
Seems unexpected!  Esau was also now a changed man.  Both brothers have spent years trying to control everything around them.  Controlling people tend to strain relationships.  Perhaps both brothers realized by now that they can not control how others respond, but we can choose to show grace to even the most difficult person we know.
Isn’t that what God has done for each of us?  In spite of ourselves, He loved us first and showed us the grace we did not deserve.  May we all be more grace givers than ever before!
Pastor Tom

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