A TIMELY OFFERING?
MEMORISE:
And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. Genesis 27:20
READ: Genesis 27:20-33
20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me.
21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.
25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank.
26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.
27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed:
28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
30 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
31 And he also had made savoury meat, and brought it unto his father, and said unto his father, Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me.
32 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou? And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau.
33 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, Who? where is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed.
MESSAGE:
When Isaac asked Esau to prepare a delicious meal of venison (deer or antelope meat) for him to eat so that he could pray for him, Rebekah took advantage of the short distance between Jacob’s tent and his flock, ensuring that the dish was prepared and the blessing stolen before Esau returned. The quick response worked to the advantage of Rebekah and Jacob.
I shared a need of the Church with one of my sons and instead of promptly meeting it because of its urgency, he said he would go and pray about it. The following week when he came, ready to meet the need, God had already raised somebody else to resolve the issue. He felt bad about it. What a lesson.
Some people criticized the woman at Bethany for ‘wasting’ the ointment instead of selling it to provide for the poor. Jesus rebuked them, saying:
“She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.” Mark 14:8
By the time this same woman, along with another and Jesus’ mother came to anoint the body of the Lord after His death, it was a belated gesture; Jesus had risen! Thankfully, Mary Magdalene had given her sacrifice before it was too late.
We must always be ready to do good according to Galatians 6:10:
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”
May the Lord grant you the grace and wisdom to offer your gifts at a time acceptable unto Him, in the mighty name of Jesus. May your gift or sacrifice to God never be considered late by Him. May the Lord never have cause to raise someone else in your stead, in the mighty name of Jesus.
ACTION POINT:
Identify areas of need in the Church and your neighborhood. Decide to meet as many of such needs as you can, before it is too late.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 57-59.
HYMN 15: MUST I GO AND EMPTY HANDED.
1. “Must I go, and empty-handed,”
Thus my dear Redeemer meet?
Not one day of service give Him,
Lay no trophy at His feet?
o Refrain:
“Must I go, and empty-handed?”
Must I meet my Savior so?
Not one soul with which to greet Him,
Must I empty-handed go?
2. Not at death I shrink or falter,
For my Savior saves me now;
But to meet Him empty-handed,
Thought of that now clouds my brow.
3. Oh, the years in sinning wasted,
Could I but recall them now,
I would give them to my Savior,
To His will I’d gladly bow.
4. Oh, ye saints, arouse, be earnest,
Up and work while yet ’tis day;
Ere the night of death o’ertake thee,
Strive for souls while still you may.
