“And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.”
— Genesis 29:26
"We do not excuse Laban for his dishonesty, but we scruple not to learn from the custom which he quoted as his excuse. There are some things which must be taken in order, and if we would win the second we must secure the first. The second may be the more lovely in our eyes, but the rule of the heavenly country must stand, and the elder must be married first. For instance, many men desire the beautiful and well-favoured Rachel of joy and peace in believing, but they must first be wedded to the tender-eyed Leah of repentance. Every one falls in love with happiness, and many would cheerfully serve twice seven years to enjoy it, but according to the rule of the Lord’s kingdom, the Leah of real holiness must be beloved of our soul before the Rachel of true happiness can be attained. Heaven stands not first but second, and only by persevering to the end can we win a portion in it. The cross must be carried before the crown can be worn. We must follow our Lord in his humiliation, or we shall never rest with him in glory." C. H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening : Daily Readings November 14 PM.
As there are seasons in nature, there is an order to life. Just as summer comes before fall so faithfulness comes before fulfillment. So many times we want to get the blessing of God without first being faithful. In order to live in Christ we must die to self. There is a divine order to all things. We must surrender before we can be saved. We must seek first the Kingdom of God and then all the other things will be added.
Is your life in order? How and from what have you excused yourself from obedience? What wrong expectations have you placed on God?
1 comment:
What a great way to think about that story! I also found some Scripture to also affirm the appropriate order of things.
There's order in what John the Baptist said in John 3:30. "He must become greater, I must become less."
I really like this blog topic a lot. I don't know why but this really strikes a cord in my small brain. It makes perfect sense. Thanks!
Post a Comment