+DEV+ Jesus: Commander in Chief

Date: August 13, 2012 7:02 AM
Topic: +DEV+  Jesus: Commander in Chief

Jesus: Commander in Chief

"So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, 'It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.'"  (Genesis 32:30)
Scripture Focus: Genesis 32:22-32

Up until this time, Jacob had been winning life's battles by his deceit and cunning - using the ways of the world. He cheated Esau and deceived his father, Isaac. Jacob then tricked his father-in-law, Laban, and escaped as a very rich man. At Peniel, he was alone in the wilderness and met a visitor with whom he physically wrestled all night. The "man" crippled Jacob and then changed the patriarch's name to Israel.

Every human who was ever born wants, like Jacob, to be in control. We want to command our own lives and to be autonomous - having our own will be done. On this night in the ancient Near East, Jacob discovered the folly of his thinking. Only God is sovereign over the affairs of this world, and over our individual lives. It is with this God - the preincarnate Christ - that Jacob wrestled and was overcome. His life was changed forever. "Israel" means "God commands." For the rest of his life, Jacob would be reminded by his limp, and by his name, that only God's commands will ever be accomplished.

Insight: Jesus Said In John 14:15, "If You Love Me, You Will Obey What I Command." To Love Jesus Means To Align Your Will To His.