Wed., 1/29/14 Devotion (Gen. 30:2b)

Today's encouragement comes from Genesis 30:2b, which says this:

" . . . And [Jacob] said, 'Am I in the place of God . . . ?' "

Whenever anyone fails to look to Christ for the fullest degree of life and satis-faction, the inevitable consequence is the "deification of man." This is a very common form of idolatry. The simple fact is that no human being (who is not divine) can fully satisfy us. This would be true, even if this (non-divine) person was without sin.

Jacob could not give Rachel what she wanted (in the Genesis context above). Only God could do that. Let us be careful not to ascribe to anybody what only belongs to Christ alone: namely, the ability to make us supremely happy, con-tent, full, and free.

[Puritan quote of the day: "Let us labor to cherish union and hate division."
--Richard Sibbes, in, "Glorious Freedom"]