January 12. Rebekah, beauty in appearance & heart,

Readings: Gen 24:1-54, Psalm 8:1-9, Prov 2:1-5, Matt 8:28-9:17

Genesis
Abraham knew that finding the right wife for his son was very important because it was through their marriage that the nation of Israel would be birthed. v2&3, the thigh was considered an area of privacy & was associated with procreation.
v7. Here we see that an angel will go forth before the servant. Angels are often used by God as His messengers.
v12-14. The servant, like Abraham demonstrates an intimate relationship with God & here sets out how he would like God to guide him.
v15-16. It is my own daughter's birthday on 18th January & her name is Rebekah, deliberately spelled the same way as the original Hebrew. The name Rebekah means 'tying up or binding up' in the sense of captivating men by her beauty.
Rebekah was the Grand-daughter of Abraham's brother & in this passage we see how hard-working, sensitive & hospitable she is. The servant's prayer for guidance was very wise. He was asking God to show him the girl with the qualities required in Isaac's wife.
v26 &27. Praise & worship. We can learn a great deal from the servant's response. His first thought is to worship God & thank Him for His provision. It is very easy for us to lose sight of the One in whom we trust. Even when we have the greatest answer to prayer & the greatest victories, we can fail to give the glory to God. When people have been healed, they can lose their healing because they didn't worship God (trusting Him completely) nor give Him thanks.
v50. They knew instantly that this was the Lord's will & plan, it is amazing how when we pray for people they suddenly become receptive to the gospel. This is because our prayers actually cause a response from heaven & God will do whatever it takes to prepare them, Holy Spirit or angels. They also knew that there was no negotiation, because the Lord had decreed it!

Psalm.
I love to use Psalm's like this to worship God. When we look at creation our response should always be one of praise.
v3&4. David expresses his amazement that God is interested in a relationship, yet this was the ultimate purpose of everything He created.

Proverbs
Here we see some of the secrets to understanding God's word. Some of the revelation of scripture only comes spiritually. These are vital keys to developing the right relationship for God to open up the scriptures to us.
v1. Obedience - we cannot simply chose the verses which suit us. Store up, we are to meditate, understand & memorise verses into our very souls. The NKJV translates 'store' as 'treasure'.
v2. Listening carefully for God's voice from where wisdom comes. As we then combine wisdom & His word, it helps to give understanding.
v3. The word insight can also be translated 'discernment' - this is a spiritual, not a natural gift. Discernment is essential in gaining an understanding of scripture & is developed by a close relationship with God through worship.
v4. Here is proof that there are treasure in the Bible which not all will understand. This verse clearly indicates that there is effort required to seek it. Think back to the days of the gold rush or films of searching for hidden treasures & the consuming passion those have who want to find it. I can personally testify how wonderful some of the truths of scripture that have been revealed to me. It is when we commit to find them & search that God starts to give insight.
v5. Sometimes I get frustrated that others don't get some of the things I do, I'm nothing special, just a child of grace, but I have learned to follow these principles & it really does lead us into a greater understanding of God. But there is no quick fix & it does take a commitment on our part to allow God to transform us.

Matthew
8. In demonstrating the kingdom, Jesus showed us some scary stuff. Yet, I believe many are oppressed by demons or certainly under the influence. Those who have a supernatural ministry (which should be all believers) will recognise the type of prayer required to bring deliverance. Jesus ministry was however, rejected, probably through fear. When we start looking at the supernatural it takes us into a realm that makes us fearful & uncomfortable. But for Christians it should be the most natural thing, if we are citizens of heaven.
9. 11-12 I just love the way Jesus deals with the pharisees. Here Jesus is saying that He is here to meet peoples needs & is able to do so.