- Genesis 23 Daily DEVO “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” Genesis 23:11 – Struggles in life will come. So what can we learn from this passage about handling struggles? First, if not the one struggling, be willing to let go of things if it would help someone out. Time, a room in your home, or some land like in the story, be willing to put the person first. Second, if you are the one struggling, allow others to help you. Isolating yourself may seem like the best way to handle it all. Just know it’s not. Yes, we all need time to ourselves and I encourage you in such times take it, but always reconnect. We are meant to be together. Learn from this sad story of Abraham the importance of being there for each other and the importance of humbling yourself to let others be there for you. God never meant us to stay alone. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 503
- And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Genesis 23:2 – Even the great Abraham suffered loss, pain, and death. This is a truth that for whatever reason can get lost sometimes, that as Christians we’ll still experience hardships. Just because we place our faith in Jesus we don’t suddenly become free of things like pain and loss. So what benefit is there then to a relationship with Jesus then if bad things aren’t stopped? With Jesus we can begin to see a purpose behind the pain. With Jesus we have a solid place to fall into that can hold us steady when the pain is too much. With Jesus we have a promise of a future that will exceed the limits of our imagination. No, Jesus doesn’t take away all the pain of life, but He gives us purpose, love, and hope in the pain. If your reason for not following Jesus is because you were told He takes all our pain away then I’m sorry you were taught such a wrong gospel. If that was true why would Jesus Himself experience so much pain and loss in His physical life? What you can find in Jesus is a companion that will forever be with you in the pain and has to power to work good even out of the most broken of parts of your story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1827
- Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants. Genesis 23:16 – While living a full and holy life, Sarah passes away and Abraham rightfully mourns the loss of his spouse. Reaching out to the people of the land he was in, he asked to purchase a burial place for Sarah, a cave owned by a man named Ephron. In the chapter we see Ephron follow the custom of their culture when it came to bargaining deals. First the owner would politely agree to give it freely to the would-be buyer, knowing that they would refuse the free gift and ask for beginning amount. The seller would then give a far too high of price that would begin the back-and-forth bargaining. Yet, when Ephron gives the high price of 400 silver shekels, Abraham simply agrees to the price with no further deal making. Even in his sorrow, Abraham was willing on be generous and behave in a way that was unlike the world around him. How often though do we use the circumstances of our life as excuses to behave in ways that don’t distinguish us as followers of Jesus? We may be in sorrow, we may be hurting, we may be struggling, yet those aren’t spaces we are allowed to set aside our witness in. How we speak, act, and treat people in those times of our life especially can either attract people to Jesus or push them away from Him. Take hold of the peace, joy, and strength Jesus offers so you can remain a holy witness for Him in all seasons of life. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2829
Daily DEVO 