I am Leah

Genesis 29:31-35

31 When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Because the LORD has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me." 33 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon. 34 Again she conceived and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi. 35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "This time I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.

My middle name is Rachel, but in the past 24 hours, I have felt more like her older sister. She was in a terrible situation; married to a man who was so much more in love her sister, that, in comparison, his feelings toward her are deemed hatred.

What is her response? I think she has the mentality of Sarah, of Rebekah, of me and probably of you - to fix the situation herself. She takes advantage of a blessing that the Lord gives her, an open womb. The Bible here specifically shows that it is God who chooses who will birth and who will not, which is logical since it is God who prepares a destiny for each life. Leah, instead of being grateful, instead of pouring into these new lives of children who love her more than their father ever will, exploits them for one purpose: maybe now Jacob will love her.

Isn't that what we do? I am guilty of being so wrapped up in ascribing my worth from man's esteem for me. The ironic thing is that she knows Who the source of her blessing is. She gets progressively worse, though with the first three sons. With Reuben, she realized that God is seeing her affliction. Yet her perspective is limited: He is only the conduit of the solution to her problem with her husband. The problem, however, remains. With Simeon, God is no longer looking out for her, but just hearing of her complaints. Jacob still loves Rachel more, though. With Levi, God is hardly in the picture. She is still clinging to the notion that now, surely now, her husband will attach to her. Does he change? No, no he does not.

Finally, with the fourth son, her mindset shifts: "Now I will praise the Lord." After exhausting herself pursuing a love that would not be reciprocated, she turns to the One who loved her from the onset. His is the love that was, is, and will always be, and in its perfection, it always satisfies. In fact, it alone can satisfy. Why does Leah stop bearing children at this point? She has learned to be content in all circumstances, because her worth is found in the perfect Lover.

I have acted like Leah. We all have on occasion. But now, let us follow her example of repentance. Let us come before God, asking Him again to forgive our idolatry, our selfishness, and thank Him for loving us in spite of it. Let us be content with His love, letting it bring us peace.

God bless,

Alisha

Vested Interest

*Scriptures provided by Biblegateway.com

There is a thought that seems to have gotten lost along the path that begins when I first became a Christian and continues on to heaven. Or maybe, because I've lost this notion, I'm not on the path anymore, but rather I've lost my way by meandering as I seasonally do. The thought is this: God loves me.

I knew it when I accepted Christ. Why else would He send His Son? Why else would He die? I knew He loved me to save me. But I got caught up in legalism in my strive to acquire "holiness," forgetting that true holiness is only found in Christ. I forgot that it is my love for God that should compel me to obey, not that I had to obey for Him to love me. I had it backwards. For that matter, I had it backwards from the beginning. He didn't have to love me to save me; He had to save me because He loved me. I mean, of course, it took nothing short of love to endure what He did, but that's only an angle, not the whole picture. Ultimately, He saved me because He loved me so much that He couldn't bear to see my life in ruins without Him.

Proof. In this divorce-ridden world, we want proof of love. Let us turn to His love letter. For brevity's sake, I'll list it:

1 John 3:1 - God shows His love by making us His children.
1 John 3:5 - Jesus manifested Himself to take away our sin.
1 John 3:16 - Because He laid down His life for us, we know love.
1 John 3:20 - If our hearts condemn us, God's love is greater than our heart.
1 John 4:9 - Jesus was sent into the world so that we may live through Him.
1 John 4:17, 18 - His love perfects us, and this perfect love casts out fear.
1 John 5:3 - His commandments unto us are not burdensome.

Notice all these promises come from just one book. Imagine in the entire Bible! Each of these points can serve as a devotional by themselves. I could go into excruciating detail of how much work goes into each of the afore-mentioned actions that God undertook for our sake. But I fear that in the narrowing of the topic, I'll have lost the purpose of this devotional series - Back to Basics. Trust me. God's love took work. He invested in you.

Hence the title. He has a vested interest in you. When an American sugar company hears news of insurgency in the land where its plantation lies, it doesn't scrap the whole thing, ignoring the problem because it's not in the United States. It convinces American government to talk to the plantation's government to solve things peaceably in order to protect their investment. God has invested His most precious treasure in you when He turned over His Son. The price He paid was just too great for Him to give up on you now.

So all you ladies who thnk God has shut heaven, don't worry. He's just having a metting with the Board of Directors. He cannot afford to let you go. So don't you let go of Him.

God bless,
Alisha