8/7/22 - Unusual Agencies - Genesis 30 - Pastor Jason Fritz

Genesis chapter 30 could be titled, “Birth Wars.” It’s the story of Rachel and Leah in competition. Each wants what the other has. Rachel was gorgeous but struggled to bear children. Leah was ordinary but fertile. She struggled to be loved. Leah has the upper hand at first, but after getting what she wants, she is still not satisfied. This is the true human condition. In the writings of Augustine we read this famous line: 

“You stir man to take pleasure in praising You, because You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.”

Augustine is pointing out the fact that apart from knowing God through his son Jesus Christ, there will be a restlessness in your life. It is that God shaped void we try to fill with the things of the world. Your life is a series of choices that either move you toward God or away from God. When you make decisions that move you toward God you find that much needed rest. But for so long we’ve attached ourselves to things we think will satisfy…they don’t. Yet we are afraid to give them up. We live in a society that wants you to believe you are always a victim and never a conqueror. For many this has become their identity. The problem with a victim mentality is that people are not challenged to overcome their obstacles. Don’t think of giving up, think of giving over and be prepared for God to do something you never dreamed.

Consider Rachel, she had everything in her young life. Dreams of love surrounded her but that began to change when she realized, “I’m barren.” “How could this happen to me??” Have you ever faced this reality?  “My spouse is cheating, my kids are a train wreck, my job is over, I have cancer, I’m addicted, I’m in jail. Me?”

Whether you are beautiful like Rachel or plain like Leah, we all have our problems. So here’s a lesson - Stop looking at others and set your eyes on what God is doing in your life. I would assume that Rachel probably needed some humility in order for her to be sympathetic to others. At first, she was the apple of her husband’s eye. But then that apple started to sour and her sister started to sweeten. Humans are fickle and fragile. Remember friends, there is an unconditional love God has already given you through his son Jesus.