Genesis 38:1-30
Another Son of Jacob

Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, was a failure. He failed as a brother by selling Joseph to Ishmaelite traders. He failed as a son of the covenant by, in disobedience, marrying a Canaanite woman. He evidently failed as a father, since two of his three sons were so evil that God zapped them. He failed as a father-in-law by dodging his responsibility to Tamar in her widowhood. Yet from the line of Judah came King David and King Jesus. Have you ever felt that God can’t use you because you are a failure? After the sermon on Sunday, I heard a presentation in life group about an opportunity to share the gospel in prisons – home to many people who feel their lives are ruined beyond redemption. Ask God – the same God who showed such grace and mercy to Judah – for encouragement for any who see themselves as failures.

If you don’t identify with Judah in his disastrous failure, remind yourself before the Lord that your standing as one of His chosen people doesn’t depend on your will or your works. Lord, protect me from arrogant pride. I need your grace and mercy as much as Judah did.

Calvary Family

Jim Hatcher is thanking God for new missionaries arriving on the harvest field. Please pray for James and Virag Wheeler-Mezei, who will be serving with Greater Europe Mission in Hungary, and Reg and Kim Frank (with their children), who will be serving in Austria. Think about the steep learning curve they face as they begin ministry in a new land and ask the Lord to help them.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert
Calvary Community Church of Brea

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