Day 3 - Tuesday - Connect the Testaments: A 365-Day Day Devotional with Bible Reading Plan - Logos
January 18: Giving Up Control Genesis 30 ; Matthew 22:23–23:36; Ecclesiastes 7:6–12 We are born bent on our own ambitions. It’s in our nature to control and compete. And pride—often the source of this behavior—keenly notices the pride of others. Often, we want to point out the failing of the equally prideful and impose our own wills on them while neglecting to see these traits in ourselves. In Genesis 30, we find a myriad of characters bent on obtaining favor and selfish gain—often at the expense and exasperation of others. Rachel foolishly demands a son of Jacob (Gen 30:1), and then—because the family dynamics weren’t complicated enough—she has her handmaid bear her a child via Jacob. When she finally obtains a son, she is not joyful—she is triumphant: “With mighty wrestling, I have wrestled with my sister and have prevailed” (Gen 30:8). Leah uses bribery and her own handmaid to gain the attention of her neglectful husband, while Laban and Jacob continue circling, using, an...