Psalm 56:4 (English Standard Version)

 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

First things first, kiss the wife, make coffee and then open my bible app. What a great way to start the day. This opening verse is today’s verse of the day at BibleGateway.

Breaking it down.

In God, yes. John 14:20  

Whose Word I praise, yes. John 1:1 Philippians 1:11

Trust God, yes. Proverbs 3:5-6

Fear no evil, yes. Psalm 27:1

What can flesh do? John 17:2  Romans 7:14 Romans 7:25 Romans 8:3  

This is as the Word would have you understand, that no one line of scripture sits alone but that it is all connected to bring us to a better union in the scriptures. With Him and each other. How is it that this one verse reminds us of all the connections spread throughout the bible?

John 6:63

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

John 14:26

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Who among us has the ability, in the flesh, to bring total recall having read the bible only once? This is why John 6:63 said the flesh is of no help, that is not how we come to have an intimate personal relationship with Jesus. That can only happen by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

If we fail to recognize and receive the help we desperately need, we will become self-confident, arrogant, and fail to look to God not only for answers but instructions that are needed to live this life in Christ.

And that my friends was just starting the day. It is not over yet.

Genesis 31:7

yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me.

I often do a word look up because I have an idea what to address. Placing the word change in my bible app resulted in this as the first occurrence in the ESV. Not exactly what I expected.

The bible is full of examples of how people interact with one another and this is an interesting example. Note closely here that God was protecting Jacob even though Laban kept changing the terms for Jacob’s working in Laban’s field.

The field might have belonged to Laban but under the terms the yielding of the flocks were by portion granted to Jacob. God blessed Jacob and even though the terms kept changing, Jacob’s portion kept exceeding Laban’s.

Hear the voices of his wives.

Genesis 31:14

Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father’s house?

There was nothing left for them in their father’s house and their lives and future was bound in the marriage covenant. Here are the last words of this lesson in life and the change that came about because of God’s blessing, v16 “Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”

We have left our father’s house and made our lives with our betrothed, Jesus Christ and the terms of this covenant are different from those expected of us living under the roof of our father.

Rachel and Leah followed Jacob, we are followers of Jesus.

When I was looking to discover about this changed life in Christ, I discovered God has been talking to us throughout the bible and laying out examples for our understanding if we seek out what He has said about any subject.

This is but one sample, take, eat another portion.