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And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. --Genesis 32:24 Do you know the kind of person that God blesses? Well, it may surprise you. In the Old Testament Scriptures, you and I meet a man named Jacob who struggled with his faith nearly his entire life. More than anything, Jacob wanted to be blessed even if it meant tricking people to obtain the blessing. God eventually intervened in Jacob’s struggle and sent an angel of the Lord to confront him. Jacob grabbed hold of the angel (whom we may safely believe to be the pre-incarnate appearing of Christ Jesus) and he literally wrestled with him all night until God conquered him once and for all. So let me ask you a question. Are you struggling with your faith? Maybe you’re resisting God and trying to win at life through your own strength. Well, take heart! Even the apostle Paul, one of the greatest Christian who ever lived, said, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15). Paul also struggled with his faith. But here is what both Paul and Jacob came to understand: You don’t conquer in life by winning; you win by being conquered by God. Be the kind of person who God blesses. Let God conquer your heart. Hold nothing back.   YOU DON’T CONQUER YOUR WORLD BY WINNING; YOU WIN BY BEING CONQUERED BY GOD!

God Loves the World

by Dr. Paul Chappell

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Matthew 23:37–39

Most of the world religions throughout history have featured stern and largely unapproachable gods. These gods often demanded great sacrifices in order to be appeased. One of the distinctive traits of Christianity is that God Himself provided the sacrifice for the atonement of men’s sins. Rather than demanding that we make the payment for redemption, Jesus—God in the flesh—came to make it. John the Baptist was the first human voice to announce Jesus’ redemptive role. “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
There are many things in the world around us that are in direct opposition to God, and it seems that the more evil is displayed, the more it is applauded. Yet God loves the whole world, and we too were once sinners. Even those raised in the most protective environments of church were still sinners in need of God’s love and a Saviour.
Dr. John R. Rice wrote, “God loves this world! Let me say it again, because our hearts are so calloused to the blessed truth that it makes little impression upon us—God loves this world! He loves every sinner in it. The extent of His love is beyond human comprehension. He gave His own perfect Son, to be a man, to be tempted as a man, to live a perfect life, to minister among men and then to die a shameful death of agony that men might be saved.”
 

Today’s Growth Principle: 

We should love the world around us with the same fervor and intensity that God loves them.