Yup. The indwelling. Thought v13 was in v12.

I don't know .... <thinking> maybe I didn't made it clear enough. So I will "sacrifice" you on the altar lar (forgive me).

Most of the questions asked ... is in the principle of the law or the Old Testament way. Can I wear "mixed" clothing? Can I have tattoo? Should I smoke? Should I practice Sabbath or not? Etc.

The principle of the law is you want someone human or something to tell you what to do steps by steps. Man likes to have clear instructions from the Bible concerning everything he does. If the Bible tells us what to do step by step, all we have to do is to act accordingly in a simple way. This is keeping the law.

By walking according to these hundreds and thousands of items of the law, a man becomes clear what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. He also becomes clear concerning the way he should take. This is the law. It is lifeless. Once a man begins to walk according to this dead law, he can put God aside and ignore Him.

However, God wants direct fellowship with us. He wants us to receive His revelation and then act according to His revelation. If we do not fellowship with Him, the Spirit will have no outlet for His work.

---------

In the Old Testament, people put on earrings in order to beautify themselves. So, spiritually, earring signifies self-beautification according to this age. Today’s culture promotes self-beautification. Men and women spend a great deal of money on items used to beautify themselves. Self-beautification leads to idolatry.

Paul says we need to "put on Christ". To put on Christ is to clothe ourselves with Christ. Whenever we clothe ourselves in a certain way, we indicate that we intend to live in that way. In like manner, to put on Christ means that we live by Christ, in Christ, and with Christ. In particular, it means that we live out Christ. Christ becomes the expression of our living. Immediately after we have been put into Christ and have entered into an organic union with Him, we need to live Christ, to put Christ on in our living. Day by day, we need to be clothed with Christ and express Him as we live in Him, by Him, and with Him.

Experientially, we are experiencing Christ in every aspect of our daily life, for example, in the clothes we wear, in the way we cut our hair, and in our attitudes. In everything, great or small, we need to experience Christ. In wearing shoes, in cutting our hair, and even in expressing our attitudes, we should have Christ.

So, the question you will be asking, does the Lord within you as you fellowship with Him, wear the earring with you? Do you have peace within? Is He one with you in this matter?




This post has been edited by pehkay: Nov 12 2014, 05:35 PM

The experience of Jacob

Laban's Squeeze

We will now consider Laban's squeeze (Gen. 30:25-43; 31:1-16, 38-42). In chapter twenty-nine Laban received Jacob for hospitality (29:14). After a while, Laban might have discovered that Jacob was quite smart and that he could be very profitable to him. Appearing to be kind, Laban said to Jacob, "Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?" (29:15). Laban seemed to be saying, "Jacob, it is not fair for you to stay with me without being paid. Tell me what you want." Laban might have perceived that Jacob had fallen in love with his daughter Rachel, and he might have said within himself, "Jacob, I will not let you have my daughter cheaply. You love her, and I will give her to you, but you must pay the price." Laban was wise and did not say this to Jacob, but he knew Jacob's heart. When Laban asked him about wages, Jacob said, "I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter" (29:18).

Because his love for Rachel had made him foolish, Jacob pledged himself to work for seven years to get her. When these seven years were expired, however, Laban did nothing concerning Jacob's marriage to Rachel. This shows that he had no heart. Thus, Jacob was forced to say, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her" (29:21). But Laban gave Jacob Leah instead of Rachel. When Jacob realized this, Laban justified himself by saying that it was not the custom in their country to give the younger daughter before the firstborn (29:26). Regarding Rachel, Laban said, "Fulfill her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years" (29:27). Here we see Laban's squeeze. If you recall your past, you will see that you also have been squeezed, perhaps by your husband or wife.

Laban was crafty and cunning, and Jacob could not defeat him. Twice Jacob said that Laban had changed his wages ten times (31:7, 41). Jacob complained to Laban, saying, "Thus have I been twenty years in thy house: I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle; and thou hast changed my wages ten times" (31:41). Furthermore, Jacob said to him, "Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty" (31:42). Jacob seemed to be saying, "Laban, not only have I worked fourteen years for your daughters and six years for your cattle, but you were not even willing to let me have my wives, children, and flocks. You have tried to detain them all." What sufferings Jacob passed through under Laban's squeezing hand!

Here is God's standard

“I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12).

Once He forgave us, He removes our sins from His memory, never to remember them again.

The experience of Jacob

Jacob's Trick

Eventhough Jacob was squeezed and threatened by Laban, he could still play tricks on him (30:31-43). One day Jacob told Laban that he wanted to go back to his own country and that Laban should give him his wives and his children for whom he had served so many years (30:25-26). Laban answered, "I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake" (30:27). Laban seemed to be nice, but he was crafty. Crafty people are always nice. Whoever is nice to you is crafty, but whoever is bold with you is honest. Laban was very crafty with Jacob, saying that he had learned that by having Jacob stay with him, he had received the Lord's blessing. When Laban said to Jacob, "Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it," Jacob answered, "Thou knowest how I have served thee, and how thy cattle was with me. For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming: and now, when shall I provide for mine own house also?" (30:28-30). Jacob seemed to be saying, "I have worked here for many years, but still I cannot provide for my own household. When shall I be able to provide for my own family?" Laban, realizing that if Jacob would leave, God's blessing would depart with him, seemed to say, "Stay with me. I don't care how much I pay you. Simply tell me what you want. As long as we are under God's blessing, everything will be all right."

Now we see that Jacob, who had suffered Laban's squeeze, had a way to steal Laban's wealth and make himself rich. When Laban asked him what he should give him as wages, Jacob said, "Thou shalt not give me any thing: if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock: I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the black cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire. So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep, that shall be counted stolen with me" (30:31-33, Heb.). Jacob seemed to be saying, "Uncle Laban, promise me one thing and I will stay. Take from your flock all the speckled, spotted, and black cattle and leave all the white ones with me. From now on, the cattle which are spotted, speckled, and black will be mine." Laban thought that this was an excellent suggestion, for he knew that the white cattle could only produce white cattle and that they could not produce any that were speckled, spotted, or black. Hence, Laban removed from his flock all the cattle which were not purely white and gave them into the hand of his sons (30:34-35). The flock left to Jacob was purely white. Probably thinking that, once again, Jacob had fallen into his trap, Laban "set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks" (30:36). As we shall see, this gave Jacob the opportunity to play his trick on Laban.

In playing his trick, Jacob took rods of poplar, hazel, and chestnut trees and "peeled white stripes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods" (30:37). Jacob then set these striped rods before the flocks in the watering troughs, "that they should conceive when they came to drink" (30:38). In 30:39 we are told that "the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle striped, speckled, and spotted." Jacob then separated his cattle from Laban's cattle. Furthermore, when the stronger cattle conceived, "Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's" (30:41-42). Thus, the speckled, spotted, and striped cattle were stronger, and the white cattle were feebler. I do not believe that Jacob's scheme actually worked; it was merely an invention of Jacob's clever mind. But whether or not the trick worked, the results appeared, and Jacob thought that his plan had been successful.

The experience of Jacob

Jacob's Trick pt 2

When Jacob saw that the countenance of Laban was not toward him as before, the Lord said unto him, "Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee" (31:2-3). Then, according to 31:4-5, "Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock," and told them that their father's countenance had changed toward him. After this, he related a dream he had had during the time the cattle were conceiving. In this dream he saw that "the rams which leaped upon the cattle were striped, speckled, and spotted," and he heard the Angel of God saying, "Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are striped, speckled, and spotted: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee" (31:10-12). When I read the account of this dream in the past, I doubted the truth of it. I thought that Jacob was lying because he did not want to divulge his trick to his wives. Eventually, I discovered that the dream was not a lie, for in relating it, Jacob said that the Angel of the Lord had spoken to him, saying, "I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me" (31:13).

Since this word cannot be false, the dream must have been true. While Jacob was playing his trick on Laban with the striped branches, God spoke to him in a dream, telling him to see that all the rams which leaped upon the cattle were striped, speckled, and spotted. In this way God indicated to Jacob that he did not acquire these cattle by his trick but by God's sovereignty. The principle here is the same as that in Jacob's gaining the birthright. While Jacob did his best to obtain it, it was actually given to him. Apparently, Jacob secured the birthright by his trick; actually, it was given to him by God's sovereignty. Likewise, apparently Jacob gained the riches of the flock by his trick; actually, these riches came by God's sovereignty.

There is a difficult problem in this section of the Word. In chapter thirty we are told that only white cattle were conceiving before the rods, but in the dream speckled, and spotted striped rams, not white rams, were leaping on others. How can we reconcile this? There are two ways. The first way is to claim that the dream was a lie. I cannot accept this. The second way is to say that this is a matter of God's sovereignty. According to this way, God changed the white cattle into speckled, spotted, and striped cattle in a way similar to His changing Balaam's curses into blessings (Num. 23:11-12; 24:10). However, regardless of the way we explain this occurrence, I do not believe that the speckled, spotted, and striped cattle were conceived through Jacob's trick but through God's sovereignty. Jacob's dream in chapter thirty-one reveals that it was God's sovereignty that actually produced these results. Compare this once again with the case of Jacob's securing the birthright. If God had not been sovereign in that situation and had not given Jacob the birthright, Jacob never could have obtained it through trickery. The principle is the same here. Jacob did not become rich through his trickery but through God's sovereignty.

Jacob had been chosen by God and he was under God's blessing. There was no need for him to play tricks in order to become rich. Since Jacob was under God's blessing, God granted him His blessing. Apparently, Jacob gained these riches through the success of his trickery; actually, they were given to him by God's sovereign, blessing hand. In principle, it is the same with us today. We also are God's chosen ones and are under His blessing. There is no need for us to strive or to play tricks in order to get God's blessing. God will grant us the blessing we need. Nevertheless, after being saved, we all have struggled and played tricks to get the blessing. In many cases it seemed that the blessing did come through our struggling and trickery. Actually, the blessing came through God's sovereignty. It is the same with everything related to us. We should not think that any blessing has come through our successful endeavors. Rather, we must realize that every blessing, whether spiritual or material, has come through God's sovereignty.

Hi tinarhian,

Yup .... God has chosen us, that means, we are all "Jacob" by birth. God only chose "Jacobs".

Aren't we all supplanters ? We wrestle with God [cf. Lord's wrestling with Jacob in the form of a man] all the time in various "forms" (wife, husband, children, bosses, in-laws, friends)

Although we may think that we are wrestling with our husband or wife, the other party is actually not our husband, our wife, an elder, or any circumstance, it is the Lord Himself who is wrestling with us. In our experience, we eventually realize that the Lord is here. For example, a sister may eventually say, "It is not my husband who is wrestling with me—it is the Lord."

This post has been edited by pehkay: Nov 20 2014, 11:12 AM

Got to love Leviticus 19:28.

You are very physically minded aren't you

I guess it is easier to follow outward ordinances or throw verses ... than to see the inward need. Not easy.

I like this verse, Acts 15:9, "He made no distinction at all between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith."

Peter's word about the cleansing of our hearts by faith indicates that God does not care for outward legalistic ordinances which cannot cleanse man’s inner being; rather, He cares for the inward cleansing of man’s heart.

We should be more concerned on the inward "tattoo wearing" in man's heart ...

This post has been edited by pehkay: Nov 20 2014, 02:24 PM

... well, that is the reality of Christianity today. If in the midst of Christians, we can bemoan the conditions of organized Christianity today ... but since this is public forum ....

Just have to be living, new and fresh and live in the Spirit ... pay attention to Christ than religion or traditions ....

Yeah I know what you meant

So Loki and Thor aren't that original after all

No one can overcome God

God wrestled with Jacob was to transform him [Rom 12:2] to be Israel, a prince of God, one who represent God on this earth. It has nothing to do with the devil per se.

What was wrong with Jacob that the Lord had to wrestle with him? There was nothing wrong. The reason the Lord wrestled with Jacob was because he was still so natural. Here the dealing is not with anything sinful; it is with the natural life, with the natural man. It takes a long time to expose our natural life. We need an extended period of wrestling before this can take place. Through this period of wrestling, our naturalness, like Jacob's, is utterly exposed. As we read chapters thirty-one, thirty-two, and thirty-three, we see how natural Jacob was. He had been dealt with and he had suffered a great deal, but, in chapter thirty-two, he was still natural. He did not trust in the Lord, and he was absolutely unable to express the Lord. He was natural, and his expression was full of himself.

Few Christians realize the crucial significance of Jacob's experience in this portion of the Word. Most devote their attention to dealing with outward sin, wrong doings, and worldliness, never thinking that their natural life, natural strength, must be touched. But the Lord is not only concerned with changing our outward living; He desires even more to touch our natural life.

Eg. Whether or not you exchange words with your wife, if your natural life has not been touched, you are still natural. In the eyes of God, there is not much difference between losing your temper with your wife or controlling it. If you lose your temper, you are you, and if you control your temper, you are still you.

Seriously? Almost or if not all, even atheist bible scholars agreed Jesus died

I think the context is important. To be flexible does not mean to compromise.

I don't remember the Bible telling us to be a rock. The only thing I can remember offhand is 1 Cor. 15:1-57. Here Paul encourages the believers to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. According to the natural life, we can be shaken even by a small thing. How, then, can we be steadfast? We can be steadfast only by the resurrection life within us. Resurrection makes us steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. Furthermore, it causes us to know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. Without resurrection, whatever we do is vain. But in resurrection our labor in the Lord is not vain.

I will agree "in principle" the need to be flexible. Rather, I believe a Christian is the most flexible person. Yet I won't put much weight in the philosophers as they can be inflexible about being "flexible" . Or in the case of most people's definition, pure political compromise. The irony is the when people tells us to flexible, they are not flexible to our "inflexibility in their view".

Why I say a Christian is the most flexible ...

1) Not a Matter of Eating and Drinking

At the beginning of the New Testament, we can say that John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus together give us a complete pattern of the New Testament. The two combined give us a full picture of the Christian life. Matthew 11:16-19 says, “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like little children sitting in the market places, who call to the others and say, We have played the flute to you, and you did not dance; we have sung a dirge, and you did not mourn. For John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say, He has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking; and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Yet wisdom is justified by her works.”

The New Testament has not laid down a strict code of outward conduct for Christians. The Lord Jesus said that John the Baptist came neither eating nor drinking, yet He came eating and drinking. This is the Christian life. The Christian life is one that mourns as well as plays the flute. Its emphasis is not on outward eating and drinking. The Lord Jesus acted in exactly the opposite way of John the Baptist, yet He was not opposed to John the Baptist. We can say that the Lord Jesus behaved like a Christian, and John the Baptist also behaved like a Christian. A Christian does not believe in the suppression of natural desires, nor does he believe in hedonism. A Christian can mourn, and he can play the flute. A Christian is a flexible person; he can act either way. This is what a real Christian is. Some Christians believe in enjoyment, while others believe in suffering. The two views are two “isms.” In the end one turns to hedonism while the other turns to asceticism. But between these two extremes, we have a flexible life, the life that a Christian should have. We should turn our attention to different things. Our attention should not be on matters related to eating and drinking.

2) Being Able to Do All Things through the Discipline of the Holy Spirit

Paul served God in a very flexible way. He became all things to all men (1 Cor. 9:19-22). If a Christian does not behave this way, he cannot be a servant of the Lord, because the demand of the Christian life is deeper than the outward issues of the outward man. The Christian life has nothing to do with the outward man. It has to do with the inward man. The Christian life is not a matter of eating and drinking but a matter of inner fellowship. The Christian fellowship that goes on within is more important than any outward activity. To a Christian eating does not destroy anything, nor does the abstinence from it frustrate anything. We are concerned with something deeper than these things. Eating and drinking are issues involving the outward man. But the Christian life revolves around the inward man. To God, issues that are related to the outward man are minor. The important and crucial thing is for the Son of God to be life within us. To Paul, the emphasis of the Christian life is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). All other matters such as eating, drinking, and clothing are minor and unimportant. Paul's life was flexible.

In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul said, “I have learned, in whatever circumstances I am, to be content. I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack. I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.” Paul said that he could live in abundance or abasement. He could be filled or be in hunger. These are all outward things; they are very minor. He is not necessarily in lack or in excess. He is not necessarily in abasement or in abundance. Our life must be flexible. It must be under the discipline of the Holy Spirit.

3) Transcending All Outward Things

First Corinthians 7:29-31 says, “But this I say, brothers, the time is shortened. Henceforth both those who have wives should be as though they had none, and those who weep as though they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, and those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use the world as though they did not abuse it; for the fashion of this world is passing away.” Paul’s word was very peculiar. In view of the greatness and glory of the indwelling Lord, all outward things had dwindled in significance. If we are filled with Christ, we will transcend all outward things. To a Christian, having a wife is as though having none, and those who do not have a wife need not ask for one. Weeping or not weeping does not matter. Those who rejoice do not have to worry if they are acting out of place. Those who possess are like those who do not, and those who use the world are like those who do not. A Christian is one who transcends all outward things.

Muslims are for the enjoyment of life. Buddhists are for suffering. But a standard Christian is not biased toward any side. He lives according to God’s sovereign arrangements, transcending the outward man. Paul's outward man was alive, yet his inward man was hidden in God and was forever unshaken.


.... good enough ....

The experience of Jacob

God's blessing

God blessed Laban because of Jacob (30:27, 30). Through His blessing, God preserved Jacob from Laban's squeeze (31:7-12, 16, 42). We must bow down, worship God, and learn the lesson not to care for how much we are squeezed by others. As God's chosen people, we are under His blessing. Although others may squeeze us, we do not need to play tricks on them. The more tricks we play, the more squeezing we shall suffer. But whether or not we play tricks, the blessing will be ours because we are destined for it.

Jacob began to play tricks in his mother's womb and he did not stop until he was transformed. Only when we come to the last few chapters of Genesis do we see that Jacob had ceased playing tricks. After Jacob had been transformed into a prince of God, he no longer played any tricks. In like manner, only after we have been fully dealt with and transformed will we stop playing tricks.

There are three main parties: the squeezing party, the trick-playing party, and the blessing party. God might have told Laban, "Laban, I shall use your squeeze as a means to transform Jacob, My chosen one. You cannot rob him of My blessing. The more you squeeze him, the more I shall bless him." Moreover, God might have said to Jacob, "Jacob, you did not become rich because of your tricks, but because of My sovereign blessing. You put the white cattle in front of the striped branches, but the dream indicates that the results did not come because of your tricks. In My eyes, the white cattle were actually speckled, spotted, and striped cattle. My sovereign blessing, not your tricks, has made you rich. We all must learn not to fear any environment or squeezing and not to play tricks. Although you may continue to play tricks on others, one day your trick-playing nature will be dealt with.

Although Jacob was tricky, God still blessed him. In the dream, God did not rebuke him; rather, He comforted him, saying, "I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee" (31:12). God saw Jacob's suffering and affliction under Laban's hand and seemed to say, "I am the God of Bethel, the God of your father. I shall take care of you." As we read this record, we see that God did not care for what Jacob did; He only cared for His purpose. All that God did was for Jacob's building up and transformation.

Sometimes outward reasons might not exists for e.g. mixing wool and cotton.

It is more helpful to see what does the laws or (rehearsal of it) tells us about God. The law always testified on the Person which is more crucial.

God is NOT a God of mixtures or confusion.

In the Old Testament dispensation or age, it is the OUTWARD demand that there must be no confusion on the appearance of male and female which is an abomination.

But in the New Testament, we should not rely on outward regulation. Since the reality of the law, the Person is here, we experience the Lord's fine humanity. He is genuine, fine and proper.
I could never believe that the humanity of Jesus would allow any sister to adorn herself in a man’s way, nor any brother to dress in a woman’s way.

Usually there is this fallen mixture elements within our being that causes us to be so "complicated" . So, the Lord's humanity in the Spirit needs to "swallow it up" .

------

We just have to be solid men and women with a proper humanity. In the New Jerusalem, there is not one piece of clay. All the materials are precious stones, very solid and strong. This is the humanity of Jesus. We all need to be very solid in the Lord’s humanity. We should not remain as a piece of clay, but be transformed by the Lord’s humanity into precious materials for God’s building. The transforming element under the work of the Holy Spirit is the humanity of the Lord Jesus. If we are light and loose, without realizing the humanity of Jesus in our daily walk, there will be no standing of the church life and no spread of the Lord’s testimony.

This post has been edited by pehkay: Nov 26 2014, 08:54 AM

The experience of Jacob

The Change of Jacob's Circumstances

In chapter thirty-one Jacob's circumstances suddenly changed. His cousins envied him (v. 1), and his uncle's countenance changed toward him (v. 2). This change was for Jacob's benefit. In this chapter, Jacob was in the middle of the process of transformation. God sovereignly prepares everything for our transformation. We must believe this. Nothing in Genesis 31 was accidental; everything was pre-planned. According to God's sovereignty, Laban had many sons. In the past, I thought that it would have been better for Jacob if Laban had had no sons and the two daughters. But Laban had several sons. Throughout the twenty years of Jacob's stay with Laban, Laban and his sons regarded Jacob as a profit to them. Laban admitted that Jacob's stay with him was a blessing (30:27).

But 31:1 says, that Jacob "heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's hath he gotten all this glory." (Glory here means riches—v. 16.) This is a fact. According to Jacob's record, God revealed in a dream how He took the cattle from Laban and gave them to Jacob (31:11-12). Throughout the years, Laban's sons saw their father's flocks decreasing and Jacob's continually increasing. At a certain point, being envious of Jacob, they could not tolerate it any longer. This was not an accident. At the same time, "Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before" (v. 2). During the past twenty years, Laban's countenance might have smiled upon Jacob because Jacob was a cause of his profit. But after Laban realized that Jacob was no longer a cause of his profit, his countenance changed toward him. When anyone sees that you are causing his profit to wane, his countenance will change toward you.

Do not believe that people are really good to you. Everyone is selfish and lives for himself. After staying with Laban for fourteen years, Jacob told him that he was leaving (30:25-26). However, he might actually have had no heart to go. This was just his policy to gain something from Laban. Laban saw clearly that God's blessing was with Jacob and he did not want him to go. Therefore, they negotiated and agreed upon the terms according to which Jacob would remain with Laban for another period of time. But after several more years had passed, Laban realized that all the increase was on Jacob's side, and thus he changed his countenance toward Jacob. This also was pre-planned by God. Because it was time for Jacob to go back, God arranged for his cousins to express their attitude and for Laban to change his countenance.

Jacob must have been seriously exercised concerning whether he should stay or leave. At that juncture, God intervened and said to Jacob, "Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee" (v. 3). If Jacob had been a completely transformed person, he would have immediately praised the Lord and told the Lord that he was trusting Him for His clear guidance. But Jacob did not pray. Instead, he called his two wives to his flock, not daring to talk with them in his uncle's presence. After he talked with them about the change of circumstances, they consented to leave their father (vv. 4-16). These changes in Jacob's circumstances and environment were all prearranged by God.

Er .... Jesus is also human . We are sons of God. God man ... XD

Regaring Paul's:

At least complete the his thoughts lar ... context .... why don't imitate Paul in:

Verse 18: “I thank God I speak in tongues more than all of you.” However, they often seem to forget that Paul’s thought is not completed in verse 18, but continues into verse 19, where he says, “But in the church I would rather speak five words with my mind that I might instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

This post has been edited by pehkay: Nov 27 2014, 10:21 AM

Everything is permissible .... Free will mah. Only responding to your thought.

I thought Christian don't live two lives one.