Saturday May 30, 2020

Today’s Reading: Genesis 48:1-9

“Your two sons born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are now mine. Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do.” 

Genesis 48:5

Meditation: God beckons all to become a part of His Family. Jacob, also known as Israel, adopts his two grandsons (Joseph’s two sons), Ephraim and Manasseh, in his old age. He tells Joseph that they will be treated just like His biological sons, Joseph’s brothers Reuben and Simeon, regarding their blessing and their inheritance. Sure enough, generations later, when the Promised Land is divided up among the brothers, Joseph’s descendants receive their portion of land in two parts, one for the tribe of Ephraim and the other for the tribe of Manasseh. God also honors the blessing that Jacob imparts on his sons by referring to the Israelite people as Ephraim or Manasseh in many occasions that He addresses them. God’s favor stretches down throughout the generations of this family.

As a family of God, we also become a part of the story that God weaves through the lives of His people through history. We become the undeserving receivers of God’s faithfulness that He shows to His people time and time again. We become connected to the the family of Israel because the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has also become our God.

There is blessing in being a member of God’s Family. Just as God reunites Jacob with his son Joseph and allows Jacob to meets his grandsons too, God unites His believers together through our relationship with Him. Our decision to be in this familial bond with God and His Family also results in blessings that are extended to our loved ones and positively affect their lives as well. When we begin a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we gain a whole eternal Family. This is a gift which begins at the onset of our walk with Him and stretches throughout eternity.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your love for me. Thank You for making me a part of Your Family. Thank You for allowing me to walk with You and my brothers and sisters through to eternity. Help me to stay connected with You, that along our walk together I might help others to see what a blessing it is to be called Your child. In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN.

Thru the Bible in a year (credit: Biblestudytools.com): Hebrews 3; Hebrews 4:1-13; Genesis 48; Psalm 38