It had been over 21 years since Jacob extorted the birthright that belonged to his older brother, Esau. Jacob had also deceived his father, Isaac, into giving him the blessing which, by tradition, should have gone to his brother.

Esau was enraged after losing both the birthright and the blessing, and he vowed to kill Jacob. With his mother's help, Jacob fled to Haran, where he worked for Uncle Laban. While there, God blessed Jacob with wives, children, and a large number of livestock, despite his continued deceptive and manipulative behavior.

We have taken the word (Love) very lightly in our everyday lives.

Today our society throws the word Love around like an old dirty rag with no usefulness. Love is now what we feel; Love is what we practice and exercise in our daily lives. When we feel Love within us, we feel the by-product of Love because unless we work at it and exercise it, that feeling of Love eventually grows cold.

What does the cross mean to you? To many Christians and some non-Christians, the cross represents God's ultimate love for humanity, that he sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of mankind by hanging on that rugged cross.

To many non-Christians, it symbolizes Christianity, a group of religious people. To some, it means a place to worship, repent, or talk to God.

You see most empty crosses with no one hanging on them, and then you see some crosses where they still have Jesus hanging on them. Some worship the cross as though it is a God.

But what does the cross mean?

After the experience recorded in Genesis 28, Jacob's troubles continued because he had not changed. He deceived and was deceived by his Uncle Laban, who married two wives, had many family problems, and was a man who could not control his household. Same old Jacob.

In Genesis 28, we see a lonely man fleeing from his home. Jacob left Beer-sheba and traveled toward Haran on the way to his Uncle Laban's house, running away in fear from the problems he had created. At the end of a long day of travel, Jacob settled in as night fell with only a couple of stones for a pillow. This sad, solitary figure huddled in darkness on the cold ground does not seem like a man of God-given destiny.

But that night, Jacob had an amazing dream. He saw a ladder set up on the earth, with the top reaching heaven and the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Above it stood the Lord, who reconfirmed the promises He had made to Abraham, saying:

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are mentioned frequently in the scriptures as spiritual fathers of the nation of Israel.

Isaac, the son of Abraham, had two sons who were twins, Esau and Jacob. While these boys were in their mother's womb...

...the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. (Genesis 25:22-23)

We saw the tremendous price Abraham was willing to pay in order to obey God. You will not reach your destiny without it costing something somewhere along the way.

In Luke 9:57-62, three men approached Jesus desiring to follow Him.

To each of these potential disciples, Jesus revealed a different aspect of the requirements for fulfilling their purpose.

Welcome to Paul's New Devine Destiny Series "FOLLOWING THE PATHWAY OF DESTINY."

Why would God give Abraham a promised son, only to tell him to sacrifice the boy as an act of

worship? We do not find Abraham questioning God's instructions. In fact, we are told that he

"rose up early in the morning" to do as God had commanded (Genesis 22:3). Some of us cannot

be bothered to get up early for a quiet time with the Lord, much less to fulfill a difficult

command.

Abraham did exactly as God instructed. When he and Isaac arrived at the chosen mountain,

Abraham told his servants, "You wait here while the lad and I go to worship." A true

commitment to God demands sacrifice. Sometimes the required sacrifice is what is nearest and

dearest to your heart.

DIVINE DESTINY - EMBRACING YOUR VISION OF DESTINY RECAP

Recap of Embracing Your Vision of Destiny