"Jacob have I loved, but Esau I have hated.' This is the way God summarizes the lives of these two brothers in Malachi. But when we first meet Jacob we are not drawn by his love for God or even struck by his righteousness. Rather, he seems like an unsaved, hypocritical jerk.

In many ways Jacob's walk with God mirrors our own. When we look at Jacob's heart and ours we are struck the amazing love and mercy of God that He would be so patient with us!

As the firstborn son, Esau had a right to the blessing and the inheritance, but when he despised his birthright he lost the blessing also. Scripture doesn't seem to chide Jacob for deceiving his brother, but it does take Esau to task for despising his birthright.

Each of us has a choice, taking full advantage of our birthright in Jesus Christ, or despising it and only receiving secondhand blessings.

As long as we live on this earth we will have to deal with the flesh. To what lengths are you willing to go to ensure that the flesh doesn't starve the spirit in your life?

Isaac dug another well, would you have?

Do you know Shem? If you had lived in the time of Abraham when Shem was still alive, would you have sought him out to hear his account of the fearful nature of the flood and the faithfulness of the Living God to keep His Word?

Who are the Shems in your life? Those who have gone before, and walked through dark waters with Christ? Do you seek them out? Do you let their stories strengthen your faith?

Looking for consistency in daily Christian living? Psalm one offers insight on a core truth to help Believers connect with Christ for a consistent, daily, experience.

The account of how Isaac got his bride is a very interesting bit of history. Perhaps the most fascinating bit is that Rebekah went to the well and because of her willing response to share what she had with a stranger she became the wife of a man who inherited the wealth of a man who was considered a prince in Canaan- and on top of that she was included in the lineage of the Messiah! Suddenly the buckets of water those camels drank seems like a small price in exchange for everything she received.

**The sermon on Genesis 23 was not recorded so it is not included here on this website. Sorry for the inconvenience.

All of Christianity depends on a few truths, one of them is the reality of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This message reminds us that Jesus is alive and well!

Decades after Abraham moved south to the Promised Land, he receives news from his brother. His brother has had multiple children and is seemingly successful. Abraham has only had two. Which of the brothers is the most successful? Is it possible that Abraham would have been more successful if he had even fewer children?

God is the Master Storyteller. Many of the stories He has crafted in the lives of His children include a powerful message of apparent loss turning out to be the winning moment.

Most of us have experienced loss. How is God going to transform our losses into His wins?

Abraham is mentioned twice in the Hebrews 11 hall of faith. The second mention was because of his obedience in taking Isaac up on the mountain to offer him up on an altar. This picture of climbing a mountain and building an altar is helpful in our own journey of faith. "Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness." We know that when he believed God it resulted in a lot of activity on work on Abraham's part- to the extent that James uses Abraham as a proof that "faith without works is dead".