Anchor Devotional

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A Changed Heart

“Your descendants will be like dust … and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.” Genesis 28:14

We all know that kid—the student who went through high school resisting authority, earning barely-passing grades, seeming to not care about much. But when you saw this “kid” years later, you witnessed a visible change. You saw joy and purpose.

This could be the ancient Bible-times version of Jacob’s life story. At birth, he grabbed his twin brother’s foot and received the name Jacob, meaning “heel-grabber” and reflecting his nature as a deceiver. Early in Genesis we read of the original heel-grabber, Satan, the serpent who sought to deceive Adam and Eve. Unlike the serpent, Jacob is amended, though his transformation does not happen overnight. God works in him and gives him a new name: Israel, “one who wrestles with God.” Jacob the Heel-Grabber becomes Jacob the Promise-Carrier. And from his line will come the Redeemer, Jesus.

We’re not unlike Jacob, born grasping for control and resisting God’s will for our lives. What brings about the change? By His grace, He gives us a new identity in Jesus. Have you found your identity and rest in Him?

SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Genesis 25:19-34; Genesis 32:28

INSIGHT
Father, please help me to find peace, joy, and purpose in Jesus. Remind me that I’m no longer defined by my past but by Your promises. Amen

THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Job 5-6
Psalm 45
Luke 8

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