May 29, 2015

HELLO REBEKAH PART III

I hope you enjoyed last week’s guest blogger Alyssa from We Are Bloggish. If you missed her post go ahead and click here to check it out!

The past few weeks we’ve been learning about Rebekah, Milkah’s granddaughter.
Quick Review….
Week 1: I focused on the journey to her and how it relates to the man of your dreams.
Week 2: I discovered three of Rebekah’s character traits in Genesis 24:16 that we can all apply to our lives.
Week 3: I want to continue examining Rebekah’s character.

Genesis 24: 17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.” 18 “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

Servant’s Heart… Rebekah was quick to help a stranger in need. She didn’t walk away and ignore him. I imagine her coming up from the spring with a mind full of desert thoughts not even noticing the man with a full caravan. Maybe he startled her with his approach knocking her out of her daze. Regardless of her daydreams she was “quick” to serve! I love it. To be honest, this convicts my heart. How often am I asked for a small favor and in my heart do not respond with a servant’s heart as Rebekah did?

The next verse blows me away even further.
19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.

Talk about a servant’s heart! Can I add a generous one, too? Let’s shed some perspective on this task Rebekah just volunteered herself for. In verse 10 we are told that Abraham’s servant loaded 10 camels to go on this trip. Ten, T-E-N, TEN!!!! How much does a camel drink? You best believe that I googled it! According to an article I found from National Geographic camels can drink up to 30 gallons of water in a span of 13 minutes.

So hold up! Rebekah drew enough water for the camels to drink their full. Let’s do some math. 10 camels, 30 gallons per camel, so Rebekah drew 10 x 30 gallons of water which equals 300 gallons of water. How long would that have taken?! How big was her jar?! Remember last week I mentioned her upper body strength… yeah, homegirl was STRONG!!!!

I am not saying that I want to draw 300 gallons of water but I definitely want to be a servant like Rebekah. She went the distance. She had a whatever it takes attitude. She didn’t cringe away from this man because he was a stranger or because he was dusty and dirty from the ride there. Now please don’t misinterpret what I’m saying. I do not by any means advice you to put yourself in a dangerous situation. But how often are we driving and a homeless person is on the corner asking for some change. I’ll tell you some of the things I’ve done… I know I’ve rolled up my window quickly and avoided eye contact. Not comparing Abraham’s servant to a homeless person just comparing my heart to Rebekah’s. Food for thought. Sometimes we just need to examine our hearts. I know I need to all the time.
In verse 21 we learn that we are not the only ones peering into Rebekah’s heart. She is being observed by the stranger as well.

21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.

Bonus thought: Let’s be observant. Kindhearted like Rebekah and observant like Abraham’s servant. Sometimes it’s best to just sit back and watch someone’s character and decisions. Allow people to show what’s truly in their hearts before you allow them all the way in or make them privy to your secrets. Remember Proverbs 4:23, guard your heart.

22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” 24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”

Today I hope to encourage you to be generous and have a servant’s heart. It’s been said that giving is better than receiving and that you can’t receive with a closed fist.

Let’s be generous even when it’s uncomfortable. Let’s be generous even when it inconvenient. Let’s be generous because you never know what blessing God has waiting for you on the other side of that generosity. Like Rebekah we can be on the brink of greatness and all we need to do is respond with a generous heart.

My prayer for you:
Heavenly Father. You are the owner of all of the cattle on all of the hills. You created all that is in existence. Lord help us to remember that if you are kind to the birds of the sky how much more will you take care of us your children. I ask you to break all greed in our hearts that we may learn to be generous and servant-hearted. Help us remember that when we treat others with kindness and generosity it is as if we are doing the same to you. Please make us aware of when we are not being generous and give us the strength to surrender to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Memory Verse: Hebrews 13:2
Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.