Good morning from day 3 in Hong Kong. I had a good night’s sleep last night but because of the jet lag, again rose way too early. Jet lag is a really weird thing. Hong Kong is 13 hours ahead of Texas and forcing your body into that adjustment is well, just not natural. You basically force yourself to miss a night’s sleep and then you try to catch up later which doesn’t work too well at all. My body clock has always been very rhythmatic and right now it’s more than a little upset with me.
Now in the second morning I have already established a little bit of normality in a routine. I brought my own coffee and a French press, so I can enjoy my morning coffee in my room as I study and write. My view from the 7th floor is very odd and yet very comforting in so many ways. Hong Kong is one of the most crowded cities on the planet yet, in an odd juxtaposition, God has afforded me a completely green view of a large hillside with a quaint banana farm below. It’s rather disheveled and it reminds me greatly of the many small sprawling estates on the East of Maui. I study, I write, I pray, I admire the view. I’m thankful to God for His goodness to His servant.
This morning I read through the 27th chapter of Genesis and we happen upon the story of Jacob and Rebekkah tricking the birthright of the family from Esau. I’m not sure what happens in our brains sometimes but it’s really tough to look at the real nature of human beings. In our chapter this morning we see lying, deceit, trickery, pride, selfishness, anger, betrayal and it all happens within a small 4 person family. Not mankind displayed in its best light, but yet probably in its most accurate state. A state we all possess, a sin nature state.
The story escalates from one sinful human desire, pride. We want what we want. And if we want it bad enough, we’ll do some pretty bad things to get it. Rebekah instructs Jacob to lie, deceive and cheat his own father while she willingly does the same to her own husband. A pretty amazing scene as you witness a family divided.
But this type of behavior never goes unpunished and by the end of the chapter the sins are having their full effect. After being cheated, Esau is in a murderous rage towards Jacob causing Jacob to have to flee the family home. This in itself is harsh but we will see also that as a result this will be the last time that Jacob ever sees his mother alive. One lie became another which became another and soon, lives are spiraling out of control as a result.
It’s no different today. One little white lie causes another which in turn causes the need for another until the web has become tangled indeed.
“What a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive.”
Lying is a sin and sin has a cost. We see that in our story today and you can see the same result in lives all over the world. The truth will set you free indeed and as a result, you’ll have a much easier time avoiding that tangled web.
“The best thing about the truth is that no matter how many times you tell it, it never changes.”
Be truthful no matter the cost, it is the only way to walk with the Lord. Be blessed today as you walk upright and secure in honesty and integrity.
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