OUR DAILY BREAD DEVOTIONAL FOR TODAY
Our Daily Bread for today is here. Give us this day our daily bread (Matthew 6:11).
The word of God is food to the spirit man. “Eat and digest” the word of the Lord for today and let its unchanging power nuture your faith and help in your daily walk to Christ.
The Topic of Our Daily Bread For 19th February 2025 is “Finding Love in God”
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 25; Mark 1:23-45
Memory Verse: Genesis 29:31
The Lord saw that Leah was not loved.
Today’s Scripture & Insight: Genesis 29:28-35
Genesis 29:31–30:24 and 35:16-26 tell of the births of the twelve sons of Jacob, whose name means “deceiver.” His name was later changed by God to Israel, which means, he “struggled with God” (32:28). Jacob’s life was characterized by favoritism (29:18, 30), spousal neglect, jealousy, and rivalry (29:31–30:1). That God would name His chosen nation after Jacob and use his twelve sons to become the ancestral heads of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel points to His covenantal love and unmerited grace (see Romans 9:10-18). Equally noteworthy in Leah’s sad story is that two crucial institutions of the nation of Israel—the Aaronic-Levitical priesthood (Numbers 18:1-7) and the kingship (Genesis 49:10)—come from her third and fourth sons, Levi and Judah (29:34-35). These two sons were from a marriage in which she was unwanted and unloved. Yet God honored Leah and graciously looked after her (vv. 31-35; 30:17-21).
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ODB MESSAGE FOR TODAY
As a child, when asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Ben would say, “I want to be like Dave.” Ben’s older brother was athletic, sociable, and an honor student. Ben, on the other hand, says, “I was clumsy in sports, timid, and struggled with a learning disability. I’d always wanted a close relationship with Dave, but he didn’t. He called me ‘the boring one.’ ”
Ben spent much of his life pursuing his older brother’s love in vain. It was only when Ben became a follower of Jesus that he learned to rest in the love of his Savior instead.
Leah, the first wife of Jacob, spent much of her life pursuing her husband’s love (Genesis 29:32-35). Jacob, however, remained devoted to Rachel. But God saw Leah’s plight and made up for the rejection in her life. He blessed her by allowing her to be a mother, a great honor in her culture at that time (v. 31). Leah, unseen and unheard by her husband, was lovingly seen and heard by God (vv. 32-33). She gave birth to a daughter and six sons (35:23), one of whom was Judah, a forefather of Jesus Himself. She said at his birth, “This time I will praise the Lord” (29:35). Leah lived a long life in Canaan and was buried in a place of honor—with Jacob’s family (49:29-32).
When we experience rejection, let’s find comfort in Leah’s story. We can rest in the love of God, who makes up for what we lack.
Reflect & Pray
How can you rest in God’s love when you’re rejected? How might you entrust your pain to Him?
Dear God, thank You that Your love heals me in all the places where I’ve been rejected.
Our Daily Bread 2025 Devotional is written by Con Campbell and published by Our Daily Bread Ministries. Read more
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