STORY TIME
with Aunt Jo!

Jacob and the Ladder

Jacob was the son of Isaac, the grandson of Abraham. Abraham and Isaac both had a personal experience with God. God had appeared to Isaac and gave him the same promise that He had given to Abraham -- that he would be blessed, and his seed or offspring would be greatly multiplied. Now it was time for Jacob to have his own personal experience with God.

Have you had your own personal experience with God? It isn't enough that your mother or your father know Him, or your grandparents. He wants you to make Him the center of your life.Jacob had always thought of God as the God of Abraham and Isaac, but he needed his own experience with God.

One night Jacob had a dream. He dreamed of a ladder set up on the earth, whose top reached to heaven. The angels of God ascended and descended upon it. Above the ladder stood the LORD, who said, "I am the LORD God of Abraham . . . and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth . . . and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 28:10-14).

This was the same promise that God had given his grandfather and his father -- that from his seed would come the Messiah, the Saviour of men -- the Son of God!

When Jacob awoke from dream, he said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I knew it not." Jacob took the stone that he had used for a pillow and made a pillar out of it, and poured oil upon it. Then he called the name of the place "Bethel," which means "the house of God."

Next Jacob vowed a vow, saying:

"If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's hosue in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee" (Genesis 28:20-22).

God honored Jacob's vow, and eventually, as we shall see in other lessons concerning Jacob, the God of Abraham and Isaac also became the God of Jacob.

Jesus Christ is promising the same to us. He wants to keep us in all of our ways, and supply all of our needs. He is the Good Shepherd. He loves us. We need to give our lives to Him, and live for Him.

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