how to recognize a schemer...

jacob in the old testament is a schemer.  so how do you recognize a schemer?  

well first of all schemers have usually been taught by a master schemer. if you’ve got a scheming mentality, a way of always doing the angles, there’s probably some master schemer in your life that’s showing you how.  who was jacob’s?  his mom. 

often times it is a parent who is a schemer who showed you how.  maybe it was an older brother or sister.  maybe it was a best friend.  maybe it was a business acquaintance who became a partner.  but there’s usually someone in your life who’s shown you, “they got what they want by scheming.  they reached the top by doing it this way.  that’s what i'm going to do, too.” 

but you don’t get to see into their soul.  you don’t get to see what it did to them.  you don’t get to see that there’s no joy.  you get to see that they got the prize but you don’t get to see that they lost the joy.

then we need to see that when things get difficult a schemers favorite strategy is one three-letter word – run!  fast!  far!  get away! 

if you move every three months, you may be a schemer.  jacob ran clear to the north of israel and then out.  he traveled from the north (damascus) and began to head towards haran.  as he heads toward the north, he decides to sleep for the night.  he gets a rock to lay his head on and something happens.  GOD has something to say to a schemer. 

GOD meets him there on the way to haran.  he has an experience that you and i have come to call jacob’s ladder.  it’s not really jacob’s ladder.  it’s GOD’s ladder, but we’ve come to call it jacob’s ladder.  he has a dream at bethel. 

in genesis 28.10 (niv),  jacob left beersheba and set out for haran.  when he reached a certain place he stopped for the night because the sun had set.  taking one of the stones there he put it under his head and lay down and went to sleep and he had a dream.  he saw a stairway resting on the earth and it’s top reaching to heaven.  the angels of GOD were ascending and descending on it.  there above it stood the LORD.  and HE said, “I am the LORD, the GOD of your father abraham, the GOD of isaac.  I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  your descendants will be like the dust of the earth and you will spread out to the west and the east, to the north and the south.  all people on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  I am with you.  I will watch over you wherever you go.  I will bring you back to this land.  I will not leave you until I have done what I’ve promised.”

is that a pretty assuring comment from GOD?  but jacob didn’t take it that way. 

just a thought from the front porch…