Two Manner of People

*Isaiah 48:12, "Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last."

Looking through a kaleidoscope can become mesmerizing as we stare at the different colors and shapes that seem to form various designs by the twist of the hand. Watching a prism as it changes colors through refraction while swirling in the the sun's rays can be hypnotic. Seeing the different spectrums as the sun's rays shower over a hillside through the smallest opening in a cloud can be enthralling. Whether we are looking at the beauty of God's design or man's imagination variety in colors and shapes seem to draw our attention like a magnet.

Living in a colorless world or one that might be all green, like the Emerald Forest, would be dull and unimaginative. Rather like spending your life with a person who was exactly like you. Some might say, "Oh my that would be so boring." While others might interject, "What a perfect world that would be." In a manner of speaking, it is all in how we view ourselves.

In the course of our life there comes a time when we all take a general examination of who we are. We go through one phase after another being bounced around by the physical changes in our body while trying to keep up with all the national trends and peer pressure. We seem to go through all the phases of the production of glass. Processed through heating and cooling until a finished product results in the perfect image of who we are.

It is truly a wise statement that says, "your greatest enemy is yourself." We are our worst enemy when it comes to defining who we are. When standing face to face with ourselves we can give the most critical analogy. Unable to grasp the valuable person we are, we fall short of become an individual and strive to become more like those around us.

When the kaleidoscope of your life comes into focus if it looks scattered or mixed we feel disproportionate. Becoming discouraged with who they are, many lash out in animosity toward everyone they come into contact with. Those who they are the most familiar with.

When God called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees He moved him away from the nation of Mesopotamia along with his wife Sarai who was his sister, his wife. She was born of the same father but not of the same mother. During the course of his life he went into Egypt where they obtained a handmaid for Sarai called Hagar. Abram married Hagar and she bore him a son they named Ishmael. God rejected Ishmael and he became a separate nation living in the wilderness. From Ishmael came the twelve nations that dwelled in the land of Syria and Arabia.

To Abraham and Sarah was born Isaac. Not wanting to take a wife for Isaac of the nations where they wandered, Abraham sent his servant to his father's house and Rebekah, the daughter of his brother Nahor, was chosen for his wife. "And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian. And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb," *Genesis 25: 20-24.

These twins were Jacob and Esau. Esau took two wives of the daughters of Ishmael which were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah but Jacob chose Leah and Rachel of the daughters of Laban. Now God rejected Esau because he hated his birthright therefore through Jacob came the promises of Abraham. Jacob's sons became the twelve tribes of Israel but the children of Esau became the nation of Edom, now Jordan.

Now Rachel had two sons whose names were Joseph and Benjamin. But Joseph's elder brothers despised him and sold him into slavery into Egypt where he remained his entire life. While in Egypt Joseph became the head of Pharoah's house and took a wife of the daughter of the Egyptian priest of On. To Joseph were born Manasseh and Ephraim.

Now Jacob became ill so Joseph took his two sons and went to see him. So Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed and Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me. He said He will make of me a multitude of people and give this land to my children for an everlasting possession."

So Jacob took Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born in the land of Egypt, and said, "All that are called after the name of their brothers are part of their inheritance." He looked at Joseph's sons and said, "Who are these?" Joseph said, "These are my sons whom God has given me." Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand and Manasseh in his left hand, and brought them close to Jacob and he kissed and embraced them. Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head but Manasseh was the firstborn. When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. He held up his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head saying, "No father this is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head." His father refused and said, "I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations," (*Genesis 48:19).

From the sons of Ephraim was born Jeroboam. Jeroboam fled into Egypt from the hand of Solomon and after the death of Solomon Jeroboam returned to Israel. Dissension arose against Rehoboam's kingdom and Jeroboam led ten tribes of Israel back to the bondage from which God had released them dividing the sons of Abraham into two kingdoms, north and south. The southern kingdom, Judah and Benjamin, was ruled from the city of Jerusalem while the northern kingdom was ruled from the city of Samaria.

As we look at the seed of Abraham we see a mixture of many nations and races which were interrelated; however, these nations in themselves became estranged from one another. What changed their culture and their brotherhood was their relationship with God. In their effort to define their purpose and place in life their God became a mere image of Who He really is twisted and contorted to fashion their lifestyles and beliefs. Forsaking the truth and rebelling against all that was truth they became nations that God Himself refused to identify with because they made His name a shame among the heathen.

It was about mid-day when Jesus went into a city of Samaria called Sychar and sent His disciples into the city to buy food. Being weary from His journey and near Jacob's well, He sat down and a woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." Surprised, the woman said to Him, "How is it that you, being a Jew, ask me, a woman of Samaria, for a drink?" Jesus said, "If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is that ask you for a drink, you would ask of Him and He would have given you living water."

The woman looked at Jesus and responded, "Sir, You have nothing to draw water with and the well is deep. Where did you get this living water?" Are You better than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself along with his children and his cattle?" Jesus answered and said, "Whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. The water that I shall give him shall be a well of water springing up into everlasting life in him." The woman said, "Sir, give me this water so that I will never thirst neither come to this well to draw water."

Because she did not believe Him He said to her, "Go call your husband here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said, "You are being truthful saying, 'I have no husband,' because you have had five husbands and the one you are with now is not your husband." She said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain and You say that Jerusalem is the place where men should worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the time will come when you shall not worship the Father in this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know we know what we worship because salvation is of the Jews. But the time will come, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit and those that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." Interested, the woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah, which is called Christ, when He comes He will tell us everything." Jesus said to her, "I Who am speaking to you am He."

Now His disciples returned and were surprised that He was talking with the woman but no one questioned why. Then they insisted that He eat something, but He said to them, "I have meat to eat that you don't know of." His disciples looked at each other and said, "Did someone bring Him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His work. Don't you say there are four more months and then comes the harvest? But I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, because they are white already to harvest. He that reaps receives wages and gathers fruit unto life eternal so that both the one that sows and the one that reaps may rejoice together. This saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap where we have not labored. Other men labored and you have entered into their labors."

When the woman left she went into the city and said to the men, "Come and see a man Who told me every thing that I have done. Isn't this the Christ?" Then they went out of the city and came to Him because many of the Samaritans of the city believed in Him because of what the woman had testified He had said. When the Samaritans arrived where He was they entreated Him to stay with them. Jesus remained with them for two days and many believed because of the words that He spoke. They told the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you testified of Him but because we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this truly is the Christ, the Savior of the world."

Jesus went to His own village of Nazareth but they refused to listen. Turning their backs to His words they attempted to kill Him by casting Him off a cliff. He spoke the truth to the Pharisees, the priests, and the Sadducees. They found Him a threat so they plotted against Him to charge Him with blaspheme and have Him put to death. He was compelled to go to Samaria where He found a woman and she believed. She believed because He told her every thing that she had ever done. She believed that what He spoke to her was the truth, He was the Messiah. "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," *John 1:10-13. The woman in Samaria found a quality in Jesus that she could identify with. She needed a Messiah, she needed a Savior that could restore her to the heritage that the Samaritans were not allowed to enjoy.

As we look at our world we see a mixture of individuals. Individuals who are English and African, Indian and French, Irish and English, Scottish and English, Italian and Greek, Turks and Russian, German and French, Syrian and Israeli. All nations, who for the most part, have been nations confronted with conflict and wars. Two nations at war in one person can bring us to a point of mixed emotions tossed about by the frenzy of those who we find the most difficult to identify with. Our parents, our friends, but, most of all, ourselves. A time when we stop and take a general analysis of who we are.

Who we identify with often plots the course of our life. Inevitably choosing the cultures and beliefs of that nation or race we identify with. But still the other nature continues to thrive and rear it's head until we find that we are at war with our greatest enemy, our self. But then we see Jesus, Who was made just a little lower than the angels. Who became a man so that He might be able to identify with our weaknesses. So that He might be able to help us in the time of our weakness and give us strength to overcome any trial or testing that we encounter in our lives. When we look at Jesus we see someone far greater than all our possibilities that we can identify with.

Like the woman of Samaria we see a Jew, a man, a prophet, a Messiah, the Son of God, Who can restore and bring freedom and salvation. A well of living water springing up inside of us satiating all our hunger and thirst for the righteousness of God. He brings liberty and administers deliverance from a life that seems mixed and scattered. When we focus on Who He is and what He has done we see who we can be and who we can become. When we accept His gift of grace that He freely gave to all mankind we are changed. We exchange our image for His image and we continue to change daily from glory to glory into the image and likeness of God.

When we put our hand in the hand of the Master Potter we are molded and shaped into something that becomes more radiant than the shimmering refraction of a prism. The kaleidoscope of our life becomes perfect and uniformed as the Son's rays penetrate every fragile particle of our life. It is the beginning of a new life and a new walk when we exchange our identity for the glory of Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Friend.

Beginning today I will no longer worry about yesterday. It is in the past and the past will never change. Only I can change by choosing to do so.; Beginning today I will no longer worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will always be there, waiting for me to make the most of it. But I cannot make the most of tomorrow without first making the most of today.; Beginning today, I will look in the mirror and I will see a person worthy of my respect and admiration. This capable person looking back at me is someone I enjoy spending time with and someone I would like to get to know better.; Beginning today I will cherish each moment of my life. I value this gift bestowed upon me in this world and I will unselfishly share this gift with others. I will use this gift to enhance the lives of others.; Beginning today I will take a moment to step off the beaten path and to revel in the mysteries I encounter. I will face challenges with courage and determination. I will overcome what barriers there may be which hinder my quest for growth and self improvement.; Beginning today I will take life one day at a time, one step at a time. Discouragement will not be allowed to taint my positive self image, my desire to succeed or my capacity to love.; Beginning today I walk with renewed faith in human kindness. Regardless of what has gone before, I believe there is hope for a brighter and better future.; Beginning today I will open my mind and my heart. I will welcome new experiences. I will meet new people. I will not expect perfection from myself nor anyone else: perfection does not exist in an imperfect world. But I will applaud the attempt to overcome human foibles.; Beginning today I am responsible for my own happiness and I will do things that make me happy; admire the beautiful wonders of nature, listen to my favorite music, pet a kitten or a puppy, soak in a bubble bath, pleasure can be found in the most simple of gestures.; Beginning today I will learn something new; I will try something different; I will savor all the various flavors life has to offer. I will change what I can and the rest I will let go and turn over to God. I will strive to become the best me I can possibly be.; I will start off my day thanking God for all the good things; He has already given to me. I will thank Him for all that I know He can and will do with my life; if I just, once again recommit my life to Him. Beginning today and everyday I WILL!
Author Unknown

O Discovering our identity in Jesus Christ means being called of God. Called for His purpose and will to accomplish all that He has prepared for us. Like the armed forces of the world, being ready and willing to go when we are called. Soldiers of the Lord's Army. Lifting up our eyes and looking on the fields, because they are white already to harvest.