GATHERING OUR STRENGTH
Today's reading:  Genesis 48-50

"One day not long after this, word came to Joseph, Your father is failing rapidly.  So Joseph went to visit his father, and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.  When Joseph arrived, Jacob was told, Your son Joseph has come to see you.  So Jacob gathered his strength and sat up in his bed."  Genesis 48:1-2 NLT

Jacob was an old man.  A weak, tired, spent old man.

As patriarch he had something very special to do with his last few ounces of strength--pass on a blessing.

I believe it took every bit of energy the elder had to sit up in his bed and pronounce a blessing over Jacob and his two sons.  I believe he was spent and exhausted from just uttering the words.

But he had to do it.  He had spent his entire life building and preparing for this moment.

So?  What about us?  It's 2014, what is there for us to learn from an ancient like Jacob?

Be very, very careful what you use your energy on!

Use every effort to be a blessing to someone.

Look for souls to reach for God, not people to bypass on your way to accomplishing your tasks.  Look into their eyes and see them as your Savior sees you.

Don't waste a single minute of your time on anything that's not of eternal consequence!

When you think you cannot do one more thing--gather up your strength, get out of bed and bless someone else.