Simply the Bible Blog

Our seven-year-old grandson loves to build things. He started moving dirt in our garden with Tonka trucks. Then he built Brio train tracks and various Legos creations. Lately, he’s advanced to building cities with an app on his tablet. Boys are hard-wired to build…and boys grow into men.

When Jacob was running for his life from his brother Esau, he stopped for the night in a certain place. Using a stone for a pillow, he fell asleep and dreamed about a ladder extending from earth to heaven with the angels of God ascending and descending on it. From the top of the ladder, the LORD spoke to him, promising to give him the land where he slept, to be with him wherever he went, and to bring him home safely. When Jacob awoke, he took the stone, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on it. He called the place Bethel, meaning “house of God.” He made a vow that the LORD would be his God, the stone pillar would be God’s house, and he would give God a tenth of all he received.

This was Jacob’s conversion experience. And God never forgot the vow that he made.

Have you had a “Bethel” experience? Is there a moment in your life when God revealed Himself to you and promised to rescue you if you trusted in Him? Did you make any promises to Him? You may have forgotten, but God never forgets.

The Bethel Project is about reclaiming that “first love” and building it into your life and into the lives of those around you. To make your home “God’s house.”

Over the next several weeks, I will present ideas for “breaking ground” and “laying a foundation” that will make a difference both now and for generations to come.

“Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build…” (1 Chronicles 22:19, NKJV)