Shaped by God

“So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak. “But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me (Genesis 32:24-26).”

There is no such thing as being self-made especially when it comes to being a disciple of Christ. Whether you want to admit it or not, there are other people and things that contribute to one’s success. In the case of Jacob, he was a deceiver and lest he think that it was his own ingenuity or scheming and deceit that got him where he was, he was sadly mistaken. It was when the “man wrestled with him till daybreak” that he saw that he could not overtake him.

Whether it is a word of encouragement, financial support, or otherwise, we are shaped by many things but most important of all is to be shaped by God.

There will be times that God will contend with you to develop you and to rid you of selfish pride and ambition or to demonstrate your need for Him. Children of God are God made and God shaped, and it is in submitting to His will that one becomes victorious.