Genesis 35:16
“And they journeyed from Beth–el; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.”
After Jacob and his wives set up an altar and made a sacrifice to God at Bethel, the Scriptures tell us they took a journey to the city of Ephrath. On their way to Ephrath, again the Scriptures tell us that Rachel, the wife of Jacob, went into labor and delivered a child, but she died after the delivery. This is interesting because the name "Ephrath" means abundance. In between the time that Jacob got right with God to the time of God's blessings, heartache occurred that could have stopped Jacob from going forward and obeying God's commands. Instead of quitting on God, Jacob went forward, and we find God blessed him because of his obedience.
There are many times in the Christian life when there seems to be no good benefit to getting right with God. What I mean by this is there are many instances in our lives when we get right with God over something only to see hard times follow. If we are not careful, we will let those hard times stop us from receiving the blessings that God has in store for us.
Between the Bethel and Ephrath's of our lives, you will find that heartache will come. When the heartache comes, we must not let the heartache stop us from doing what is right.
Do you question the benefit of serving God? Do you sometimes wonder if getting right with God pays off? Did you get right with God about something expecting to see God's blessings, only to see heartache and trials? Christian, when you get right with God, you must realize the Devil is not happy about your action. Because the Devil is not happy about your decision, he will do everything in his power to discourage you before the blessings of God come on your life. Not only will the Devil try to stop you before the blessings of God, God Himself will sometimes allow hard times to come to see if we are serious about our decision. We cannot let the hard times stop us on our journey towards Ephrath.
No matter how difficult the journey may be to the blessings of God, you cannot let anything stop you from those blessings. Hard times will come, and you must expect them. Yes, getting right with God will result in God's blessings on your life, but between your Bethel and Ephrath, you will most likely experience hard times. When those hard times come, don’t give up! Keep going! If you will keep going, you will eventually find yourself in the midst of God's blessings.
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