There are some social clubs and groups that will only allow you to join if you have a certain level of wealth, a certain background, a certain job, etc. But God’s kingdom doesn’t work this way. Let’s take a look at Jacob and his son Joseph. Jacob had a reputation for cheating and making some bad choices. He cheated his brother Esau out of the inheritance, and then ran away when Esau promised to kill him for his deception. He went to stay with his uncle Laban, and wanted to marry Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel. But on the wedding day, Laban tricked Jacob into marrying his older daughter, Leah. But that didn’t faze Jacob. He just married both of them. He went on to cause tension and trouble among his children by favouring Joseph so much that Joseph’s brothers became jealous of the obvious favouritism and sold Joseph as a slave to get rid of him. But Joseph’s life is described in one verse: ‘The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man.’ Successful in spite of family dysfunction, betrayal, slander, and thirteen years of false imprisonment. Even Jacob, with all his faults, was blessed and used by God. With God on our side, we can overcome our faults. God doesn’t let our family history or our flaws define us. It doesn’t matter what our job is or how much money we have. We’re His children and He welcomes us to be part of His kingdom. That’s why the most important thing we can do is to build, maintain, and prioritise our relationship with God.

What Now?

Read the full stories of Jacob and Joseph in Genesis. Make a note of anything their lives teach you about how God will bless us and welcome us even if we’ve made mistakes or have things in our past that we might be ashamed of.