“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
Thoughts on Stewardship
Lesson No. 8 from Genesis
Watering Camels – Being a Blessing – will open the Way to Your Destiny
Foundation Scriptures: Genesis 24 verses 10-53
And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. 35 And the Lord has blessed my master mightily, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks, herds, silver, gold, menservants, maidservants, camels, and asses. 36 And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has. 37 And my master made me swear, saying, You must not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell, 38 But you shall go to my father’s house and to my family and take a wife for my son. 39 And I said to my master, But suppose the woman will not follow me. 40 And he said to me, The Lord, in Whose presence I walk [habitually], will send His Angel with you and prosper your way, and you will take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house. 41 Then you shall be clear from my oath, when you come to my kindred; and if they do not give her to you, you shall be free and innocent of my oath. 42 I came today to the well and said, O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if You are now causing me to go on my way prosperously 43 See, I am standing by the well of water; now let it be that when the maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, I pray you, give me a little water from your [water] jar to drink, 44 And if she says to me, You drink, and I will draw water for your camels also, let that same woman be the one whom the Lord has selected and indicated for my master’s son. 45 And before I had finished praying in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her [water] jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, I pray you, let me have a drink. 46 And she quickly let down her [water] jar from her shoulder and said, Drink, and I will water your camels also. So I drank, and she gave the camels drink also. 47 I asked her, Whose daughter are you? She said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him. And I put the earring or nose ring on her face and the bracelets on her arms. 48 And I bowed down my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, Who had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter to his son. Genesis 24:34-48 AMP
1. Abraham wanted a wife for Isaac, so he sent his servant, Eliezer, with a solemn pledge that he would not come back without a wife for Isaac. Eliezer prayed and asked God to bring the right girl to him. When he asked Rebekah for a little water from her jar, she offered to water his camels as well—all of them—which was a huge undertaking! Eliezer brought ten camels and camels will drink about 25 gallons each! At that time, wells were set down low in the ground, where the water was, and also to minimize evaporation. You would need to go down about 50 steps to draw water in jars that usually held about 3 gallons apiece. That means that Rebekah had to make 8.33 trips per camel—83.3 trips or 4,165 steps for 10 camels.
2. This was no easy task—it was no walk in the park—but her humility, hospitality, and generosity opened wide the door of God’s blessing in her life. This seemingly small moment in her life changed her destiny and established her place in history as a mother of a nation. What seemingly insignificant moment in your life will turn out to be a hugely significant and pivotal moment depending on your response to the opportunity? One act of humility, generosity, and hospitality may determine your destiny.
Pastor Adonica’s Thoughts:
People don’t always recognize opportunities when they come, because they are selfish and self-centered and looking for the blessing of God for themselves, but not for opportunities to BE a blessing. God wants us to focus on being a blessing to others and trust Him enough to allow Him to bless us as He sees fit. God expects us to be submitted to His Word and to do the things He tells us in His Word. When we do, we will not miss His master plan for our life, because we will do the right thing when our opportunity comes and we will find ourselves in the center of His will!
Pastor Rodney’s Thoughts:
Many people miss their God-ordained destiny, because they are waiting to be served rather than being willing to serve. There are opportunities that pass people by on a regular basis—the word declares that whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. When I was a child, I purposed in my heart that I would get involved in everything that I could in order to serve God. I cleaned toilets and helped in every area of ministry, from tape duplication, to sound, to ushering, etc. If you take the opportunities the Lord gives you to serve, then He will open other doors for you. When I started out in the ministry, I would take time to drive men of God around and wait on them and serve them. Even now, if I get the opportunity to serve a man or a woman of God, I do it—whatever it takes—if it means getting up early or going without sleep; if it means going out of my way or going without. No matter how much God promotes, we are called still to be a servant. I know that the Lord will bless me as I serve His people and as I sow into the lives of other people. Always remember to be willing to give and to serve.
Prayer and Confession:
Father, please help me to be more of a servant in my daily life and to be willing to do even the smallest of tasks to benefit others. Help me to never become proud or arrogant, so that I will not miss my date with destiny.
