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Daily Devotional

What We Are Enthusiastic About

October 27, 2021 - 12:00 am

This Devotional's Hebrew Word


(Treasured nation)

“So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.”

— Genesis 24:20

Each week in synagogue, Jews read through the Torah from Genesis to Deuteronomy. The Torah portion for this week is Chayei Sarah, which means “the life of Sarah,” from Genesis 23:1—25:18.

The other day I awoke to an unusual sight. My son was up bright and early, puttering around the kitchen and getting ready for school. “What happened? Couldn’t sleep?” I teased. “We have a field trip today. It’s going to be fun.” Now normally my son is not quite so eager to get out of bed to get ready for school. But here he was, up earlier than usual and excited to get going.

As I sat drinking my coffee and watching him energetically getting ready, I got to thinking. What are the things that we’re enthusiastic about? What does it say about us when we are eager and excited?

The obvious answer is “priorities.” But it’s more than that. I have plenty of responsibilities that I make sure to do even though I may not particularly enjoy them. I make sure to prioritize certain tasks because they must get done. But if I’m not too enthusiastic, it’s only because there are other things I enjoy more.

What Are We Enthusiastic About?

What we are enthusiastic about says a lot about who we really are. What we are eager about tells us what means the most to us.

In this week’s Torah portion, the Bible describes the enthusiasm of Rebekah, the second Matriarch of Israel. When Abraham’s servant arrived at the well and asked Rebekah for water, the Bible tells us that Rebekah “quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink” (Genesis 24:18) Then after offering to get water for the servant’s camels as well, the Bible goes on to say that “she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels” (v.20).

In the Bible every word is necessary. Every word teaches us something new. The word “quickly” teaches us that Rebekah was not merely acting out of knowledge that offering water was the right thing to do. She was enthusiastic about helping; she ran to get more water not because she needed to, but because she wanted to.

Helping others was not something that Rebekah did because she had to. She was enthusiastic because of who she was. A future Matriarch of Israel.

Your turn: Think about what you are enthusiastic about. How can you show God that you are enthusiastic about serving Him?

     

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