Daily Devotional for Jul 20, 2026

2026-07-20: Let's talk about trying to bribe grace. 🐐 In Genesis 32, a terrified Jacob prepares to face Esau for the first time in twenty years. Hearing Esau is approaching with 400 men, Jacob defaults to the transactional software of the empire: he schemes harder. He sends wave after wave of livestock ahead of him, hoping to buy his safety and purchase reconciliation. The empire trains us to operate on leverage, teaching us to send gifts ahead to soften the ground. We do this with God, too, sending our good deeds ahead like livestock to act as a shield against vulnerability. But you cannot use transactions to accomplish what can only be accomplished by grace. You cannot bribe your way past the moment of grace; you can only walk into it. ✨
#Genesis32 #UCC