Day 7/365- Genesis 21-24

Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac." (Genesis 24:4 NLT)

Abraham was at the point of death. He wanted to provide a wife for his son before he died. So he asked his servant to go back to his homeland & find a wife for his son among his relatives. He did not want Isaac to marry a woman in Canaan because he was afraid that he would be tempted to worship other gods.
And so Abraham servant goes to find a wife for Isaac. I'm not so sure I'd want someone else doing that for me. But the process that the servant goes through is very good.
I heard Elizabeth Elliot talk about these principles for finding a godly spouse & they had a huge impact on me.
She points out the first thing the servant does is pray. He prays that the Lord will be with him & give him the right person for his master's son.
When it comes to dating or selecting a spouse, how many of us start with prayer? How many of us ask for Gods direction & favor? How many of us ask for God to open the doors & close them rather than us do it ourselves?
The other thing that Elliot points out is that the servant watched for character. The well was a public place & Rebekah carried herself with character. He found a place where he could watch her & see who she was.
What is the top priority in choosing a spouse? What is the main characteristic that we should be looking for? What is the main thing that we teach our kids they should look for? In a world that values personality & outward appearance, God's priority is character. Character should be the main reason that we pursue a relationship with a person. If attraction, fuzzy feelings, or chemistry are top priorities then the relationship is doomed before it begins. Godly character should be priority # 1.
The final thing we see that was of great value to Abraham's servant is her family. A person becomes who they are because of family. When considering a relationship we must take into account someone's family background. This is not at all a deal breaker. Great people come out of dis functional families. It is more common however that someone will follow the patter of their family when it comes to relationships.
These truths are powerful guides for us in the selecting of a spouse.