Jessi Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast
Jessi Morgan in 2023 had a traumatic experience that shaped how she views life and her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God has laid it on her heart to share her experiences and inspire others to put God first in every aspect of their life like she finally did in hers. Having her daughter born 4 months early really made Jessi lean on the Lord for comfort and guidance. And today she stands here starting her brand new 6-10 minute podcast focusing on weekly devotionals about what God can do for you and what He's done for her.
Jessi Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast
Who’s the Favorite in the Family Lord?
Text if you need me? Prayer or just need encouragement…
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,[a] for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him Joseph,[a] and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”
7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups,[a] and the flocks and herds and camels as well.
33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husb
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Song: Whip
Whose the Favorite in the Family Lord?
Key Verses & Passages
Gen 29:11
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.
Gen 29:31-32
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,[a] for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”
Gen 30:22-24
22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him Joseph,[a] and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”
Gen 32:7
7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups,[a] and the flocks and herds and camels as well.
Gen 33:1-3
33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.
Colossians 3:18-21
18 Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers,[a] do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
Ephesians 5:22-25
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
Romans 2:11
11 For God does not show favoritism.
Key words today.
Family, Dating, Favoritism, Resentment
Dating—taking it back before I was married. Oh gosh, here we go. I once dated a guy who was extremely close to his family, which I found really attractive because I was always close to mine. One evening, I was invited over for dinner, and it really opened my eyes to what I didn’t want in my future family. My boyfriend lived at home with his parents and his younger sister. His mom practically worshipped the ground he walked on; she even cut his meat for him to make it easier to eat!
As we were about to have dinner, the mom realized she had forgotten to make cornbread. She asked her daughter to make it, even though the daughter had just come home from a 10-hour workday and was dealing with a headache. Despite my protests that I was fine without bread, the mom insisted. The daughter ended up making the cornbread while we all sat down to eat. It was clear to me then that my boyfriend was the favored child. He had the day off and didn't lift a finger to help with the meal. And the entire dinner, his parents spoke on how amazing he was as a child.
When the sister finally brought out the cornbread 30 minutes later, her parents didn’t even thank her. She just quietly sat down and ate, looking exhausted. That dinner made me realize the imbalance in the family dynamic. There was clear favoritism, and I could sense tension between the siblings. It left me wondering what happened to that sister—did she continue to let her family treat her that way?
Safe to say, my relationship with that guy didn’t last long. The experience made me reflect on how important it is to maintain a balanced and respectful family unit, where everyone feels valued and appreciated.
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I've been studying the life of Joseph recently. Joseph plays a significant role in Genesis and sets the stage for Moses, Exodus, and Joshua. By understanding Joseph's story, I'm gaining valuable context for my in-depth Bible study on Joshua, which I plan to share with you someday.
Joseph's journey is remarkable: he was sold into slavery by his brothers, faced numerous challenges, and ultimately rose to become the second most powerful person in Egypt. But let's rewind and explore how Joseph and his brothers ended up in this situation. The root causes were jealousy, favoritism, and resentment.
Jacob, Joseph's father, fell in love with Rachel, Joseph's mother, at first sight (Genesis 29:11). Jacob agreed to work seven years for Rachel's hand in marriage. However, on the night of the wedding, Rachel's father, Laban, deceived Jacob by sending Leah, Rachel's sister, instead. The next morning, Jacob was devastated. Laban explained that their custom required the older daughter to be married before the younger. Laban then gave Rachel to Jacob, but Jacob had to work another seven years for her.
Imagine Leah's feelings when Jacob realized the switch. The sense of rejection must have been overwhelming for her, but the Lord saw Leah’s situation. Genesis 29:31-32 tells us that when the Lord saw Leah was unloved, He enabled her to conceive, while Rachel remained childless.
Leah bore Jacob 7 children herself (6 sons and a daughter), while Rachel struggled to conceive. Finally, Rachel had a son and named him Joseph (Genesis 30:22-24).
Jacob's joy was overflowing when Rachel, his favorite wife, gave birth to Joseph, making him Jacob's favorite son. This favoritism undoubtedly caused resentment among his other children.
Later, Jacob had to face his brother Esau, whom he had tricked into giving away his birthright. Fearing Esau's anger, Jacob took precautions. He divided his people and possessions into two groups, hoping one group could escape if the other was attacked (Genesis 32:7). Jacob prayed and prepared a gift for Esau. He also arranged his family in a particular order: the servant wives and their children in front, followed by Leah and her children, with Rachel and Joseph at the back (Genesis 33:1-3). This about this, Jacob placed his least favorite family members at the front to protect Rachel and Joseph in case of an attack, which likely deepened the resentment among his other children.
As parents, our actions set an example for our children. Now that I'm a new mom, I reflect on the lessons that I want to teach to my daughter, Sage. I often remind my husband to push in his chair after getting up from the dining table because I worry that Sage might pick up on this habit and potentially cause an accident at school. While it may seem like a small concern, it illustrates how much we think about the impact of our actions on our children & family.
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God loves family and blesses it, desiring it to grow and flourish. Abraham is a prime example of this. God made him the father of all nations, which eventually grew into the nation of Israel—a blessing and a testament to God's desire for families to prosper.
God desires the same blessings for you and your family, even if you don't have one of your own yet. Building a foundation of faith, compassion, and love toward God is your roadmap to flourishing in the direction He has planned for you. Protect your family, just as you would protect your heart from sin. Be present for them physically, and if not, then spiritually. Pray for your loved ones, even if you're not on good terms. Pray for reconciliation, even when Satan tries to discourage you. Trust that, regardless of the outcome, God will bless you for letting go of resentment. Even if you have a chosen family, protect that unit. God loves when we gather together to support each other and not favor one or something over another loved one.
Don't make the same mistake Jacob did. Despite Leah being his wife, he showed her no compassion or love, which negatively impacted their children. Don’t favor anyone or anything—whether it's a job, money, or other people—over another loved one.
The Bible teaches us the importance of fairness and love within the family unit (Ephesians 6:1-4 & Colossians 3:18-21), cautioning against the downfalls of favoritism. As we reflect on sJacob and Joseph, we see how partiality can lead to division, jealousy, resentment, and lasting issues. As followers of Christ, we are called to protect our families by fostering an environment of love, respect, and equality. By valuing each family member equally and prioritizing the well-being of our loved ones, we create a strong foundation that honors God and promotes unity. Let us strive to embody Christ’s love in our homes, and remembering that a harmonious family reflects God's grace & blessings always, NOT favoritism.
For
Romans 2:11 says - “For God does not show favoritism”
Amen.
