Altar, Tent, Well (Gen. 26:25)

Read Genesis 26:25.

• Notice the elements.  There is worship (altar), security (tent) and joy (well).
• Notice the order.  Worship comes first.  The altar comes first.  The Holy Spirit comes first.  The well (blessing, overflow) comes last.  The well won't spring up if the knees don't bend down.
• Notice the effort.  None of the three things came to pass on their own.  The altar had to be built, the tent had to be pitched, and the well had to be dug.  Let us not expect God to do for us what He has scripted us to do for ourselves.
• Notice the application.  There are three relationships in which a man needs to be effective, if he is to live successfully.

1. He needs to be effective in his relationship with God.  Build the altar and bow the knee.
2. He needs to be effective in his relationships at home. Drive the stakes (convictions, core values, biblical truths) and pitch the tent.  
3. He needs to be effective in his relationships in the community.  Go to the well and draw from it. (The well was a gathering place, since everyone needed water.)