“But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.” Genesis 25:33-34
Esau had been out hunting all day and came home very hungry. He saw that Jacob had a pot of some stew available. He asked for some. Jacob agreed to give him some only if Esau would sell his birthright to him. Esau was so hungry that he agreed. He got some of the stew and was filled up then he left. At that point he despised his birthright and was angry.
For a short time fill of food, Esau sold out his birthright. The birthright as the first-born was something that would last a lifetime, not just a few hours. The stew, no matter how good it was, would only last a few hours at best. It was a temporary thing.
In life many people swap out something eternal for a short-term temporary pleasure. People want the pleasure right now, regardless of how much it costs.
Most Christians would immediately say that they would never do that. Yet, how many times have you chosen to do something that you knew God did not want you to do. You felt God’s Spirit telling you not to do something, yet you did it anyway. You wanted the pleasure of doing that thing.
That thing could be an act, a word, or even a thought. Any one of those things, yet all of them were against God’s desire.
You are to live your life like Jesus did. He did only what His Father, God, wanted Him to do. He only said what God wanted Him to say. This was regardless of how painful or hard that thing may be. Ultimately He went to the cross and laid His life down for you.
How much can you do for God?
Jesus purchased your birthright for all eternity, not just this life. Are you going to trade it in for a simple one moment pleasure of sin?
I pray today that you will know what Jesus has done for you; that you will know the birthright you have in Jesus; that God will strengthen you to turn from all sin; and that you will honor God with the birthright Jesus has purchased for you.
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