Thus Esau despised his birthright. Genesis 25:34.
Esau had no love for devotion, no inclination to a religious life. The requirements that accompanied the spiritual birthright were an unwelcome and even hateful restraint to him. The law of God, which was the condition of the divine covenant with Abraham, was regarded by Esau as a yoke of bondage. Bent on self-indulgence, he desired nothing so much as liberty to do as he pleased. To him power and riches, feasting and reveling, were happiness. He gloried in the unrestrained freedom of his wild, roving life.
There are very many who are like Esau. He represents a class who have a special, valuable blessing within their reach,—the immortal inheritance, life that is as enduring as the life of God, the Creator of the universe, happiness immeasurable, and an eternal weight of glory,—but who have so long indulged their appetites, passions, and inclinations, that their power to discern and appreciate the value of eternal things is weakened.
Esau had a special, strong desire for a particular article of food, and he had so long gratified self that he did not feel the necessity of turning from the tempting, coveted dish. He thought upon it, making no special effort to restrain his appetite, until the power of appetite … controlled him, and he imagined that he would suffer great inconvenience, and even death, if he could not have that particular dish. The more he thought upon it, the more his desire strengthened, until his birthright, which was sacred, lost its value and its sacredness.
Esau passed the crisis of his life without knowing it. What he regarded as a matter worthy of scarcely a thought was the act which revealed the prevailing traits of his character. It showed his choice, showed his true estimate of that which was sacred and which should have been sacredly cherished. He sold his birthright for a small indulgence to meet his present wants, and this determined the after course of his life.
Esau represents those who have not tasted of the privileges which are theirs, purchased for them at infinite cost, but have sold their birthright for some gratification of appetite, or for the love of gain.
Conflict and Courage p. 61
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Prayer Requests
—–Please continue to pray for Kris who was terribly burned and just got the news that he has more skin grafts that need to be done.
——Can you please put this on your prayer list. 20 year old guy was in an ATV accident this morning he is in surgery now. and will be paralyzed an in a wheel chair. his brother is already in one from his MS.
Also remember a family whose 13 month old son was ran over by a pickup backing up last week at a family reunion. even so come Lord Jesus. M.
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Dear Friends,
Kate was a little girl who loved animals—all animals. If it was living, she loved it. One day she heard something rustling in her closet. Puzzled, she followed the noise until she found its source—a little mouse. Most little girls would have screamed, but not Kate. She had no fear of the creature. In fact, she was happy to have this new friend. Quietly she closed the door and went to the kitchen. She took a corner off from a slice of bread and found a jar lid in one of the drawers. Back to her room she went. Very slowly, Kate opened the closet door and placed the bread onto the floor. Then she went to the bathroom and filled the jar lid with water. After placing the lid in her closet, she quietly closed the door.
The next day, she brought her new “friend” a little cake and gave him fresh water. Kate decided her mouse friend needed a little house. She looked around until found a shoebox and her scissors. Then, she cut a hole in one end of the box, placed it upside down in one corner of her closet, and put the food inside the box.Within days, she had tamed that mouse to the point that it had no fear of her and would run all over her whenever she sat on the floor. How happy she was happy to have such a nice little pet right there in her own room.
One day while Kate was playing at a friend’s house, her mother decided to clean out that closet. She knew that Kate had outgrown some of her clothes and there was no reason to keep what no longer fit Mother looked around and saw the usual clutter on the closet floor. Before she tackled the hang-up clothes, she would pick up the mess on the floor—-including the shoebox. Sadly for Mr.Mouse, he was hiding inside! As soon as Kate’s mother saw him looking up at her, she screamed! Grabbing her broom, she got rid of the little creature. After his demise, she began picking up the clutter again. It was only then that she saw the hole in one end of the box and the jar lid filled with water. When Kate got home, her mother met her with a frown. Little Kate was heartbroken at the thought of what happened to her little pet, but as her mother explained that making a pet of an animal that spreads so much sickness was not the best thing to do, she began to understand.
How often we have a “mouse in the closet” so to speak. We nurture it and pet it and play with it. That “mouse” seems so attractive and pleasing to us, but it will eventually hurt us and destroy us. It may be daydreaming, intemperance, evil speaking, pride, lack of love for others, covetousness—anything that is more important to us than God. As we hold to it, it grows larger and stronger until that tiny “mouse in the closet” begins to control us. Suddenly we realize that we are chained to our sin. We cry out, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Rom 7:24 Our Dear Saviour answers, “call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Ps 50:15 We respond, “Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me. Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.” Ps 38:21, 22 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps 139:24, 25
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. . . .He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children, To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.” Ps 103:12-18
Praise God! We have a Saviour Who will get rid of our “mouse in the closet!”! We have a deliverer Who is able to protect us from the evil one! He will deliver us from the chains of the enemy! He is mighty of save!
Let us sing praises unto the LORD for His wondrous love! Let us allow Him to take complete control of our life. Let us love our Great Redeemer with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, with all our strength for He is our crown of rejoicing, our Saviour, our Redeemer, our King!
Rose