Genesis 25: 29-33 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
I love this story of Jacob and Esau. There are several applications of this passage, but I can’t help but think about the fact that Esau sold all he had for immediate satisfaction.
Often times, so do we. We want what we want right now and will often go to extraordinary measures to get it. Teens throw away their innocence for the sake of immediate satisfaction. Adults get in debt buying things on impulse that they thought they had to have. Parents sacrifice their family for their career. Ministers sacrifice their ministry for a moment of passion.
Don’t sell your birthright for something that you really don’t HAVE to have…you won’t starve. Later, you’ll be happy you didn’t!
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