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 25:34)
Esau’s appetite got the best of him, and he settled for a bowl of stew, giving his birthright to his brother Jacob in return. How often we find ourselves like Esau, settling for some momentary treasure over and against our eternal destiny . . . despising our birthright?
When was the last time you settled for some stew instead of reaching for your Savior?
Think about it this way: God has given us many promises in His Word. But all too often we are not willing to wait on the Lord to fulfill them in His way and in His timing. Abraham and Sarah had God’s promise that they would be the parents of a son. From their perspective, however, it was taking God way too long to fulfill His promise, so they took matters into their own hands. Sarah gave her servant Hagar to Abraham, and they conceived a child who had no part in the promise of God. When we settle for stew over our Savior, it blinds our eyes, binds our ears, and blocks our forward progress.
The key that keeps us from settling for stew over our Savior is rooted in our focus. If we focus on the here and now, we will likely settle for stew. But if we keep our focus on the there and then — living in the light of eternity — we will look past the temporal and settle for nothing less than the eternal. Only an eternal perspective will positively impact our earthly priorities. Jesus made it clear that we are all treasure hunters. The question we must ask ourselves and answer each day is: What treasure are we hunting for?
We all know from personal experience that it is a pitifully poor trade-off indeed to settle for temporary pleasure when already have received every imaginable eternal treasure in Jesus. We must remember that we are children of the King and a royal priesthood by way of our second birth. We must never sell our birthright to acquire some temporal treasure — some earthly stew — when we have been given the greatest eternal treasure imaginable: Jesus Christ our Lord.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 