It's easy when you read chapter 25 to judge Esau. I mean he was dumb. He gave away his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red stew. Granted, Jacob was deceptive, but still, it's a big mistake to make. It was a stupid thing to trade. But we do it all the time.
A few months ago, I was talking to a married friend. He said he was struggling with being flirty with girls at his gym. He really felt like for him, being a member of a health club was impeding his walk the Lord as it regularly stirred up such strong feelings of lust. When I suggested he quit the gym and either buy a treadmill or run outside, he looked at me like I was crazy.
He didn't want to give up his gym membership. He didn't want to make that sacrifice. When faced with his freedom in Christ or a fun place to exercise, he choose the gym.
Sometimes life is black and white like that. We like to think we are not choosing something other than God, but we are. For me, it was the movie "300." I read that it had nudity in it. I have often said that lust is an issue for me. For me to choose to see that movie was to choose against God. He and I had a clear understanding about things like that. I was just like Esau, faced with what should have been an obvious decision. Watch 300 and add fuel to the lust fire, or skip the movie and focus on the things God has called me to.
Our faith doesn't disappear when we choose the wrong thing. We might not lose our birthright, but we do have to make a choice. And sometimes we choose the small, temporary things because we are hungry for a cup of stew when the big, beautiful, long term things are right in front of us too.
Just like Esau.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
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15 comments:
Wow-that was really good, and so true. Can't believe I'm the first to comment, in your sea of comments.
Wow. My heart tells me I needed that (while my flesh says "mmm, red stew!").
I hope you will continue doing these. I think these chapter-by-chapter insights could be *your book* (or your next book). You are an excellent writer, Jon.
OUCH. Call me Goliath, because that one hit me RIGHT. BETWEEN. THE. EYES. i cannot even tell you how many times i have ripped on poor Esau . . . "Come on, man. You chose STEW?" Your point is well made. Thank you.
Definitely an interesting way of looking at it :)
Do you come up with these thoughts each day as you read the chapter? If you do, it is amazing the depth you can achieve each day. This is good stuff! I too am reading in Genesis right now and am several chapters ahead of you, but I'm not getting same 'real world' application that you can bring out. Thanks.
You are so eloquent in your challenge to all who read these posts.....Judging from the number of comments, this site might not have as much traffic as the SCL site, but it should have more! Thank you for sharing your journey through the Bible with us. Our pastor has been doing an overview of the Bible this year....I just love how God uses repetition to reinforce His Word in my life, but I think that's a deja vu conversation....
I guess most of us are 'Esau-ed' many times in life. When feeling of desperation, frustration and pressures of many kinds flooded us, we tend to forget the most important thing in life..we take everything for granted..all we desired is to get out of that desperation..we cannot see God anymore for we only see a bowl of red stew in front of us...and we opt for that red stew which you referred to as a temporary solution to our hunger...
I do identify with this. I am so happy I found your blog. I need some place to go each day to keep me on my toes. I will certainly make my choices with a little more care in the future.
I guess, I know this inside but to see it on the page, makes you think. I wonder what choices I made today that would not be my best choice..it is all about choice isn't it? Good or bad?
That was ... is ... good. That hits the nail on the head. Obedience or death! Resist the devil and he will flee from you. I have found in my life and in watching the lives of others, the little things are the things that turn big when you aren't watching and then burn you down. Good word today!
Good stuff, Jon.
Call me "Esau".
That's a fresh way of looking at it, and so true! I have had my share of stew, but now I try to run the other way as soon as I smell it cooking!
wondering if all men have these LUST challenges... or are you just overly endowed (like Dolly Parton)???
if this is, in fact, how all men are... it's truly a wake up call for women!
I have to say that I'm glad there is someone else out there who consciously chose not to see 300. I know this sounds like i'm about to break my arm patting my own back, but I'm sick and tired of the excuses I hear Christians make in regards to this movie.
I once heard the excuse "To check out whether it's historically accurate."
Really? Since when did we care about fact checking Hollywood?
Your absolutely right about this one, issues like this are black and white. Your perspective is fresh and welcome.
Very, very true.
I mean,, in our heads we try to make it so gray, so very gray.
But it's not.
Yikes.
Thats so true.
It's real easy to judge Esau but we do it everyday
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