Don't Despise Your Birthright

In Gen 25.29-34 we read that Esau, famished from a long day in the field, sold his birthright for some red stew! V34 says that ‘Esau despised his birthright’. In Heb 12.16-17, the author uses Esau as an example of someone who despised the spiritual things and was concerned more with the earthly and profane things.

But let’s take a look at ourselves also. We as children of God have a glorious birthright - we are adopted into God’s family, we have an inheritance, we have forgiveness of sins, salvation, eternal life, hope, peace, grace. We have the Holy Spirit; we have the Word. We have all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. In fact, we have Jesus! We of all people, are most blessed! That is our birthright.

And yet, isn’t it so easy to take it for granted at times? Or even worse, to despise it? Isn’t it easy at times to be more concerned with the earthly, profane things around us than with the heavenly and spiritual things? Isn’t it easy to make the excuse - ‘I don’t have time for spiritual things; my life is too hectic right now. I have no time to read the Bible, or pray or seek God.’

And over time, our hearts are in danger of becoming hard. See, for Esau it was too late to get his birthright back, even when he ‘sought it diligently with tears’ (Heb 12.17). But for you it might not be too late. Don’t let your heart become so hard that you don’t care anymore for the things of God. Ask God, in His grace, to light a fire in your heart and renew your faith, so that the earthly and profane things of the world might fade away and that you fall in love with Jesus and the things of heaven again.