A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS: Devotion for Monday April 11, 2016

A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS: Devotion for Monday April 11, 2016

Text: Genesis 25:29 – 34      Memory verse: v 32   

Beloved, have you ever given away a valuable possession and later regretted it? If you have, you will probably recall that you took that decision under pressure. At that time, resistance seemed impossible. A birthright was a special honour given to the firstborn son (Gen 25:31). It included a double portion of the family inheritance along with the honour of, one day becoming the family’s leader. Birthrights were priceless. In Isaac’s family, the birthright belonged to Esau. But because of Esau’s narrow view, he did not hold on to it.

Esau was hungry and Jacob had some food, but He could not see beyond his exaggerated sense of need. His words in 25:32 were probably not true; it merely reflected how he felt. Esau acted on impulse, satisfying his immediate desires without pausing to consider the long-range consequences of what he was about to do. Esau did not need to eat the meal he so desperately wanted, but the pressure of the moment distorted his perspective and made his decision seem urgent.

People often experience similar pressures and  make similar decisions. For example, under sexual temptation, a marriage vow may seem unimportant. A person might feel such great pressure in one area that nothing else seems to matter and the person loses his or her perspective. What pressures do you face? You can avoid making Esau’s mistake by comparing an action’s short-term satisfaction with its long-range consequences before you act. Getting through that short, pressure–filled moment is often the most difficult and most important part of overcoming a temptation.

Food for Thought: Do you act on impulse to satisfying your immediate desires without pausing to consider the long-range consequences?

Prayer: Lord, may I not sell my Christian rights for any material gain in Jesus name.