Selling Your Birthright

I know its been awhile since I've posted and this particular post hits me straight in the heart because its all about trading God for the things of the world.

Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. And Esau said to Jacob, "Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted." (Therefore his name is called Edom.) Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright now." Esau said, "I am about to die, of what use is a birthright to me?" Jacob said, "Swear to me now." So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Genesis 25: 29-34 (ESV)

As you read this passage, we see Esau sell his birthright for nothing more than a bowl of stew and a piece of bread. How little Esau thought of his birthright! When you read this what is your first thoughts about Esau? Do you think him a fool? I know when I first read this I thought, "Esau's pretty stupid."

However, if we stop to think, are we really that different from Esau? We have received an eternal birthright from Jesus. Still, many modern Christians treat that eternal birthright like little more than a piece of rubbish. When the things of the world come around offering us temporary fun and pleasure, we conveniently forget God and our faith. Esau sold his birthright to temporarily meet a physical need, but we will sell our eternal birthright for even less.

Certainly, I am a prime example of this frivolous nature. I know that I should have a quiet time with God everyday, but some days I would rather watch TV, play a video game, Facebook, read a book, go shopping, sleep, or, shockingly, clean the house. What are these things going to give me in eternity that a relationship with the Creator of the Universe, my Father, my Savior is somehow less? I sell my birthright for frivolous temporary things. Esau a fool? Oh, no, Dixie is the fool!

This struggle is not mine alone. My friends, my student small group, and my parents have all struggled with selling their birthright for temporary things. Why are we so willing to sell eternity for the right now? What's so great about the things of this world that we won't fight for the things of the next?

Now, just to clarify, I don't believe that we loose our salvation if we are saved when we fail. No, what I mean when I say we sell our birthright is that we give up our opportunities to experience the Father; to build up a collection of crowns to lay at his feet. I can't imagine how horrifyingly disappointing I will feel when I stand before the God of all creation and know that I have failed him over and over and over. Like Esau when he's tricked out his blessing in Genesis 27, I will weep before him when I am called to account for all the times I sold my birthright for the things of this world. Still, having salvation through His grace, I know forgiveness is mine. In that I can have hope, but it does not lessen the importance of guarding against the world so that I don't sell my birthright.

Laid on my heart...

Along with my study of Genesis, I have also been doing daily readings and prayer to prepare for my trip to Camp Whatever. (I feel like I'm all over the Bible, Genesis for quiet time, John for quiet time per Camp Whatever, James for Sunday Morning, and Phillipians for small group.)

Anyway  I felt like the past couple of days despite my quiet time that I was just really far from God. Perhaps my quiet times are just revealing a void that was already there or perhaps I have not been open to what he was saying. I have been ardently praying the last few days as my small group leader's mom is in the hospital with a brain tumor. However, I do not think I have doing very much listening.

I finished today's study of Genesis- a general overview of the themes in what I have been learning. I just did not feel the voice of God. So before I did my readings from John that are part of the study we've been asked to do to prepare for Camp Whatever (youth camp) I asked that God speak to me. I wanted to be open to what he had to say. Answer BOOM! Like a flood of information God reached out and smacked me upside the head!

Here's what I read (lengthy but you'll need to read it to get what comes next)...

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Phillip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael said to him, "How do you know of me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Truly, Truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." John 1: 43-51 (ESV)

The first thing I noticed was this. Jesus called Philip and he believed. What was Philip's response? He went and told Nathanael. From the way, I read the passage Philip knew Nathanael prior to this. Though it is not stated, I feel like Nathanael is a good friend of Philip's. Obviously, Philip wanted to share with Nathanael this important news.

However, Nathanael was incredulous, but curious. He heard what Philip had to say and went to see Jesus at his friend's request. He required more convincing. Even before the two men make it to Jesus, He reveals himself in a way that proves beyond a doubt to Nathanael that he is the Son of God.

What can I take away from this story that will help me?

• Good friends share the message of Christ with their friends
• Jesus will reveal himself. You just got to share your story.

I distinctly got the impression that God was saying, "Dixie, what's the problem?"

He likes to let me figure these things out on my own. You see my best friend is not a Christian. To get you to understand how I feel about this friend let me refer you to a friendship found in the Bible.

 

As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. I Samuel 18:1 (ESV)

I feel like my soul is knit to hers. I love her as my own soul. Unfortunately, I've not been demonstrating that. 

You see if I love her that much, I believe that there is everlasting life, and that to not having a relationship with God condemns you to hell, and I choose not to tell her about the Savior who died to free her from that fate....well, frankly, I suck as a friend. Not mention I must not think too highly of my own soul.

So God is trying to tell me...you tell her about me...and I'll reveal myself to her. 

Now maybe she reads this and maybe she doesn't....I don't really know for sure. If she does, she knows who she is and I'm sorry for sucking as a friend. And I have... I haven't said too much about God, because I was afraid I would loose you (which frankly would rip a chunk out of my chest which I would never get back). Now, I know if I don't tell you about God that you are already lost in the long run. As much as I know God will wipe away my tears in an eternity without you, I'd rather have you there with me! So don't be surprised if I start bringing up God in conversation (don't worry he's going to provide me the opportunity)...I love you as my own soul so how can I do anything less. 

A personal intimate relationship...with me?

Do you ever feel like God just isn't there or think "why would God want a relationship with me?" Does He really care? Is He really there for me?

Today as I study Genesis, I revisited the Creation of Adam and Eve. Now my first post talks about the special role that God designed for women and how amazing and important that role can be when it is truly understood. Today I want to talk about the personal intimate relationship that God wants with mankind.  He initiates this desire from the very beginning of our creation. Let's walk through how he did that...

• Intimate Creation
  

God got his hands dirty when he made Adam. He made him from the dust of the ground and breath of life. 

then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. Genesis 2:7 (ESV)

Everything else seems to be have been made by divine fiat (God's verbal command), but with man he took his time, he involved himself in his creation. 

Furthermore he did the same with Eve. 

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up the its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Genesis 2: 21-22 (ESV)

He got up close and personal when he made mankind-both male and female.  

Finally you are the only creation that he made in his image. 

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...." Genesis 1:26a (ESV)

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27 (ESV)

• Intimate Care & Provision

Not only did God get personal with creation he made a special place within creation for Adam and Eve. He had already declared that creation was good, but He went a step further and made the Garden of Eden for them.

And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:8 (ESV)

God provided not only for their needs but for their pleasure.

And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.   Genesis 2:9a (ESV)

He didn't just provide food but he made the ones that were pleasant to the sight to spring up. 

He gave Adam a job to do. Adam was tasked to work the garden of Eden and keep it (Genesis 2:15). Now maybe that does not seem like such a grand thing, but I've had idle hands before. If you are an intelligent being, boredom is not fun. 

Finally he provided companionship when he made Eve. (Genesis 2:16, 21-24)

• Intimate Relationship
  

God was looking for a relationship not just in passing, but deep and meaningful. He did this by giving man choice in obedience (Genesis 2:16-17), allowing self-discovery in the search for a companion (Genesis 2:20), and giving man creativity, wisdom, and intelligence (Genesis 2:19-20).

He gave Adam the choice of being obedient to the commands of God by placing the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden.  God did not need a zombie or a robot. He wanted man to choose to have a relationship with him.

God begins vs. 18 of chapter 2 by saying that it was not good for man to be alone, but he does not create woman until vs. 21-22. In between this time, Adam names all the animals, but discovers none that are fit to be his helper. God gives Adam the chance to come to his own conclusions before he makes the woman.

Finally, God gave man creativity, wisdom, and intelligence. Adam named all the animals in between the time of his creation and that of the woman's creation. From Genesis 1, we know man was made on the sixth day of creation. Adam had all the skills necessary to observe, get to know, and name each animal in a short period of time. As I said earlier, God did not need or want a zombie or a robot. He wanted a creation that demonstrated thought so that he might have a relationship with them.

LOVE

I can only imagine how God felt as he carefully made and cared for the very first man and woman. He must have loved Adam and Eve so much, but all along he knew that they were going to fail Him. How His heart must have broken as He made them! It takes a strange and powerful kind of love to love when you know you are going to get hurt. That love drove our creation, but he refused to leave mankind in sin. Even as He made Adam and Eve, He already planned out their (and our) salvation through His son, Jesus Christ. 

Just as God desired a personal intimate relationship with Adam and Eve, He desires that from each of us. Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient to save the whole world, but only applies to those who believe. (John 3:16-17). Furthermore, we are given the Holy Spirit that we might know God. As Paul tells us in I Corinthians 2:10-12, only the spirit that is in a person can know a person's thoughts. Thus, only the Spirit of God can comprehend His thoughts. God gives you His Spirit that you might understand him and what He has freely given.

God wants a personal intimate relationship with ME! And with YOU!