Genesis 25:34 ( NLT ) 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.
For those graduating at this time of year this message can be of great value to you. Do not give away your future value by lowering your self esteem for a short cut or an easy way out. At some point it will come back to you in a perspective that clearly shows what you traded away as a long term value was far greater than what you traded it for and how it can limit your life.
The exchange in Genesis 25 between Jacob and Esau was not the natural order of man’s plan in life but is a direct fulfillment of our struggle with human nature. Sin in temptation comes to everyone and most often it is disguised as a “short cut” that moves us to trade our long term value for short term satisfaction. It can be an appetite for much more than soup – It can be lust for self gratification, wealth, popularity, knowledge or any other area where we do not have what we want. It is in this frame of mind that we leave what our spirits know is real for what our bodies want at the moment. By accepting less we give away our future life by devaluing our current life like Esau did and it will cost us greatly just as it did him.
If you are graduating or moving from one place in life to the next make sure to look at all the possibilities and plan for the long term. A sign of a maturing adult is to delay short term satisfaction for the results and benefits of a long term plan.