If you don’t know what you really have, you can never be really grateful for it. If you don’t understand the value of what you have, you will fail to protect it.
What you have is of the greatest value, but maybe you have overlooked it. And through your oversight, you have traded your best for something so far less. You have settled for something completely inferior simply because you didn’t understand what was truly yours.
Our study of the book of Genesis brings us now to the story of Jacob and Esau. These are the battling twin brothers who teach us 2 valuable lessons. Esau was born first, and Jacob was born holding onto his heel. And this was the beginning of a sibling rivalry that would make Jerry Springer shake his head.
In these days, the first born received the birthright and the blessing. The birthright was a double portion of inheritance and the role as spiritual leader of the family. Because Easu was born before his twin brother Jacob, according to custom and tradition, the birthright belonged to Esau.
In a moment of weakness, Esau traded all of this for a single bowl of soup. How foolish is that?
Genesis 25:29-33, “One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, ‘I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!’ ‘All right,’ Jacob replied, ‘but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.’ ‘Look, I’m dying of starvation!’ said Esau. What good is my birthright to me right now?’ But Jacob said, ‘First you must swear that your birthright is mine.’ So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.'”
Verse 34 in TPT, “Then Jacob gave Esau some lentil stew and bread. When Esau had finished eating and drinking, he just got up and walked away. Esau cared nothing about his own birthright.”
Was the birthright of tremendous value? Technically, yes. However, if the one who is in line to receive it does not value it, then the value is forfeited.
A double portion of the inheritance, forfeited. Spiritual leadership, forfeited. And Easu didn’t even care because he didn’t value what was rightfully his. He was happy with his bowl of soup.
What is our bowl of soup? Where have we settled for far less than God says is our birthright as his girls? What have we failed to value as the daughters of the King and forfeited in our hunger for something now?
What we want most is often forfeited for what we want right now.
We want that God appointed relationship, but we will settle for the one available for a meet up now.
We want to walk in God’s calling, but we will settle for a guaranteed paycheck, 401K and insurance.
We want peace, but we will settle for distraction.
We want healing, but we will settle for a bandaid.
We want a word spoken from Heaven, but we will settle for a word spoken on TikTok.
Do we really understand, appreciate and value what is ours as God’s girls?
Jeremiah 29:11, God says, “For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.”
• Where have we traded God’s best plans that were still in the wait, for the secondary self-construed plans we could have right now?
• Where have we dismissed ourselves from God’s desire to prosper us, and settled for something so much smaller out of comfort?
• Where have we taken God’s offering of hope for our future, and turned it into worry, stress, and doubt?
You see, we know what to do with worry. Stress is so familiar. I know how to wake up to doubt. It’s all becomes so comfortable. What’s not familiar is hope. What’s not comfortable is the idea of truly prospering in God’s plans.