Monday, June 30, 2008

The price of a meal these days


I had the privilege of leading a wonderful Bible Study in my home this evening. We are going through Precepts, Genesis chapter 24 through something or other, the life of Isaac, Jacob and Esau.

First of all, to see the growth in the women was absolutely beautiful and awesome. There are nine faithful women in this group and God has blessed my home bountifully.

Secondarily, I was totally blown away by the video and the application of Esau’s decision to sell his birthright for a single meal and applying it to a quick overview of the Book of Hebrews.

I have read Hebrews several times, but to hear the quick overview from chapter 1 to the end picking out the main verses that applied about not drifting away, not going forward but instead turning away.

Immediately before the Bible Study I got a letter that was quite disturbing to me. But God, He is so wonderful to me. I guess this brings me to the third great thing:

The letter that I found and read immediately before the Bible Study then totally applied the Bible Study of the video to my life. So Kay Arthur was teaching about how this world and the things of this world is the equivalent of Esau’s bowl of stew.

The things of the world, to me is no matter what in the world is of the world, my house, my property, all my worldly possessions – when I worry about those temporal things that is my drifting away from my birthright. That is my choosing the things of the world over the spiritual.

When I choose to think about the things of this world over the spiritual, then that is me being like Esau. Then that is me despising my birthright.

God gives me His Son and my great inheritance in heaven, but no, I am worried instead of my house? What good is my house when I die anyway? What if I didn’t have my house? Would the Lord not take me through that? Would He not remain faithful? So, then I guess I would learn the benefits of living wherever the Lord has me to live.

I felt like maybe tonight the Lord has set me free from worldly possessions after my entire life including as a Christian - that He has been drawing me to this point of deliverance.

That is the fourth highlight. The Lord has been working on this area of my life for many, many years - that of finding my security in possessions and all that is associated with that. A couple of years ago I repentant before the Lord because I had been wanting the Lord to “fix” some things more than I wanted to know Him through those problems. So then I “let” the Lord have the liberty of doing what He wanted in those problems because I wanted to know Him more. Knowing Him was more important than the financial problems getting fixed. For the first time. Okay, I’ll open my hand. (That was about two years ago.)

After the Bible Study was over and I was in my kitchen, I was overwhelmed for the second time this day. I guess that is the fifth point of the evening, but was the second time of being overwhelmed today. “And you are daughters of Sarah if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” When I thought of that verse, I realized something great that I am.

(The first time I was overwhelmed today was this morning in the car singing, “I’m desperate for You,” and knowing how desperate I was for God and crying and the release of that was accompanied with the realization that “yeah, that prayer is answered” – complete knowledge that yeah, God will provide all that I need today. The realization that, whereas Esau found no repentance though he sought it with tears, I found the place of redemption of Christ. That sweet location of where I want to be – that perfect spot at the center of Christ Himself which is on one side of the coin the suffering of ME dying on the cross of I Peter chapter 2 and on the other side of the coin is ME being found in Him in Ephesians, far above all principalities and powers. That is, dying on the cross and the resurrection life. They are both ours in Christ to receive and find our peace there and our escape from the world there and all our security.)

It was overwhelming for me to think of “being a daughter” of Sarah. Though that is better written without the quotes. I am a daughter of Sarah! I am not a daughter of my mother or my other mother, but I am a daughter of my mother Sarah. Do you realize what a possession that is? What a prize?

And I am going to equate my house, my property, my possessions, anything in this world to God’s inheritance? I am going to sell my birthright, my ability to dwell “in Him” far above and say instead, “this thing really pisses me off” or “I’m hungry” or “this hurts” so therefore I am going to exchange the incorruptible for the corruptible?

You see it? Worrying about the things of the earth and not seeing and applying the spiritual instead, not receiving the discipline of the Lord instead (and with joy), is selling my birthright for a bowl of stew.

And I don’t want to do that.

posted by An Ordinary Christian | 9:22 PM

1 Comments:

Blogger Jada's Gigi said...

Good thoughts. Our inheiritance is Christ Himself...hold fast to Him...nothing else is worth giving Him up for! Just stopping by to say Hi..its been a while. good to see you are still holding to Him.

4:22 PM  

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