A Greater Cost

Read Proverbs 28

Showing partiality is never good, yet some will do wrong for a mere piece of bread.

Proverbs 28:21

In Genesis 25:21-34, we are told the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob, though younger, was the child of promise. God had decided to use him to continue the lineage begun by Abraham and Isaac. But Jacob wasn’t content to wait for God’s plans. He schemed to take what by law belonged to his brother. So when Esau came to Jacob starving with hunger, Jacob sold him a bowl of lentil stew and a piece of bread. The price? Esau’s birthright, which came with being the firstborn. Esau exchanged his birthright for table scraps.

We can look at this story from the distance of several thousand years and see Esau’s folly. But what trifles do we settle for in our lives? Our Father offers us incredible blessings if we would love him, but how often do we despise his offerings and seek out our own provision (Jeremiah 2:12-13)? The wrong, the cheap, and the momentary are never worth enough to exchange for what God can give us.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Compromise can sell out your soul.

Today, Lord, teach me to value most what is infinitely valuable, namely you.