He Sought Diligently with Tears
"...lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears." -Hebrews 12:16-17
This morning in my quiet time I focused in on this one verse, and it has been with me all today. When we allow God to lead our quiet time with Him...the morning watch as Andrew Murray calls it...we find jewels of blessing. Often times we don't allow God to lead our time with Him, we have our countless books, and and are weighted down with what we HAVE to read. While that's cool and all, it is possible for our quiet times with God to become an idol, a burden, and a guilt trip, and just religious jargon. This is not what God intended for us in spending time with Him. The mornings when I finally die to myself and focus on Him I find His beauty and promise. I find my time with Him refreshing, where He is my focus and not worrying about what I think I need to do. This is something that takes practice, discernment, and discipline.
I took several things from this one verse and the story of Jacob and Esau which is found in Genesis 25. Jacob's name meant "con artist" "thief" and "liar." Remind you of anyone? In a moment of weakness Esau gave it all up, and Jacob tripped him up. Adrian Rogers writes, "All of his life Jacob had known about God, but he had not known God. He was religious, but lost. Religion can steal so much can't it?
In a weak moment Esau gives his birthright and blessing to Jacob. Again for a bite of food, just like our first parents, Esau was deceived and Jacob took from him the blessings God intended for him. We see this so much in life don't we? In a moment of weakness, in a moment of wanting a good time we loose it all. Bitterly we weep afterwards feeling the price that was paid finding that there is no going back. We blew it. The writer of Hebrews pens it in a way that grabs your emotion and devastates you. Esau wanted the blessing, but was rejected, he couldn't say sorry enough, he couldn't go back, he couldn't undo! He wept for it, but it was done.
This further proves the gift of repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation..." We can scratch for it like Esau did, but it is never ours until God gives us the doorway to repent, we cannot do it in our own strength, or on our own terms. Salvation is all a gift from beginning to end.
What are you selling out on? What are you putting against your lips to temporarily satisfy giving away the blessing, and the birthright God has given you! Be careful you don't find yourself in the place Esau was. Get on one side of the fence, don't let a moment of weakness steal from you. Don't let Satan steal what is God has given to you. Don't let "friends" ask you out for a good time and steal what God has given you.
God gave the repentance to Jacob. God showing His grace on a sinner like Jacob. We read it and wonder why in the world would God allow and go after him!? It doesn't seem right to us. Little lying, thieving, booger! That's who Jesus chases down in love. In Genesis 28 Jacob ran for his life as Esau was out to kill him for what he had done. Jacob is camped out in the desert, the picture of an unsaved person. Surrounded by darkness, and sentenced to death. Alone, Jacob looked up at the stars, yawned in the face of God, laid his head on a rock and closed his eyes. He dreamed, and there was a ladder on the Earth going up to Heaven and angels were ascending and descending on it. Jesus teaches this story to Nathaniel in John 1:47-51. Jesus is that ladder to Heaven, the one who connects Heaven and Earth. Don't miss the blessing of knowing Him! He will give you an inheritance. Ask Him for a godly sorrow, for the gift of repentance. Quit trying to satisfy yourself and allow Him to satisfy you.
This morning in my quiet time I focused in on this one verse, and it has been with me all today. When we allow God to lead our quiet time with Him...the morning watch as Andrew Murray calls it...we find jewels of blessing. Often times we don't allow God to lead our time with Him, we have our countless books, and and are weighted down with what we HAVE to read. While that's cool and all, it is possible for our quiet times with God to become an idol, a burden, and a guilt trip, and just religious jargon. This is not what God intended for us in spending time with Him. The mornings when I finally die to myself and focus on Him I find His beauty and promise. I find my time with Him refreshing, where He is my focus and not worrying about what I think I need to do. This is something that takes practice, discernment, and discipline.
I took several things from this one verse and the story of Jacob and Esau which is found in Genesis 25. Jacob's name meant "con artist" "thief" and "liar." Remind you of anyone? In a moment of weakness Esau gave it all up, and Jacob tripped him up. Adrian Rogers writes, "All of his life Jacob had known about God, but he had not known God. He was religious, but lost. Religion can steal so much can't it?
In a weak moment Esau gives his birthright and blessing to Jacob. Again for a bite of food, just like our first parents, Esau was deceived and Jacob took from him the blessings God intended for him. We see this so much in life don't we? In a moment of weakness, in a moment of wanting a good time we loose it all. Bitterly we weep afterwards feeling the price that was paid finding that there is no going back. We blew it. The writer of Hebrews pens it in a way that grabs your emotion and devastates you. Esau wanted the blessing, but was rejected, he couldn't say sorry enough, he couldn't go back, he couldn't undo! He wept for it, but it was done.
This further proves the gift of repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation..." We can scratch for it like Esau did, but it is never ours until God gives us the doorway to repent, we cannot do it in our own strength, or on our own terms. Salvation is all a gift from beginning to end.
What are you selling out on? What are you putting against your lips to temporarily satisfy giving away the blessing, and the birthright God has given you! Be careful you don't find yourself in the place Esau was. Get on one side of the fence, don't let a moment of weakness steal from you. Don't let Satan steal what is God has given to you. Don't let "friends" ask you out for a good time and steal what God has given you.
God gave the repentance to Jacob. God showing His grace on a sinner like Jacob. We read it and wonder why in the world would God allow and go after him!? It doesn't seem right to us. Little lying, thieving, booger! That's who Jesus chases down in love. In Genesis 28 Jacob ran for his life as Esau was out to kill him for what he had done. Jacob is camped out in the desert, the picture of an unsaved person. Surrounded by darkness, and sentenced to death. Alone, Jacob looked up at the stars, yawned in the face of God, laid his head on a rock and closed his eyes. He dreamed, and there was a ladder on the Earth going up to Heaven and angels were ascending and descending on it. Jesus teaches this story to Nathaniel in John 1:47-51. Jesus is that ladder to Heaven, the one who connects Heaven and Earth. Don't miss the blessing of knowing Him! He will give you an inheritance. Ask Him for a godly sorrow, for the gift of repentance. Quit trying to satisfy yourself and allow Him to satisfy you.
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