Sneaky and apathy don’t mix

Genesis 25: ²⁹ Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. ³⁰ He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)

³¹ Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

³² “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

³³ But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

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We walked around the store mindlessly browsing and I ran into one of the neighborhood thugs. He was changing clothes in the middle of the store. He looked at me and placed a finger over his lips with a shushing motion. He stuffed his old clothes behind the rack and walked out of the store. I thought to myself, this store deserves to be robbed.  I mean, just last week the manager yelled at us for something we didn’t do.

• When I become apathetic I don’t care about right or wrong.
• When I lose my caring I overlook being involved with people.
• When I overlook people I tend to focus on my problems.

Wait a minute, Esau sold his entire inheritance for a meal from a sneaky brother so what does that have to do with me? Well, instead of helping the guy or talking to him I just let him do what he was going to do.  Also, my apathy towards the store manager was based on not enough information to understand or respect his position. Sometimes just standing there is a problem.

• GOD wants me to treat people with enough respect to try to bring them to CHRIST.
• GOD wants me to understand where people are so I can explain the great gift CHRIST gave me.
• GOD wants me to forget self-preservation for a moment so I can be used as a messenger for HIM.

Whether I’m the sneaky one or the apathetic one or the bystander, I have a role in pointing people to GOD.

• Where are you?
• Are you standing on the sidelines letting things fall apart or are you helping?
• Won’t you allow GOD to speak through you even though it may be uncomfortable?