What is Valuable

What is Valuable

Genesis 25: ²⁹ Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. ³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.

 

³¹ But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.”

 

³² And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”

 

³³ Then Jacob said,  “Swear to me as of this day.”

 

So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

 

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After Abraham died, all was left to Isaac, the promised child. Isaac now had herds of cattle, sheep, goats and plenty of gold. Esau had access to the herds, but chose to hunt for his food.

GOD turns HIS explanation to one particular day in Esau’s life. This particular day, he came in from the field and asked Jacob for food.

 

My Observations:

• Esau did not seem to value his inheritance.
• Jacob had been planning to swindle Esau for quite some time.
• Esau did not care about what he gave away, as long as he was gratified at that moment.

 

For years, Jacob worked with cattle, slaughtering it and preparing food. Jacob was not lazy, rather he was cunning. Esau may have gone out on a hunting trip thinking he was going to catch his own food. He may have been able to cook food as well, but it took silence and lurking skills to catch animals. This day he caught nothing.

 

Esau may have been exhausted chasing his prey. He comes home and gets hit with a strange statement “Sell me your birthright.” Jacob would not give Esau any food unless he agreed to give him the birthright. He valued what he would get over his relationship with his brother.

Esau did not value herds and gold, so he sold it for a meal.

 

Challenge

• Why do you think GOD mentioned this day to Moses?
• Have you ever valued something, only to find out later that it did not have any value?
• Will you place your value in walking with the LORD today so HE can renew you from weariness?

Valued Relationship

Valued Relationship

Genesis 5: ²¹ Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. ²² After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. ²³ So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴ And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.

 

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Six generations lived before Enoch was born. Adam, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalalel, and Jared. Hundreds of years passed. The garden was still there in plain sight with the angel guarding the entrance. Death was the sentence for all humans because Adam disobeyed GD’s instructions by eating from HIS tree instead of the millions of trees GOD had given humans. But humans began to pray by “calling on the name of the LORD.”

 

My Observations:

• Human mistakes can be overcome by calling on the name of the LORD.
• Walking with the LORD is special to HIM.
• GOD got so excited about Enoch, that HE spared him from death.

 

Okay, I am incredibly curious about what Enoch said and did. His conversations with JESUS must have been so exciting that HE took Enoch to heaven. Enoch would no longer have to walk on the cursed earth. He lived the shortest in this lineage so far, but actually lived the longest, because he never died.

 

I believe it was JESUS who walked with Enoch for three hundred years. They probably had exciting conversations that had nothing to do with punishment, good or bad offerings or needs. It was a valued relationship between Enoch and GOD.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD mention that he took Enoch to Moses?
• Have you ever seen special treatment?
• Do you have a special relationship with GOD that excites HIM?

Valuable Time

Valuable Time

1 Peter 1: ¹⁷ You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for him. ¹⁸ For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold; ¹⁹ it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw. ²⁰ He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.

 

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Having a lot to do, I began my work. “Come to this event” was a challenge posed to me. I asked who would be there. But he insisted that I attend. I spent time driving to the event only to find out it was not what presented to me.

 

• I felt that I had been tricked.
• I felt upset that I could have been doing something more valuable with my time.
• I felt I wasted my time going to an event that had nothing to do with what I was working on.

 

Peter tried to present CHRIST to everyone in terms of “value.” He provides sage advice to consider how precious JESUS is to the living versus only thinking of HIM as a being who prevents us from Hell. He suggests that everyone spend the rest of life in reverence of GOD.

 

My Observations:

• Life can bring on challenges that require time, BUT GOD deserves much more of my time.
• Trying to sustain a place to live, clothes on my back and food to eat can take time, BUT GOD should be thought of before I think of myself.
• Pleasure can take time, BUT GOD is the one I should seek before I seek pleasure.

 

Valuing GOD can be difficult in a cynical world. I mean, when other people place value on the acquisition of things or the knowledge of humans, GOD can look like a magical genie who is made up to grant human wishes. This is a false presentation of the MOST HIGH.

 

GOD is the all powerful, all knowing being who is everywhere. HE is the creator who has no beginning and no end. HIS SON is the only way we can even believe in GOD. I gladly give my time in reverence of HIM.

 

Challenge

• What value is the writer trying to portray?
• What are your pursuits?
• Are they more valuable to you than your relationship with JESUS?
• Will you seek GOD’s kingdom through belief in JESUS, who died for your sins and has been raised from the dead to guide you to a better life today?

Self-Worth

Self-Worth

1 Corinthians 7: ¹⁷ Each of you should go on living according to the Lord's gift to you, and as you were when God called you. This is the rule I teach in all the churches. ¹⁸ If a circumcised man has accepted God's call, he should not try to remove the marks of circumcision; if an uncircumcised man has accepted God's call, he should not get circumcised. ¹⁹ For whether or not a man is circumcised means nothing; what matters is to obey God's commandments. ²⁰ Each of you should remain as you were when you accepted God's call. ²¹ Were you a slave when God called you? Well, never mind; but if you have a chance to become free, use it. ²² For a slave who has been called by the Lord is the Lord's free person; in the same way a free person who has been called by Christ is his slave. ²³ God bought you for a price; so do not become slaves of people. ²⁴ My friends, each of you should remain in fellowship with God in the same condition that you were when you were called.

 

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After reaching a certain level, I was kind of proud of “my” accomplishments. But it wasn’t enough. I wanted to be the top in the industry at this particular company. Unfortunately, I ran into others who did not have the same feeling and I found myself searching for a new career. I felt dejected and low. “How am I going to start over?” “Who will value ‘my’ opinion?” I felt ashamed to be unemployed.

 

• At one time my self-worth was based on “my” title.
• At one time I judged others based on “their” title.
• At one time I valued what humans called “successful” and I placed all my time and effort in becoming what they needed me to become.

 

Paul explains that GOD has given each human a gift to be used for HIS purpose. GOD calls each human to do a marvelous work for HIM. The war, however, is waged on humanity against using these gifts. Instead, humans withhold resources in exchange for large prices, thus instituting a form of voluntary slavery, meanwhile keeping people from speaking about JESUS daily.

 

• GOD wants me to be free to speak about JESUS daily.
• GOD wants me to add self-control where I used to be free to sin.
• GOD wants me to place my self-worth in HIM rather than what humans think of me.

 

Valuing what JESUS did enables me to never become a slave to humans. I am not saying quit your job, rather revisit the value placed on the job. When my total self-worth is on material items and titles, I can quickly become enslaved by these things and worry ensues.

 

Placing my self-worth in the valuable price JESUS paid grows precious dividends in HIS kingdom. HE freely gives me people HE cherishes and provides food for me to give to HIS sheep. I am grateful I am free to speak about JESUS and I am governed by the self-control HE wants me to have.

 

• Do you feel trapped?
• Do you want to be free?
• Will you accept the freedom GOD wants you to have while remaining in fellowship with HIM by using your gift for HIM today?

Give Differently

Luke 20: ²⁰ Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. ²¹ So the spies questioned him: ‘Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. ²² Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’

²³ He saw through their duplicity and said to them, ²⁴ ‘Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?’

‘Caesar’s,’ they replied.

²⁵ He said to them, ‘Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’

²⁶ They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.

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Worrying about money had become a regular pastime of mine. I mean no matter how much I made it seemed to be just short of what I “needed.” With the mountain of debt growing higher and higher I found myself unable to give  like I truly wanted to.

• Many times I have felt “stuck.”
• Many times I have felt like I was between a rock and a hard place.
• Many times I have felt the pinch of making it from check to check, hoping nothing will go wrong.

Spies were sent to trick JESUS. They asked HIM about taxes, hoping to trip HIM up. JESUS saw through their “duplicity” and said to them “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to GOD what is GOD’s.” This made me think. What is GOD’s stuff?

• GOD says to me “I own everything.”
• GOD says to me “MY desire from you is to bear fruit.”
• GOD says to me “Give ME your family, your friends, your neighbors and your coworkers.”

What currency does GOD use? The being who owns everything decided to become a human so HE could be blamed for all of my sins. This was extremely “costly.” My debt to GOD is based on the value of life. No percentage or amount can be placed on what HE has done for me.

So what can I give when I don’t have anything? GOD wants me to give my love to those who hate me. GOD wants me to pray positively for those who speak negatively about me. GOD wants me to spend time with those who hurt and are in need. My fruit is the people I bring to GOD.

• Do you feel poor?
• Are you being asked to give more money when you don’t have any?
• Can you give your thoughts and prayers to those around you?
• Will you turn your complaining heart to that of love for others?