Genesis 25:27-34
Is what you want NOW worth giving up what you will get or plan for LATER? So many times we sacrifice our LATER for what we want NOW. We don't want to eat healthy NOW, so we gain weight LATER. We don't feel like working out NOW, so we become unhealthy LATER. We want to have sex NOW, so we bring extra emotional baggage into our relationships/marriage LATER. We want to look at pornography NOW, so we sacrifice our spiritual freedom LATER. We want to buy the new “whatever” NOW, so we forfeit our financial freedom LATER. We all have a NOW that is presently killing our LATER. We know we want to be GREATER LATER, but our appetite for NOW keeps getting in the way.
In Genesis 25:27-34 we find ourselves having a front row seat to one of the worst NOW decisions. In the story Esau comes home from a long hunting trip literally starving. At the end of this encounter with his brother Jacob Esau ends up giving up his birth right for a bowl of stew....A BOWL OF STEW! The birthright was a special privilege that the oldest son had in the family. In addition to getting extra portions of the family inheritance the oldest son would become the leader of the family. In the heat of the moment Esau passed up a GREATER LATER for an immediate pleasure.
How does it make sense for Esau to give all that up for one moment of satisfaction? When reading this scripture in the past I usually give Jacob a hard time for being so conniving to his brother and taking advantage of him, but what if Esau wasn't as much of a victim as we make him out to be? At the end of the day Esau was his own person, and was responsible for what happened. There had to be something Esau could have done to not put himself in a situation like this. Maybe he could have packed more food for the trip or maybe he could have come home sooner. I am not sure of all the details, but I know Esau could have planned better.
Just like Esau we sometimes fine ourselves in a situation where we allow our hunger for NOW forfeit our GREATER LATER. So how can we minimize the chances of this happening?
Evaluate your Now
As we wrap up the first month of 2017 its not to late to take a couple steps back and ask these questions: Is what I’m doing NOW causing me to forfeit my GREATER LATER? Are the choices you are making relationally, sexually, habitually, financially, emotionally and spiritually helping you towards building a GREATER LATER or are they destroying it? We all know the answer, so lets be honest with ourselves and work on doing less of what destroys and more of what builds. Esau didn't take the time to do this. Lets not make the same mistake.
Plan for Your Later
My mentor tells me this quote from Benjamin Franklin all the time; “Failing to plan is planning to fail." This statement is so true. If we don't plan for our GREATER LATER then its not going to happen. Nobody accidentally becomes great they plan for it. Planning and hard work are the main ingredients for success there is no other way around it. We have to plan to lose weight, get out of debt, have a better relationship/marriage, stop looking at pornography, stop sleeping around, and eat better. Whatever it is that will make your later greater plan to do more of that and less of what will forfeit it.
Get the Help You Need
As we move towards our greater later we have to keep in mind that we will need some help. No matter what level you are at or what you want to stop doing, we will all need at least a little help. Some of us may just need someone to hold us accountable to better habits. Some may need to seek professional help. Whatever you need to do to have a greater later DO IT! Do not allow embarrassment, fear or shame keep you from the greater later God has for you. GO GET YOUR GREATER LATER!!!
