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I’ve been reading a chapter from the Old Testament and a chapter from the New Testament each morning. I don’t follow a particular reading plan right now. I simply read until I feel like I’ve read a good portion of Scripture, and then I stop and take some time to think about what I’ve read and listen for what the Lord may be showing me.
One of the things I love about reading the Old and New Testaments together is seeing how often the Holy Spirit brings things together in ways I could never have planned. A passage from the Old Testament will somehow speak directly to something I’ve just read in the New Testament, and I’m reminded again that the whole of Scripture points us toward God and His purposes.
Recently, I was reading about Jacob and Esau, and something in that story caught my attention.
Most of us are familiar with Jacob and Esau. They were twin brothers, the sons of Isaac and Rebekah and the grandsons of Abraham. Before they were even born, God told Rebekah that two nations were in her womb and that the older would serve the younger. This was unusual because, in their culture, the firstborn son held a special birthright and received a greater portion of the inheritance along with a special blessing.
Jacob and Esau had very different personalities. Jacob was quieter and stayed around the tents. Esau was a hunter who spent his time out in the fields.
As a mother of three boys, I’m often amazed at how children with the same parents can be so completely different. My boys have grown up in the same home and yet each one of them are very different. They each have their own personality, interests, strengths, and weaknesses.
Jacob and Esau were no different.
What Are You Willing to Trade?
One day, Esau came home from the field exhausted and hungry. Jacob had prepared a stew, and when Esau smelled it, he asked for some. Jacob agreed, but only if Esau would give him his birthright in exchange.
Esau was so focused on what he wanted in that moment that he agreed.
He traded his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew.
When I read that story, I’m struck at how easily Esau could make such a quick decision that would effect the rest of his life, and the lives of all of his children afterwards . How could you possibly trade something so valuable for something that would satisfy you for only a few minutes?
But the more I think about it, the more I realize how easy it is for us to do the same thing.
There are things we cannot see with our natural eyes that are far more valuable than the things we can see. The most valuable things are often the unseen things: our relationship with God, His promises, His wisdom, our eternal inheritance in Christ, and the calling He has placed on our lives.
But we live in a world that constantly tells us to value what is immediate.
We need money. We need a place to live. We need food and clothing. We have responsibilities, bills, careers, families, and all kinds of legitimate needs. There is nothing wrong with those things. God knows that we need them.
The problem comes when the things we can see become more important to us than the things we cannot see.
When we become so focused on what we need right now that we are willing to sacrifice what God has asked of us, we have made the same kind of trade Esau made.
And sometimes the hardest part is that what we are trading away may not even look very valuable to the world.
What Does Obedience Cost You?
Paul says it this way in Colossians 3:
“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
Paul isn’t telling us that the things of this world don’t matter. We live here. We have responsibilities here. We have families to care for and work to do.
But we get in trouble when we begin to live as though this world is all there is.
We are covenant children. We have an inheritance in Christ that is worth more than anything this world can offer us. That inheritance is eternal, and it should affect the way we make decisions today.
The question becomes: What is God asking of me, and am I willing to obey Him even when obedience costs me something?
I remember when I quit my job to stay home with our children. At that time, my husband and I were making about the same amount of money, so my decision to leave my job had a significant financial impact on our family.
It wasn’t a quick or easy decision.
And I want to be very careful here because I don’t believe God calls every woman to stay home with her children. I also loved homeschooling, and I’m a huge advocate for homeschooling, but I don’t believe every family is called to homeschool either.
The point isn’t what has God asked me to do.
The point is what has God asked you to do.
Whatever He has called you to do, are you willing to do it with all your heart, even when it costs you something?
Because obedience almost always costs us something.
It may cost us money. It may cost us comfort. It may cost us the approval of other people. It may cost us opportunities that look really good on paper. It may require us to change our priorities or give up something we thought we wanted.
But God sees what we cannot see.
We Have to Decide What Matters Most
One day, we are going to stand before the Lord.
When that day comes, it won’t matter how much money we made, how impressive our lives looked, how many people knew our names, or how many followers we had.
What will matter is whether we were faithful to Him.
I don’t pretend to have figured this out or to have hit the mark perfectly. I’m far from it. But at least I know there is a mark.
There is a high calling in Christ Jesus.
And knowing that changes the way we live our lives.
We have to continually ask ourselves: What is important? Where should I spend my time? What should I be seeking? What has God asked of me?
And then, when something doesn’t line up with those things, we have to be willing to let it go.
That can be hard because the world is constantly telling us what we should want. We are surrounded by messages telling us what success looks like, what a good life looks like, what we should have, where we should go, and what we should pursue.
But what if God is asking something different of you?
What if obedience doesn’t look impressive to anyone else?
What if following God means making a choice that doesn’t make sense to the people around you? Or even to yourself?
What if you have to say no to something good because God has called you to something better?
That is where trust comes in.
Can You Trust God With Your Future?
Ultimately, it comes down to one question:
Can I trust God?
Can I trust that He knows what is better for me than I do?
Can I trust that He knows what is better for my family than I do?
Can I trust Him with my future?
Can I trust Him enough to give up something I can see today for something He has promised that I cannot yet see?
That is not always easy.
Sometimes we want what is right in front of us. We want the security, the money, the opportunity, the comfort, the approval, or the answer right now.
But faith asks us to trust the God who sees the whole picture.
We have to seek Him and ask, “Lord, what does obedience look like for me in this season of my life? What are You asking of me in my home, my family, my work, and my relationships?”
And then we have to be willing to listen and obey.
God wants us to have a personal relationship with Him. He doesn’t want us to spend our lives simply looking around at what everyone else is doing and asking whether we are doing enough. He wants us to walk with Him, listen to Him, and learn what faithfulness looks like in our own lives.
And when we know we are walking in obedience to Him, there is a joy that the world cannot give us.
There is something deeply satisfying about knowing that you are doing what your Father has asked you to do, even when other people don’t understand it.
The Smartest Trade
Think again about Jacob and Esau.
Esau looked at a bowl of stew and saw something he needed immediately. Jacob saw something of greater value.
One was temporary.
The other was connected to an inheritance.
And that is the choice we face over and over again.
Will I trade what is eternal for what is immediate?
Will I trade obedience for comfort?
Will I trade God’s approval for the approval of people?
Will I trade what I know God has asked me to do for something that is easier and more satisfying right now?
Or will I trust Him?
I believe that choosing God—even when it costs us something—is the smartest trade we will ever make.
There is joy on the other side of obedience. There is peace in knowing that we are walking with God rather than simply following the world around us. And there is an inheritance waiting for us that is worth infinitely more than anything we could gain here.
You may be making a sacrifice right now that nobody else understands. You may be choosing obedience in a way that doesn’t seem to make sense financially or practically. You may be giving up something that you really want because you believe God is asking you to trust Him.
I want to encourage you today: it will be worth it.
Keep your eyes on the things above.
Keep seeking Jesus.
Keep asking Him what faithfulness looks like in your life in this particular season.
And when He asks you to make a sacrifice, remember that He sees what you cannot see.
The world may tell you that you are giving something up.
But sometimes what looks like a loss in the moment is actually the smartest trade you will ever make.
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