Anglican Devotional 3 August 2024 | Mortgaged Destiny

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The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 3 August 2024 | Mortgaged Destiny

TOPIC: Mortgaged Destiny

READ: Genesis 27:30-46 (NKJV)

Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.
He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.”
And his father Isaac said to him, “Who [are] you?” So he said, “I [am] your son, your firstborn, Esau.”
Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where [is] the one who hunted game and brought [it] to me? I ate all [of it] before you came, and I have blessed him — [and] indeed he shall be blessed.”
When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me — me also, O my father!”
But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.”
And [Esau] said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?”
And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me — me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:”Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, And of the dew of heaven from above.
By your sword you shall live, And you shall serve your brother; And it shall come to pass, when you become restless, That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”
So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you [by intending] to kill you.
“Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran.
“And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away,
“until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?”
And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these [who are] the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
THE MESSAGE:

As soon as Jacob left with the blessing of their father, Esau came in desiring the same blessing as the first born of the family but forgetting that he had already traded his birthright for bread and pottage of lentils (Genesis 25: 29-34). Esau begged and cried, but the situation could not be reversed. He was to remain in servitude to his younger brother, Jacob, though one day he would grow restless and break free from Jacob’s rule.

The scripture in Hebrews 12: 16 called Esau a profane (godless) person that sold his birthright for one morsel of meat. He traded away God’s lifelong gift just to satisfy a short-term appetite; and afterward, sought for the blessing with tears but was rejected. Just like Esau, we attempt to satisfy our short-term appetite at the expense of our place in destiny which is life-long. The enemy of our souls throws these baits at us daily, sometimes in disguised forms, to make us lose our destiny. In what way have you mortgaged your destiny? Become restless and break free from that bondage. Determine to hold fast to your God-given gift!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see the “morsel of meat” that comes daily to steal my destiny. Grant me grace to reject it as it comes in Jesus’ Name Amen.