Mensa Otabil - Don't Sell Your Birthright

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As we pursue our Christian life, we must be careful not to exchange the gift of salvation that God has given to us for the pleasures of this world. We must not sell our birthright, as we are warned against in Hebrews 12, verses 16 and 17: «Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.» You know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

The story of Jacob and Esau in the Bible is being alluded to in this passage. Esau was a child, part of a twin with his brother Jacob, the sons of Isaac. As the firstborn, he had what we call the blessing of the birthright. That means he would inherit the line of the Messiah, and in addition to that, the blessing of Abraham would be passed on to him because he was a firstborn.

So, Esau was born into a relationship with God and he was born into a destiny that was God-ordained. However, at a certain point in Esau’s life, he sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of meal — something he would just consume for a moment and then move on. After he had sold his birthright, he even forgot what he had done, and the passage says that he did it without even realizing what he had lost. Later on, when it was time for the birthright to be passed on, he sought it but was rejected.

The lesson we learn from that is that our relationship with God is our birthright. When we get born again, salvation becomes our birthright, the Holy Spirit becomes our birthright, the grace of God is our birthright, and the gifts of the Spirit are our birthright. We must guard our birthright, and of course, heaven is our birthright, because we belong to Christ. We must guard this birthright and not exchange it for something that will give us temporary happiness or pleasure, as Esau did.

So many times, you know, Christians get bored with their Christian life, and we take God for granted. We take our faith for granted; we take the grace of God for granted, and we want something else. We exchange it for the pleasures of this world and for temporary satisfaction. When we do that, we are losing something very, very great. Esau did not know what he had lost until the end, when the blessing was supposed to be passed on, and sometimes we don’t know what we have lost until the end.

So, don’t lose the gift that God has given to you. Hold fast to the gift of salvation. Hold fast to the grace of God. Hold fast to the blessings of the Lord and don’t lose it. It’s important that we treasure our walk with God above everything else in this world. Jesus said, «What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?» You don’t want to lose your soul; I don’t want to lose my soul. So, don’t sell your soul for money; don’t sell your soul for sex; don’t sell your soul for pleasure. Because if you do, you’re going to be like Esau. You will regret it. It’s going to cost you dearly, and it’s going to hurt you in a very deep way.

The Christian life requires that we treasure our salvation and the gift of salvation because the gift of salvation pays dividends here on earth and after we depart this earth. Our salvation is not only for today; it’s for eternity, so that we live for God while we are here, and we live for God when we leave this earth. Don’t sell the gift of God; don’t sell the grace of God; don’t sell your relationship with God. Hold on to your walk with the Lord, and the Lord will reward you in the end.

Let us pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, I appreciate your gift of salvation. Help me not to exchange your grace for worldly glory. In Jesus' name, Amen and amen.