Heroes of the Faith, Part 2Намуна

Value the Spiritual

Hero: Isaac - Genesis 25:19-34, Hebrews 11:20

Theme Verse: Mark 8:36

Today, we will learn to consistently value spiritual things more than physical ones.

Abraham’s son Isaac grew up and had a family of his own. Instead of choosing a wife for himself, he allowed his father to choose for him (Genesis 24). Then Isaac and his wife Rebekah had twins, Esau and Jacob.

One day, Esau came home from hunting and was so hungry that he thought he would die! He craved something so bad that he would give anything for it! Have you wanted something so bad that you would do anything for it? Jacob decided to trick Esau. He said he would give Esau some food in exchange for his Birthright, and Esau agreed to it! He exchanged the entire life course for a single bowl of soup!

In those days, fathers would bless their sons before they died. Isaac grew old and lost his eyesight, so he planned to bless Esau. But Jacob followed his mom’s advice, dressed up like Esau, and deceitfully took the Blessing! Esau thought a bowl of soup wouldn’t make much of a difference, but when he wanted his Birthright back, he couldn’t get it back! He lost it permanently! Isaac did value spiritual things.

Issac believed in God’s Promise that his descendants would possess the land, and Issac blessed Jacob with those promises.

God has a Birthright, a Plan, and a Blessing for each of us. But if we are not careful, we can trade the Plan away with our choices! One way to do this is to sin. When you lie and say you earned a higher grade than you did, you may look good for a short time, but you have lost your credibility!

When you get older, it gets even riskier. Many Christians marry someone based on looks or status instead of caring about the person’s heart. Then, when they want to serve God, their own spouse gets in the way. And the decision of who to marry is permanent! Esau married women who drove Isaac and Rebekah crazy (Genesis 27:46). In contrast, Isaac and later his son Jacob both valued the spiritual when choosing a spouse.

Jesus said that the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth can keep you from being fruitful, from receiving your Birthright (Matthew 13:22). Make sure you do not despise your Birthright and trade it for anything else, no matter how much you crave it.

I choose to value the spiritual things of life more than physical ones.

Questions:

1. What examples show that we value the spiritual world over the physical world?

2. What if you do not like what seems right?

3. What if I am the only one not participating?

Application to Life:

This week's assignment is to write about your Birthright, the life you can grow into. First, do not think that your Family Birthright is nothing. It has a lot of value. It may be as a mechanic, an engineer, or a nurse. You can make a difference in your neighborhood or your country. But write about your Spiritual Birthright, too. You are a child of God and belong to His Mighty Family. God has given you various skills and desires, and He can work through those to bring you to success in His Spiritual Family. Your heart is precious to God.