Tempted by Your Short-term Appetites?
Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite (Hebrews 12:16 MSG). Are you familiar with the "Esau syndrome"? In the Old Testament, Esau, traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.
Earlier in Hebrews 12, the passage reads, "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed-that exhilarating finish in and with God-he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God" (2).
These scriptures caught my attention again today. Sometimes I'm so tempted to be distracted by my "short-term appetite" (i.e. what people think of me), that I lose sight of the "God's lifelong gift" (i.e. my call as a follower of Jesus).
In fact, this "Esau syndrome" has tempted me in many other areas of my life. For instant, even when I'm trying my best to eat healthier foods, I can get tempted by my "short-term appetite," like chocolate, ice cream, pizza, mexican food … the list goes on and on.
And when I need to work on a writing project, I can think of a million other random "needs" around my house to get me off track.
Today, I'm grateful for this reminder. Sometimes I just need a to call something by it's name to be able to defeat it. So, "Esau syndrome"—-you're going down!
Photo/TaraRoss
Have you ever experienced the "Esau Syndrome"? How did it manifest in your life?
Have you ever experienced the "Esau Syndrome"? How did it manifest in your life?
Posted by Karen Jordan at 12 Oct 2011 
Categories: Equipping Disiples
Tags: writing prompt lifelong learner writer negative thoughts distractions guilt
Categories: Equipping Disiples
Tags: writing prompt lifelong learner writer negative thoughts distractions guilt
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