Revelations 22:12-21

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Read Revelations 22:12-21 Verses for meditation: Revelations 22:12-13, 16, 20-21 ESV: 12 "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Reflect How does it feel to be reading the very last few verses of the bible? What do the proclamations, the last few of them, say about Christ? Come, Lord Jesus! Does this really express our desire? How does the greatest book end, and on what note? But is this really the end? Relate With mixed feelings, I'm writing this last devotion based on the final ten verses of the greatest book, the bible. What a journe...
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Genesis 25.19 - 26.35/Psalm 17

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‭‭Genesis 25.19-26.35 / Psalm 17


Verses chosen for devotion:

Genesis‬ ‭25‬:‭29‬-‭33‬ ‭


“ 29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”) 31 “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” 32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?” 33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.”

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Reflect 


Verses 25:29-33 told us how Esau traded his first born right for the lentil stew. Readers may find this ridiculous and hard to believe. We read that Isaac inherited everything that the Lord has blessed Abraham with and subsequently Genesis 26:3 told us that God promised Isaac with numerous descendants and lands. That must have been an unimaginable magnitude of wealth and God’s blessings to be traded for some lentil stew! A few thoughts may run through readers’ minds. Firstly, was Esau really that hungry to the point of making such irrational trade? Secondly, why didn’t Esau instruct the servants to prepare meals for him instead of asking them from his brother in exchange for something so precious? Perhaps he could not wait any longer due to the exhaustion and hunger from his hunt. We may then ask whether it was fair for Jacob to take advantage of his brother this way? Or was Esau just taking his inheritance and birthright too lightly?


Esau made his choice to yield to his flesh (for food) and he showed contempt for his rights as first born (verse 34). Esau was an outdoorsman and a skilled hunter and perhaps hunting was his passion and the pursuit of his life. Whereas for Jacob his top priority was to gain the inheritance as the firstborn and hence he attempted not only once but twice to steal the birthright from his brother. But Esau’s contempt for his inheritance (and God’s promises of descendants and lands) greatly displeased the Lord as we can read in Malachi 1:3 on how God “rejected Esau and turned his inheritance into a desert for Jackals!” Hebrews 12:16 also taught us that we should not be godless like Esau who sold his inheritance for a meal.


Relate


We too have inheritance from God (1 Peter 1:4) reserved for us in heaven. Galatians 3:29 further told us that “And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise”. For Esau, it was the Lentil stew that he traded for with his inheritance. What would it be for us? Could it be the pursuit of fame, money, lust or pleasure? Do we have our “lentil stew” moment too when we are overly obsessed with food or thinking about what to eat for lunch during worship? What are our priorities in life? “Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭34‬)


Pray


Father we thank You for the inheritance that You have stored up for us in heaven. Help us to hold on to this inheritance and do not let us trade it with the desire of our flesh. Let us be like Jacob to always fix our eyes on the inheritance and Your promises. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.


Alan Wong


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