And when they eulogize the qualities of their now gone parent, they don’t talk about the stock portfolio or the fact that the cars got washed weekly, or that the grass was always cut so nicely, or that the carpet was always vacuumed. Instead they highlight character—they speak of love and commitment, they talk of faith and faithfulness, they reflect upon values and the instructions they received for living. In other words, they speak of their birthright. They talk about what they have received in order to live a faithful life; they reflect upon what they now owe to others as a grateful response to what they have graciously received.
Esau received trouble and years of estrangement from his only brother for despising his birthright. John Walton, an Old Testament scholar asks in reference to this story: “What can we expect from God when we show ourselves unworthy of his blessings by despising the values that comprise our spiritual heritage?”8
We Christians, however, are not left only with the bad examples of Jacob and Esau. We have the perfect example of our Lord and Savior, who lived his life in gratitude to his Heavenly Father by reaching out to touch and change the lives of those around him, and who, in his greatest hour of need, thanked his Father for his continued presence and prayed, not for himself, but for his disciples.
One Christian author has written that the world needs individuals
– who cannot be bought;
– whose word is their bond;
– who put character above wealth;
– who possess opinions and a will;
– who are larger than their vocations;
– who do not hesitate to take chances;
– who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
– who will be as honest in small things as in great things;
– who will make no compromise with wrong;
– whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
– who will not say they do it “because everybody else does it”;
– who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity;
– who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success;
– who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
– who can say “no” with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says “yes.”9
It all comes down to this: If we are grateful for the blessings we have received, it will be revealed in our attitudes and actions. If we are not grateful for the blessings we have received, it will be revealed in our attitudes and actions.
We have a birthright. It is a blessing that God wants to use that he also might bless others. Let us not despise what we have received, but use it in our church in our community and in our world to give birth to what is right.
PRAYER: God who gives us our birthright, thank you for what we have received as a result of nothing other than your grace. Assist us in the midst of the hectic nature of the daily routine in remembering what we have received, that we might give to those around us, and that you would use us to give birth to what is right in this world. We ask this in the great and generous name of your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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