CHRISTIAN YOUTH AND PROCRASTINATION

“A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. “That’s enough for today. I’ll call you back when it’s convenient.”- Acts 24:24-26 (The Message, MSG).

“… Earth's history is strewn with the wrecks of half-finished plans and unexecuted resolutions. ‘Tomorrow’ is the excuse of the lazy and refuge of the incompetent.” - Nolbert Quayle (British Ambassador).

“NOW is the ACCEPTABLE TIME….” (II Corinthians 6:2).

I am honoured to be invited to share my thoughts on a very important subject matter that concerns humanity in general and Christian youths in particular.

We thank God for the grace of life and for the privilege of Sonship without which we would not have known one another and may not have had reasons to gather as we are doing today.  

As citizens of God’s Kingdom, our goal is to encourage the enlargement of God’s Kingdom in hearts and communities of men. Scripture speaks of God’s Kingdom in three dimensions. At John 3:3, 5, Jesus says:

 …“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot SEE the Kingdom of God. …Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot ENTER into the Kingdom of God…..”

First is the dimension of seeing; second is the dimension of entering; third is the dimension of inheritance. This was what Apostle Paul spoke about in II Corinthians 6:9-10 when he, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote,

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not INHERIT the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God.

There is no gainsaying the fact that as Christians we have seen and entered the Kingdom (the Church) – what remains, therefore, is inheritance (making Heaven at last!). To help us achieve this goal, Congregations across the world are encouraging and engaging in intra and inter-congregational fellowships. This gathering is one of those efforts at encouraging spiritual and personal growth of Christians.

The need for mutual strengthening of one another is seen in Proverbs 27:17: “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Writing to Roman Christians, Apostle Paul at Romans 1:11-12 emphasized the need for purpose-driven and eternity-oriented fellowships when he wrote,

For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Christian Fellowship is mutually beneficial. In the days of Prophet Isaiah, servants of God were actively encouraging one another through fellowship. At Isaiah 41:6-7, we read:

Each one helps his neighbour and says to his brother, “Be strong!” So the craftsman encourages the smelter, and he who smooths metal with the hammer encourages him who beats the anvil, saying of the soldering, “It is good.” And he fastens it with nails, so that it will not totter.

This Gathering, as always, is for Christians to share in the Word, encourage one another in matters that pertain to life and godliness (cf. II Peter 1:3).

CHRISTIAN YOUTH AND PROCRASTINATION

            The topic assigned to me is an important one: “Christian Youth and Procrastination.” The goal is to help us take decisive actions towards fulfilling our God-ordained destinies.

WHAT IS PROCRASTINATION?

1.    It is being busy doing things you are not supposed to do in preference for things you are supposed to do.

2.    Napoleon Hill once remarked that “Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.”

3.    Procrastination is opportunity’s greatest enemy. When we procrastinate, we Pass Over Opportunities Repeatedly (POOR).

Procrastination is a universal malady that has afflicted billions of souls irrespective of race and religion. Procrastination is an enemy of success. If you must make progress in life, one of the enemies you must fight to a standstill is PROCRASTINATION.

You are your own best friend when you overcome procrastination, but your own worst enemy if you do not. The day I discovered the evils of procrastination to destiny fulfillment was the day I stopped believing that someone somewhere was hell-bent on causing my downfall or is the mastermind of my misfortune.

I have come to realize that many of the problems we have in life are decision problems. There is always a prize to pay for not making the right decision. Are you aware that indecision is a decision? Any time you are undecided about something, you have taken a decision about that matter. At I Kings 18:21, we read:

Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.

The truth of life is that no one can successfully stand on the fence – you are either for this or for that. In Entrepreneurship we say that “it is a risk not to take risk.” Again, you must have heard that when we fail to plan, we actually plan to fail.

Everything in life revolves around decision. It is this decision that procrastination seeks to destroy. However, when we procrastinate, we have invariably decided not to do what we ought to do. By this we shirk our responsibilities to ourselves and to our generations. When we lose opportunity by not taking action, we become indebted to the action we failed to act upon.

Procrastination is not only the thief of time, but the enemy of time. Omar Iban, Caliph of a Muslim State from 633-644 AD once remarked, “There are four things which come not back: time past, neglected opportunity, the spoken word and the sped arrow.”   

THRUST OF MY PRESENTATION

The thrust of this presentation is: Do not leave for tomorrow what you should do today. Why? Because today is that tomorrow we talked about yesterday while today will become the yesterday we will refer to in the ‘tomorrow’ that never comes. In view of this, TODAY is the only currency that we have to make the transactions needed for a better today and a glorious future.  

Do not wait for life to happen, make life happen. Do not live life by chance, but by choice. Live life by design, not by happenstance. In his book, Reposition Yourself: Living Life Without Limits, T. D. Jakes (2007:4, 8) observed and asks,

Many of us attribute success or failure to fate or some external force. We believe that we have to be in the right place at the right time in order to achieve, much like winning the lottery. But success is a direct consequence of our wanting a more abundant life and working hard to earn it, like wadding through the mud puddles of life toward the beckoning sea…. Isn’t it time for you to direct your hope toward building your dreams instead of waiting on your dreams to build themselves?”   

Achieving your goals in life is not a serendipity affair – it is not a chance happening. Actions and reactions remain equal and opposite. What you sow into life is what you receive back from it. What you throw at life is what life throws back at you. You must learn to go for what you want even when others are not prepared to help you birth your dreams. To do this, you must deal with the enemy of your progress – procrastination!

Those who procrastinate are in the Valley of Decision (Joel 3:14). At I Kings 20:38-40, a scenario which bespeaks of procrastination is painted vividly:

Then the prophet went and took a position along the road, with a bandage over his eyes, waiting for the king. It wasn’t long before the king happened by. The man cried out to the king, “Your servant was in the thick of the battle when a man showed up and turned over a prisoner to me, saying, ‘Guard this man with your life; if he turns up missing you’ll pay dearly.’ But I got busy doing one thing after another and the next time I looked he was gone.” The king of Israel said, “You’ve just pronounced your own verdict.”–The Message (MSG)

 In Bible, Governor Felix exemplified a procrastinator per excellence. At Acts 24:24-26 we read:    

A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. “That’s enough for today. I’ll call you back when it’s convenient.” -The Message (MSG).

Felix never did!

THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PROCRASTINATORS AND

PROCRASTINATION

1.    A procrastinator is a wheel barrow, not a propeller.

2.    The language of procrastinators is, “I will; I will” but they never will.  

3.    A procrastinator is a person who postpones a duty for no definite day and suddenly wakes up to realize that there is no time left, goes into panic mode and finally resorts to Fire Brigade approach.

If you live life this way, you will never amount to anybody and if you ever did, you will be operating below your capacity.    

DEALING WITH PROCRASTINATION

1.    Live Each Day at A Time.

Kay Lyons Stockham once remarked,

“Yesterday is a cancelled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have - so spend it wisely.”

2.    Do Not Bank on Tomorrow Because There is no “Tomorrow.”

Do you remember the “No Credit” notice hung on most provision stores of yester years – “No credit today, come tomorrow”?

There is no tomorrow (only a future). We only have yesterday and today. Therefore, every action must be taken within the context of today. At Matthew 6:34, Jesus said,

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (KJV)

Proverbs 27:1 says,

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”

          James 4:13-14 says,

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

We are not guaranteed tomorrow. Delaying to do something until tomorrow may run counter to our successes.   

3.    Take Action, NOW!

No other time other than NOW is the right time to do it. NOW is the right time to act. In Scripture, the time for action is always NOW. At II Corinthians 6:1-2 we read:

And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, NOW is “the acceptable time,” behold, NOW is “the day of salvation.”

God’s language for action is “TODAY.” Hebrews 3:7-8 says,

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you will hear His voice, “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness….”

4.    Do Not Be A Talker, Be A Doer.

And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion….- 2 Corinthians 8:10-12.

   This group of Christians had made plans to do something a year ago, but kept procrastinating about it. Apostle Paul wrote to encourage them to do what they ought to do. He urged them not to be talkers, but doers. That is what God is asking from all of us today – become doers not talkers. “Professors” (those who say they will) are not “possessors” (those who own their dreams). It takes deliberate actions to become a possessor!     

CONCLUSION

Resolve to reinvent yourself, re-sharpen your focus and increase your productivity by dealing with the insidious monster of procrastination. I encourage you to take that step you have always procrastinated about:

1.    Study that book, enroll into that class and go for that skill you have always wanted.

2.    Cultivate that relationship or mend that relationship you have always wanted.  

3.    Engage in that evangelistic activity you have always procrastinated about.

 4. Settle with God today by reconciling with Him through faith in His Son Jesus

    Christ.

 5. What are those things you have been procrastinating about?

     Time, it is, for us to do what we all should do when we should do them. That  done, we will forever put behind us the monster of procrastination.

     God bless us all.      

Hilary Johnson Chukwuma Chukwurah

Phone: 0803 959 6919. E-mail: hilaryjohnsonc@gmail.com

THE WAY TO UP IS DOWN

Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken. Psalms 15:1-5.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. II Peter 1:5-11.

The love of heaven makes one heavenly. - William Shakespeare.

In the corporate world there is a saying that “the way to the top is down.” This bespeaks of the Bottom-top approach to management in corporate governance. On the flipside, speaking of Christians, it is appropriate to say that the way to up is down. In other words, the way to make Heaven is by the way we live down here. If we mess up our lives in this realm of existence, Heaven will become far-fetched.

The desire to make Heaven changes everything about how we live in this plane of existence. When you desire to make Heaven, that desire should affect how you live here on Earth: your value system changes. Instead of living for the here and now, you would begin to live with eternity in view.

If there is anything worth craving for, it is Heaven – the eternal home of our souls. It will amount to absolute stupidity if we should use what is inconsequential to destroy what is consequential; to allow that which is temporal to destroy that which is permanent and to use what is useless to destroy what is useful.

How we live down here will in the long run affect our chances of making Heaven. The lives we live down here are what lay the foundations upon which to build the superstructures of our expectations up there. 

WHAT IS HEAVEN?

Heaven is the eternal home of the soul. It is the sacred home of the faithful where God’s Presence is made more manisfest (Revelations 21:3). I Corinthians 2:9 reminds us that what eyes have not seen, the ears have not heard and the heart of man imagined are what God has prepared for those who love Him.

Heaven is opposite of Earth. What earth is known for is not known in Heaven. The peace and serenity of Heaven; its glory and grandeur are not what are easily fathomable. If we could think of the beauty of the most beautiful city and place on earth, then such beauty pales into insignifficance when compared to Heaven. It is such a wonderful place that God had to give up the best He has to allow mankind the opportunity to experience it. It is such a beautiful place that Jesus accepted to endure the pains and agonies of the Cross to make sure that God’s desire became a reality.

The word pictures painted in Scripture regarding Heaven are things that should elicit the desire of every one of us to ensure that we are welcomed into that Holiday of Glory. I assure you that one second in Heaven will be enough reward for all the troubles and challenges of this life:

“The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21).

“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there)” (Revelation 21:23-25).

“They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:4-5).        

CHALLENGES OF MAKING HEAVEN

Seeking to make Heaven is not going to be a tea-party affair. It is like swimming against the tide. The more you seek to do what is right, the more the Devil unleashes a plethora of challenges. Dr. Theodore H. EPP captures the situation thus:  

“The moment you became a Christian, Satan began a fight to regain your allegiance. The last thing he wants you to have is a victorious Christian life. That’s why it’s so hard to do what’s right. Inspite of your deep desire to please God, Satan can hinder you ….”

One of the strategies the devil will employ to hinder your efforts is to use you against you. In this Christians race to make Heaven, you will be your own worst enemy as well as your own best friend depending on how you allow you to influence you. At Galatians 5:16-17, Holy Spirit warns:

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

William F. Kumuyi advised:  

As a Christian … you should be watchful because the devil knows your needs. For that reason he will try to bring up counterfeits across your way. Your flesh will also rise up many times and recommend what your spirit knows you should not have, in a grand conspiracy of the flesh against your spirit to ruin you.

HOW DOES THE DOWN SEEK TO INFLUENCE OUR UP?

One of the greatest factors is our environments. Our environment is so alluringly corruptive that God’s servants were lured away by those who were in it (Genesis 6:1-5). Today, a three-pronged approach is used by our environment to obstruct righteous living (I John 2:15-16); its embers constantly being fanned by the power of darkness, whose goal it is to ensure that no one maintains a grip on righteousness.

1. “Dazzling Sights and Tempting Sounds” (II Peter 2:7-8; Songs of The 

      Church, 200, Stanza 2).

a.These “Dazzling sights and tempting sounds” of today are made worse by our mass media through alluring forms of entertainment in all its genres. Broadcast and print (Radio, television, newspapers and magazines; books and novels). We are constantly being bombarded with negative ideals in music, movies and suggestive literatures as well as clothings.

b. In all of recorded history, Sodom and Gomorrah were most notorious, although our generation with all its advancements in sciences and technology is trying to outdo Sodom and Gomorrah. However, Lot, who lived in that corruptive environment did not “Feel lured” by the “Sights and sounds,” but “Felt righteous indignation” because “His righteous soul was tormented by what he saw and heard” (II Peter 2:8). Rather than being attracted, his sensibilities were assaulted by them; he did not give in to them, he resisted. We read that, “his righteous soul was tormented by what he saw and heard” among people who populated his environment.

2. Fame and Fortune (Hebrews 11:23-27).   

a. The twin forces of Fame and fortune have been judiciously employed by our environment to hinder us from making it to the top. Because of these many have lost their balance and fallen off (cf. I Timothy 6:9). The devil used these on Jesus but failed (Matthew 4:8-10).

b. Imagine what it means to be an adopted son of Aso Rock? That was exactly the offer Moses received so that he could compromise his heritage. Thank God, he refused, aware that whatever the environment offered was only a “passing pleasure”. We are reminded that “we brought nothing into the world and cannot take anything out of it either” (I Timothy 6:7). Considering this, therefore, our environment wants us to exchange that which eternal for that which is ephemeral (Matthew 16:26-27).

3. Becoming Like the Jones and the Joneses (I Samuel 8:4-5). 

 One of the most negative forces which our environment exerts on us is through our peers. Because of our deep sense of belonging, we sometimes want to become like the people around us. That was Israel’s error. We want to dress and talk like them. Someone wrote that we are all created “original,” but that many are dying as “copies.” 

It is not the world that should determine our morality for us, God does. We are not to imitate the world around us because they do not have anything meaningful to offer, but riotousness and vanities. We should not conform to the world but be transformed. Christians should become role models for our environment and not vice-versa. We should live above our environment and not within it. The mold in which the world finds itself should not contain us.

Many have gone astray by joining party with the world, thereby throwing in the towel to righteous living. To bow to our environment is to bring shame to our Heavenly Father.

KEY TO OVERCOMING OUR ENVIRONMENT

1. Watch Your Eyes (Genesis 3:6; cf. John 9:38-41).

a.     David could not watch over his eyes and it landed him into trouble (II Samuel 11:1-2).

b.     You can’t be evil if you don’t think evil. You would not think evil if you do not see evil. You would not see evil if you watch over your eyes.

c.     Someone observed:

“The root causes of immorality could be traced to the misuse of certain members of our bodies. The eyes feasts upon a seductive picture, giving the green light to impure thoughts, the impure thoughts inflame the mind and the mind when it looses control then calls upon the body to act unwisely.”

d.     Make a covenant with your eyes today to always remove them from obscenities (Job 31:1).

2. Watch your Heart’s Desires (Prov. 4:23)

a.     Closely following Watching Over Our Eyes is the need to watch over our hearts. This is because our hearts are the hub of all our affections - good and bad.

b.     A virus discovered on Wednesday, September 5, 2001 by McAfee, an antivirus software giant was known as,

“Virtual Card” and was classified as the “Most destructive ever!” The warning on it said, “This virus simply destroys sector Zero from the hard disk where vital information for its functioning are stored…As soon as the supposed ‘Virtual Card” is opened, the computer freezes so that the user has to reboot. When the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys or the reset buttons are pressed, the virus destroys sector zero, thus permanently destroying the hard disk.”

That in a way is what sin does to the human heart and spirit.

c.     One is caught in the desires of his/her hearts (James 1:13-15). Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote,

“In our members there is a slumbering inclination towards desire which is both sudden and fierce. With irresistible power desire seizes mastery over the flesh. All at once a secret, smouldering fire is kindled. The flesh burns and is in flames. It makes no difference whether it is sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, or love of fame and power, or greed for money” (Quoted by Charles R. Swindoll, James: Practical and Authentic Living, page 34).   

      

d.     Our actions are the by product of our thoughts (Prov. 23:7).

                   i. Someone said, “You may not be what you think, BUT WHAT YOU THINK YOU ARE.”

e.     To watch over our hearts, we need to cultivate the culture of positive thinking (Philippians 4:8) as well as developing godly mindsets (Colossians 3:2-3).

3. Watch over Your Sources of Information (Mark 4:24).

a.     If you read “HINTS”, “HEARTS”, “BETTER LOVER” and the likes you will be influenced by the immoralities, low-living, easy virtues and machoness being constantly dished out in the pages of such publications.

b. The music you listen to and the movies you watch should be properly screened. Watch over your sources of information on living. 

c. Reading or studying scriptures, moral building and faith strengthening books, your advancement in spiritual matters is assured (I Timothy 4:13:15; II Timothy 3:15; Matthew 22:29; Psalms 119:9-11).

                          i.   I would recommend that you make scripture your opening and closing thoughts of each day.

4. Flee (I Corinthians 6:18; Genesis 39:7-12).

a.   One of God’s recommendations in the face of certain situations in which we are called upon to compromise our faith and taint our testimonies is to walk away, Flee!

i.  Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means keep moving!”

b. Potipher’s wife wanted to make Joseph a Gigolo but Joseph ran away, leaving behind everything which would keep a firm grip on him by Potipher’s wife.

i.    Know what a “Gigolo” is? Sugar mummying! In my own definition, a Gigolo is “Giggling with the old.”

ii.  Many of us would have jumped at such an opportunity and then let 

     the good times roll. But Joseph knew that, that would be sin, so, he 

     ran away! (Gen. 39:9, 12).

5. Grow in the Word (II Peter 3:18; cf. Matthew 12:43-45).

a.           More importantly, let the Word of God grow in you.

b.           God’s Word is light to our paths (Psalms 119:105; cf. Proverbs 4:18).

c.      We must hide God’s Word in our hearts to avoid sinning (Psalms 119:11).

6. Cultivate Godly Relationships(II Tim. 2:22).

a.           Bad association corrupts (I Cor. 15:33).

b.           Your relationships influences you. (Prov. 22:24-25; Ps. 100:34-40).

c.        If Dinah, one of Jacob’s daughters had not gone to “visit with Daughters of the land” she would not have been “Violated by Schechem” (cf. Genesis 34:1-2). Do not let any son or daughter of the land violate your righteousness! 

CONCLUSION

Heaven is so precious and our souls too valuable that we should allow what are done down here to destroy the beautiful life we have up there in eternity with our Father and His Saints glorified. All we need to do to do to everything down here that seek to hinder us from making it up there is to “Say No” to all their suggestions (Titus 2:12-13). What the Lord has in store for us are too precious to lose by messing up with low living down here (I Corinthians 2:9).

May the Lord strengthen us to remain focused on living for Him!

                                        Evangelist Hilary Johnson Chukwuma Chukwurah

                                        CHURCH OF CHRIST, 14, Agbugwu Lane, off,

                                       University Market Road, P. O. 351, Nsukka -410002,                                                        Enugu State, Nigeria, West Africa.

                                        PHONES: 234-08039596919.

                                        E-MAIL: hilaryjohnsonc@gmail.com.

RECOVERING YOUR BIRTHRIGHT

By

Hilary Johnson Chukwuma Chukwurah (Evangelist)

Be careful so that no one among you comes short of the grace of God … there should be no fornicator, or profane person like Esau who because of one plate of food sold his birthright. As you aware, when it was time for him to inherit his blessings, he was rejected. He found no place of repentance, even though he sought it passionately with tears   – Hebrews 12:15-17.

Are you living only for the here and the now? Are you living for the permanent or for the temporal? Is your life defined by momentary pleasures? Are you building your life on the firm foundations of value and eternity? Is your birthright still intact or have you sold it? 

Esau sold his birthright and received a bad bargain. When it was time for him to utilize it, he found to his greatest surprise that he could not. It never dawned on him that no one would eat his cake and still have it.   

The pain of losing something valuable is something all of us can personally identify with. It becomes more disheartening when we realize that we are instrumental to the loss we suffered.

Esau’s experience is mankind’s challenge. Esau sold his birthright because he was hungry. He considered the satisfaction of his appetite more valuable than his right of first born. He gave away his treasure of inestimable value for that which was inconsequential. He allowed that which was temporal to becloud him of that which was eternal. One word aptly describes his action: stupidity! 

We are all quick to blame Esau for being naïve, but we soon forget that many of us are re-enacting the experience of Esau. Daily, we are in various market places trading away our valuables, our Birthrights. We trade away our birthrights for pleasures and popularity; fame and fortune.

It took one careless moment for Esau to sell his birthright. One careless moment is all it takes for people to sell their birthrights. We sell our birthrights when we engage in activities that jeopardize our spiritualities and moralities as well as mortgage our eternal well-beings.

ESAU GENERATION

Modern Esaus despise their birthrights as they fervently strive for this world’s riches and pleasures without giving a hoot! Their lusts for gold far outweigh their ardour for God. Esau chose pottage over his birthright. All too often modern Esaus choose this world’s rewards over what God has promised (I Corinthians 2:9). In this Esau generation, people seek to belong. In their quests to belong, they are pressured to conform, through which they are often led astray. They plunge into certain activities without giving their decisions second thoughts. “Everyone is doing it” they say, “So, it’s no big deal.” Living by our impulses can have serious adverse effects in this life and in eternity. A life that is lived in carnal pleasure – in the “here” and in the “now” is dangerous.

Esau’s generation is the generation of those who want what they want “here” and “now.” In the end, such lifestyles hunt those who are involved in them leaving traces of shame, which is an evidence of spiritual death (Romans 6:21). This was Esau’s experience and a powerful warning to mankind. How would you label your outlook: temporary or permanent?

 WHAT IS YOUR PRICE?      

Ahab sold himself to the devil (I Kings 21:25) and Esau sold his birthright (Genesis 25:31-35). At what prices were these transactions concluded? For Ahab, it was just a piece of property and for Esau, it was just a plate of food. At what prices have you sold are you selling yours? By virtue of the way you live, you make yourself an article of merchandize with a price tag. This, perhaps was why H. Rider Haggard in his book, She-Who Must Be Obeyed wrote:

For man can be bought with woman’s beauty if it be but beautiful enough; and woman’s beauty can be bought with gold, if only there be gold enough. So was it in my day, and so it will be to the end of time. The world is a great mart… where all things are for sale to him who bids the highest in the currency of our desires.

So, what is your price?

1.     Is it materialism?

2.     Is it fornication or adultery?

3.     Is it fashion or conformation to the world?

4.     Is it money or position?

It is unfortunate that many are selling their spiritual inheritances for the price of peanuts. Consequent upon this, God is asking, “Why?” – “What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and then lose his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). 

Our prices are those things which bring us on our knees and inflame our passions, making us loose every sense of worth and purpose; yearling for instant gratifications; actions whose consequences are far-reaching, to which we are presently blinded to.

“Oh had I known” will be the cry of anyone who engages in the sale of his/her spiritual birthright. You would need to be careful of your present transactions because they may be your undoing in eternity. 

SAY, “NO!” TO SATAN’S OVERTURES TO SELL YOUR BIRTHRIGHT

When approached with the juicy offer of heir apparency to the royal Egyptian throne, “Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, and chose to suffer with the people of God than to ‘enjoy the passing pleasures of sin’” (Hebrews 11:24-27). Moses refused to sell his spiritual birthright because he knew that a few moments of joy could usher in an eternity of misery. 

Moses was not the only one to whom an offer to sell out was made. Jesus was. At Matthew 4, Satan made offers to Jesus to despise His spiritual heritage, but the Lord rebuffed him. You are responsible for the kind of response you give when an offer to exchange that which is eternal for that which is temporal is extended to you. 

     

THE PAINS OF LOSS

Esau’s loss was colossal. He gave away that which was valuable for that which was not valuable. Esau’s loss typifies the loss of one’s soul in eternity. How painful it is to carelessly lose one’s admission, a family member, job, business, et cetera. While these are important, think of how catastrophic it will be to lose one’s soul.

Some girls have lost their virginities when they gave away “that which is holy to dogs” (those who do not know the values of such, Matthew 7:6) for few minutes of peer applause only to live to perpetually regret their actions.     

After Esau had traded away his birthright, years later, he sought to utilize it, but found out he could not. God’s Word tells us that he “sought for it passionately with tears” (Hebrews 12:16-17). How tragic!

You may not know what you are doing to yourself until it becomes too late - when you reach a point of no return, when you will cry, “Oh, had I known!” be assured that what you despised in time will be regretted of in all of eternity. While Hell is too hot to trifle with, Heaven is too precious to miss. The painful cries that will emanate from Hell will be very deafening. We urge you to consider an eternity of agonizing life in Hell Fire!

  

RECOVERING YOUR BIRTHRIGHT: THE IMPERATIVES

One cheering and encouraging fact is that so long as the breath of life is still in you, there is great hope for you to recover what you have lost or traded away. Even though, you cannot reverse what was done, you can still regain your values and stem the tide of retrogression. Jesus’ story of the “Prodigal Son” found at Luke 15 illustrates the fact that God is infinitely interested in the return of every prodigal. Jesus tells us that even though this Prodigal Son had blown away his inheritance in loose and riotous lifestyles (which is what characterize our world), however, when he came back to “his senses,” he realized the futility of his thoughts and actions. This made him to take steps towards recovery and restoration. He said to himself, “I will go back to my father; I will say to Him, ‘I have sinned against Heaven and against you; take me as one of your hired servants because I am not worthy to be called your son’ ” (Luke 15:18).  He made a strong resolve, stood up from where he was and went back to his father. His father welcomed him, instructed that his filthy clothes be removed and that he be decked with royal robes. A feast was organized for the return of the prodigal. His father said, “Celebrate with me for my son who was lost has returned….” (Luke 15:22-24). He was restored to his father. 

Friend, today is the day of recovery and restoration. God has made ample provision for the recovery and restoration of your lost Birthright in Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; all things have passed away, behold all things have become new.” In Jesus Christ, God recreates your past, renews your present and readies your future. 

For you to recover your lost birthright, you should accept the invitation for a NEW LIFE in Jesus Christ when you do the following:      

1.     Believe in Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten Son of God without whose Vicarious Sacrifice on Calvary’s Cross, there is no living and visible hope for eternal salvation of your soul (John 8:24). 

2.     Repent of your sins by being remorseful of your spiritual and moral prodigalities; make firm decisions to live henceforth for Him who died for you and resurrected for your own eternal justification (Luke 13:3-5; Acts 3:19-21; Acts 17:30-31). 

3.     Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God by reposing faith in His Finished Work of salvation (Romans 10:8-10; Acts 8:37-38; Matthew 10:32-33). 

4.     Be Baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and inauguration of a New Life in Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:37-39; I Peter 3:21). Note, however, that baptism is not an act of sprinkling or pouring of water upon an individual, rather, it is the act of immersion in the watery grave in semblance of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Baptism is burial in water (Romans 6:3-5; Colossians 2:12; Acts 8:38-39)!

5.     Be added to One Body of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:3-5; Colossians 1:18; Romans 16:16).  

It is our pleasure to introduce you to a community of believers who have experienced recovery of their birthrights and restoration of their relationships with God through Jesus Christ. These people are willing to help you in your quest for salvation and spiritual growth. We invite you to worship with any Congregation of CHURCH OF CHRIST near you.