January 23 - Genesis 27:41

Esau hated Jacob because

he had stolen his blessing,

and he said to himself,

"My father will soon be dead and gone.

Then I will kill Jacob."

Genesis 27:41

 

Hatred.

 

        Bitterness.

 

                Unforgiveness.

 

And blame. Blame! Esau blamed everything on Jacob.

 

Jacob was indeed a schemer. And Jacob did indeed trick his father and did outright rob Esau of his birthright. But ... we must not forget that Esau played his own role in losing this gift. He sold his own birthright for a bowl of stew.

 

How often is that true of us? Others may indeed lie and trick and steal, but how often have we played a role in our own downfalls?

 

When we lie to ourselves and play the total victim, hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness grow in our hearts ... maybe even murder (even if it's only a desire to assassinate the other person's character through gossip).

 

Who's on your hit list? Who might you need to forgive ... in order to set yourself free. 

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who has no one else to blame

for his weaknesses and defeats