Beloved ones, God’s grace and peace be with you more and more. Amen. The below was originally written in 2015 and today being October 10, 2018 brings this post to almost waiting on the shelf as it were, for three years to see the light of day. But I thank God that He again has me in a season of wanting to blog and He is bringing to fruition what He has started. Indeed God, even the Lord God of heaven and earth is a God who keeps His promises and fulfills His Word. Amen. That being said, I now invite you Into My Heart.
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life, He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
(John 6:35)
Upon reading the verse in (John 6:35) and a note posted by a woman named “Donnika,” on the YouVersion bible app, I saw something I never saw before (as I got to the second sentence of this note that started with “Esau was hungry, but has the ability and tools to obtain food,” the Lord revealed something amazing to me! The following is what He showed me.
Esau came to his brother Jacob for food. The smell of the food caught his attention but his stomach being hungry and the lack of patience he displayed, drove him to make the absurd deal with his brother (see Genesis 25:21-34). Although we as human beings can indeed make unwise decisions and quite literally when we are very hungry and very weak, we are prone to make some very unwise decisions that can be disastrous, I rejoice that the life of Jesus and all His ways prove wise, and for those of us who seek Him and draw near to Him, we will see, that He did not allow the same weaknesses we go through that He was quite familiar with (see Matthew 4:1-11) to rule Him and coerce Him into making decisions that will become great regret later. And so, Jacob had a temporary thing to offer his brother, but Jesus being the big brother of all who believe in His name and receive Him as Lord, has something else; something permanent to offer mankind.
Jesus offers us a grand meal. Unlike lentils, He offers us something of greater substance. Unlike trickery, He offers us truth.
Unlike bargaining with us in our weaken state, He encourages us to draw near to Him to find rest (see Matthew 11:28-30).
Unlike the favoritism shown by a father to his son or the favoritism of a mother to her son, Jesus invites all without showing favoritism (see Acts 10:34).
Unlike the Esau and Jacob incident, with Jesus we forfeit nothing but gain everything (see Romans 6:1-11, 20-23). We give up the weaker thing and yoke up to the Stronger thing (see Matthew 11:29; John 13:15; Ephesians 4:2; Philippians 2:5; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6). Our desires are no longer found in a field [out in the world or wilderness] or in a pot [the delicacies (lust, power, fame, money, etc…) found in this world that ensnare us]. They are found in the Bread of Life and in the Living Water (see Ephesians 1:3-14; 2 Corinthians 5:1-5; 1 Peter 2:9).
Unlike Esau who was a trained hunter and gatherer, yet lacked the ability to look beyond the present moment [present mindedness], in Christ, we will obtain a mind and body like His (see John 15:15; 1 Corinthians 2:16; 1 John 3:2; 2 Peter 1:4; Philippians 3:21), that can be fully present in the moment and equally aware of the outcomes of His choices [future mindedness].
Beloved ones, I am constantly asking the Lord to strengthen me and give me the wisdom to do what pleases Him and won’t abuse or misuse this body that was always meant to be a temple of the Living God (see 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21). May we all do the same. For He is faithful and will hear and answer all prayers that are according to His good will. And let it be known, that all that has been listed above, is according to His good, pleasing and perfect will. Amen.
Let us pray now:
Father God, in Christ, we are your children; your inheritance, those who will forever belong to the household of God! We greatly rejoice in this. Thank you for the Bread of Life and the Living water, in which is your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who causes us to no longer hunger and never again to thirst. He is the righteousness to which we hunger and thirst after! May the Lord Jesus who is the Resurrection and the Life be our strength and wisdom so we won’t abuse or misuse our bodies but adorn them as the temple of God they were always meant to be. Give to us the strength to not be like Esau and give up our birthright when our hungers overtake us. Help us not to be like Jacob with ulterior motives to take advantage of others who approach us in weakness. Keep us from showing favoritism like Isaac and Rebekah. May none of these poor examples be a part of our life and legacy we will leave behind. In humility may we always seek you and in trust may we always draw near to you. Renew our minds by your Word and give to us, I pray, a steadfast spirit of excellence through obedience, so that like your Son, when faced with the struggles of the world, we will also say with all truth: Not my will, but your will be done. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
Beloved, as always…YOU ARE LOVED.
—F. A. Lugo
Originally written on: 11/20/15 at 2:30 a.m.
Originally written on: 11/20/15 at 2:30 a.m.
Finalized on: 10/10/18 at 10:03 a.m.
Posted on: 10/13/18 6 a.m.
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