Watch Your Weak Moments

" Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therfore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold I am to the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?" ( Gen. 25:30-32)     Everyone of us experiences weak moments when we should not make decisions. In a weak moment a dieter may see an appetizing dessert and give in to the temptation. In a weak moment a tired driver may decide to keep driving instead of pulling over, and that decision could be dangerous, even deadly. Weak moments can cause us to lose our character.     Esau had a lot of advantages. He was the oldest son Issac and Rebekah and thus had the birthright. He was a rugged outdoorsman and a skillful hunter. Unfortunately, he had a flaw that cost him dearly. He had trouble handling weak moments. This flaw was especially apparent when he sold his birthright to Jacob because of sheer hunger.     The story of Esau teaches us some valuble lessons about the weak moments of life. Lets consider these lessonsand take them to heart.     1. We Must Tame Physical Desire.  The first lesson to learn from Esau's life is that we need to tame our physical desires. Esau allowed physical impulses to dictate his actions, and he lived to regret his carelessness.    A. Consider the occasion of Esau's weak moment.  Esau had been in the field hunting. When he returned home, Jacob was cooking some red stew. Esau was hungry and tired, and this was a favored dish. He asked Jacob to give him some of the stew, and Jacob refused. Under one condition could Esau have the stew--he would have to sell his birthright. Listen to Esau's response: " Look, I am about to die. What good is a birthright to me?" ( Gen. 25:32)     B. Weak moments are inevitable.  These are the times when our resources are depleted. Our focus shifts to the temporal, and we zero in on sastifying the particular appetite that is nagging us and give little heed to the consequences.    J. Wallace Hamilton wrote a book called Ride the Wild Horse. The thesis of his book is that God gave us every desire that we have. No desire is bad within itself, but must be controlled by God. So the first lesson here is to allow God to tame your physical desires. But there is another lesson.     2. We Must Treat Priviledges Responsibly.  The story of Esau teaches a valuble lesson about treating the gifts entrusted to us responsibly.    A. Consider the gift of esau's birthright.   Esau was the firstborn of Issac and Rebekah. This was a distinguished position, because in those days the firstborn son had the privilege of ruling the other children. The family inheritance would ultimately belong to Esau as well.     Esau had a marvelous privilege that he could never have attained through human achevement. Unfortunately, he disdained his gift during a moment of weakness. Feeling the pain of hunger caused him to treat his privilege carelessly.     B. Gifts Are Not To Be Taken Lightly.   God endows all believers with one or more gifts, and he greatly desires that we acknowledge and use those gifts. We must not disregard them like Esau did. Let's learn to cherish our privileges and to treat them responsibly.    So far we have learned two valuble lessons from Esau's life. We can learn at least one more lesson.     3. We Must Consider Decisions Carefully.   Perhaps the greatest lesson Esau learned is the crucial importance of moments of decision. The decisions we make influence the rest of our lives.    A. Consider Esau's Crucial Decision.   Esau's decision was a hugh one at the time. Stated simply, it was the decision to remain hungry and keep his birthright or to satisfy his appetite and lose his birthright. At the moment the decisiion seemed obvious to Esau. But later he lived to regret that decision because he could never get his birthright back. That decision in a moment of weakness cast a shadow on the rest of his days on earth.     B. The DEcisions of Life Demand Great Care.  Life brings all kinds of decisions, both big ones and little ones. We should be ever conscious of God's leadership in our lives. He leads us during our moments of stregth and during our moments of weakness. If we look to Him for guidance, He will never lead us to regret a decision.  Do you have a resource for the weak moments of life? All of us have those times, and we need help fromsomeone greater than ourselves. Invite Christ into your life. He will join His life with yours.