What Would You Trade For Jesus? |
| By Dr.
Dale A. Robbins
Twisted values are not uncommon in other Biblical accounts, such as
in the story of the twin brothers, Jacob and Esau (Gen. 25). A special blessing and
inheritance from their father Isaac belonged to the first-born son, Esau. But Esau lacked
a full appreciation for his inherited birthright. In contrast, Jacob realized its
astronomical value and coveted his birthright. He eventually found a scheme to transfer
its rights to himself. At a time that Esau was famished, Jacob offered him a bowl of
lentils in exchange for the birthright. Although this offer was in no way equitable, yet
amazingly, Esau agreed to trade his birthright for a single meal. What stupid, distorted
values Esau had! But is this any different than the petty, inferior things that
many people trade for spiritual things? Let me ask you a hypothetical question. What if Jesus sent you a
letter and promised to personally meet with you and His other followers at a restaurant on
Sunday morning. But let’s say Sunday comes, and you feel like sleeping in instead. Or
maybe it’s such a beautiful day, you prefer to go on a picnic, or perhaps
there’s a football game on TV you don’t want to miss. Wouldn’t you say that
whatever you selected to do, instead of meeting with Jesus, would say something about the
insignificance of your relationship with Him? Wouldn’t it mean that, like Judas, you
have established your value upon Christ? Wouldn’t it mean that a TV show has higher
worth, that a picnic is more important, or a little extra sleep means more to you than
meeting with Jesus Christ, the Lord of the universe? But you may say, “Jesus hasn’t sent me such a letter.
He’s in Heaven and won’t be at a restaurant this Sunday!” However dear
friend, Jesus promised that whenever believers gather in His name, He will always honor
that gathering with His presence. “For where two or three are gathered together in My
name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). In other words, He gave His
word to be present whenever two or more believers come together in His name. So do Christians really believe His Word? Many must figure that
Jesus doesn’t tell the truth, because Sunday after Sunday, many professing Christians
snub the Lord Jesus by not showing up where He promised to be. Either they must figure He
lied and won’t be at church, or else they have simply established a low estimate of
Jesus’ worth. Yes, that’s right! The things that keep you away from
church is the value you have placed on the presence of Jesus — they declare what
spiritual things are worth to you. Thank God there are believers who have such a high value on their
meeting with Jesus that it takes something urgent or awfully important to pull them away.
Some have no choice but to work at their jobs during the times that some church meetings
occur. Some might not come meet with Jesus because of an emergency, sickness, road
conditions or car trouble, etc. Although nothing in this world can assume a higher
priority than our relationship with Jesus, at least the Lord understands our situations
and knows our heart — that we rather would meet with Him and our brethren if it
weren’t for similar urgencies. However, how could we expect the Lord to be pleased if we stay away
from His meetings for less serious excuses? What does it say about our spiritual values if
we’re absent due to the special sale at Sears, the football game, watching the late
show on Saturday night, or are simply too lazy to get up on time? Remember, the
reasons which keep people away reflect the value that they take place upon the Lord,
spiritual things, their brethren and the church. Why does the scripture connect the neglect of church attendance to
sin? Mere absence from a church meeting is not in itself a sin, however a pattern of
absence from church always leads to, or has a relationship to sin and displeasing God.
“not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For if we sin
willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a
sacrifice for sins” (Heb 10:25-26). Why Unfaithfulness to Church Displeases God
As for Esau, the value he placed on the things of God was only worth
the price of a bowl of lentils which he traded in exchange for his birthright to his
brother Jacob. For Judas, the things of God were worth only a slightly higher price —
thirty pieces of silver which he exchanged for the betrayal of Jesus. How about you? What is your worth you have placed upon the things of
God? What price will it take to keep you away from your church or spiritual things? A
favorite TV show? A sale at the shopping mall? A mosquito bite? A boo-boo on your little
toe? What do you suppose that God thinks about the value you have placed upon His church
and His fellowship? If you ever thought that being a Christian was something that you could do out of “convenience” you were greatly mistaken. God isn’t interested in your “leftovers.” He must be the highest priority in your life, or else He becomes worthless. In order to serve Christ it will require sacrifice on your part — sacrifice of your time, money, convenience, popularity... and even your life. “...nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing...” (2 Sam. 24:24). This article (VL-145) is copyrighted © by Dale A. Robbins, 1990, and is a publication of Victorious Publications, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references were taken from The New King James Bible, © Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982. You may download this article for personal use as long as you retain credit to the author. Obtain permission before reproducing copies for any reason, by filling out our simple permission form. This writing is also available as an attractive tri-fold pamphlet, which can be downloaded for reproduction from our Online Catalog. For media reproduction rights, or to obtain quantities of this title in other formats, email us. Return to the Victorious Network
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