Insight of the day comes from today's reading Genesis 25-26.
Why was Jacob picked over Esau? Esau was a rebel. He married two Hittites against the will of his parents. He sold his birthright over a meal. He always looked for instant gratification. And so we are like that sometimes. We think that we aren’t like Esau, not as foolish, not as rebellious, but the fact is that we have given up our birthright in heaven too for instant gratification, the pleasures of this world, to get entangled in this life of sin. But Jacob wasn't any better, was he? If you think about it, and read further, he didn't deserve this birthright - he had won it through his cunning efforts. And sometimes we try to do that - we try to earn our birthright by our own effort and devious ways. But this doesn’t work. We don't deserve it and we can never earn it.
Righteousness comes from God alone, through faith, in Jesus Christ, whose death paid for our punishment, whose obedience is our righteousness. It is the only way we can become children of God, by His grace and mercy.
That's pretty amazing stuff.
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