Look for places to repent

Hebrews 12:17 For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears. Today’s verse continued the author’s admonition for believers to see to it that there be no immoral person like Esau in their midst. We learn some things about Esau. First, he desired to inherit the blessing of his father, even though he sold it for a bowl of soup. I think the point is that Esau had no faith to endure. He couldn’t even say, “No,” to his fleshly appetites. Had he endured resisting his desire for food only a little while longer, he could have eaten and his inheritance would have been preserved. As it was, his desire for a temporal relief was greater than his desire to inherit the blessing.  Every believer faces similar temptations. We have the promise of mercy and grace in Christ if we will abide in Him until the end of our lives. All we must do is stay on the path of peace and holiness by the grace available to us in Christ. However, as we run the race set before us by our Father, the flesh screams for relief from the trials of life with their sufferings. Unbelief focuses on the momentary distraction of the sights and smells of a fleshly meal. Then it becomes a contest of desires. Esau’s heart desired immediate satisfaction of the flesh. As a result, unbelief easily entangled him, and he disqualified himself for his inheritance. We are to be on the alert for so-called brothers or sisters whose fleshly appetites lure them off course, out of the path of peace and holiness. Let’s call them to repentance and to join us in living to love with Jesus. However, we might be disappointed.  The second thing we see about Esau is that he couldn’t see that he was at fault for giving up his inheritance. It says, “He found no place for repentance,”  because he wasn’t looking for it. After Esau realized what he had lost, he didn’t take responsibility for losing it. Instead, captured by unbelief and bitterness, he was blinded to the reality that he desired a single meal more than he desired the blessing. That’s what unbelief and bitterness do. They blind us to our true heart condition and we look for someone to blame, like Esau blamed Jacob. That’s why it’s so important to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin of unbelief that so easily entangles us and with endurance run the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. I suggest that if you purpose to live to love with Jesus, you will overcome the temptations of the flesh to be like godless persons. You will look for every place of repentance where you have quit abiding in Jesus.  A third thing we see about Esau is that the desire for what he had lost brought him to tears. Esau didn’t seek the blessing with tears before he ate the meal. It wasn’t until later that the full weight of the consequence of his immorality fell upon him. The appeal of immorality seems irresistible at the moment, but later, once the gratification passes, one sees what has been lost. Then the tears flow as they wish they hadn’t succumbed to the lusts of the flesh. They feel sorry for themselves and view themselves as victims, resulting in greater bitterness and separation from others.  I hope, my dear listener that you are not like Esau. However, if you can relate to Esau, in love, I call you to repent of unbelief, immorality, and bitterness. Look for places to repent. Take responsibility for your sin and for hurting those you blamed and defiled. Take them to Jesus. Draw near to Him, and receive His forgiveness and the blessing you desire of peace and holiness. Receive the discipline of the Father, and run the race with endurance now to the end of your life—living to love with Jesus.