Concentrate on the things that you can control

Hastily preempting events that we do not have control over because of sentiments or emotional concerns can whip up unnecessary and undesirable rivalry and battles.

It was Mr. Isaac Abraham who felt that he was old and at the point of death. He must have observed that when people get as old as he was, they were near death, so he deduced that his time to die was at the corner. He had a son that he loved – his firstborn and son. One of the reasons that he loved him was that the young man made him some appetising delicacy often. He must have loved eating meat! That young man’s name was Esau Isaac.

Isaac wanted his parting gift to this beloved son to be great blessings uttered from his lips – lips that were smeared with the blessings of his father, Mr. Abraham Terah, parental lips that could be provoked by the kind of delicacy that Esau made. He asked Esau to make some of that delicacy and bring it to him to eat so he could pronounce his ‘valedictory bliss’. However there was a twist of events, Isaac’s wife, Mrs Rebekah Isaac intervened and got their younger son to feign being Esau because Isaac was partially blind (maybe, 95% blind!). The younger son, Jacob Isaac, later got the blessings that were meant for his older brother, Esau.

A bitter rivalry ensued between Esau and Jacob and Jacob had to go on exile for about 20 years. Can you believe that Isaac that was at the point of death that precipitated all the intrigues and events was still alive when Jacob returned from his exile?! He lived for some years after these events and died sometime later. Had he postponed that feverish pronouncement of those blessings! Or, had he bestowed those blessings on the two sons!

Hastily preempting events that we do not have control over because of sentiments or emotional concerns can whip up unnecessary and undesirable rivalry and battles.

Do not preempt events that you do not have control over in a hasty way. Do not think that you are too young to die or that you will turn away from your sins when you have relished or ‘enjoyed your youth’. You do have control over mortal events like death. Death seals eternal destinies. Concentrate on the events that you have control over. You have control over your will and you have control over this moment. You should ‘willfully’ turn away from the world and sin to God and His Word today. God’s Word says, ‘To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, …’ (Hebrews 3:7‭-‬8 KJV). Remember Isaac; he could have concentrated on the events that he had control over but he missed it.

It is your responsibility to accept Jesus Christ into your heart to become your Lord and personal Saviour and it is your responsibility, thereafter, to live your life the way that God’s Word directs. You have control over these decisions. Concentrate on them now.