Title: Exam
Description Isaac and Rebekah had two sons, Esau and Jacob. The older brother Esau loves hunting and the younger brother is a quiet person who stayed at home. One day Esau returned from hunting and was tired and hungry, but Jacob was eating porridge. When he asks, “I’m hungry, give me some porridge,” he offers to give him porridge if he gives the birthright. Esau was hungry, so he gave the birthright and ate the porridge without thinking much, saying, “I’m going to die of hunger.”
Proverbs 20:11 says, “Even a child shows his purity and righteousness by his actions.” Esau gave his brother the right to be the firstborn and took the porridge because “Esau despised his birthright” (Genesis 25:32). The Israelites cherished their firstborn. It was because he had the right to inherit his father's blessing and inheritance. The eldest son also received the inheritance double. There is a contrast between Jacob, who wants to be the firstborn, and Esau, who sells his birthright.
An experimental study was conducted in which a four-year-old child was given a favorite snack called marshmallow and tested how well he tolerated and restrained his cravings. If you wait patiently without eating marshmallows for 15 minutes, you will be given another marshmallow. But if you don't want to wait until then, you can eat now.
Some children ate it right away, others waited for 5 or 10 minutes, and then couldn't stand the last 5 minutes and ate it. The child who endured 15 minutes was given another marshmallow. Ten years later, researchers found and evaluated the children who participated in the marshmallow experiment, and found that the children who endured 15 minutes performed better. Relations with friends were also good. His ability to effectively manage stress was also great. A child who for a moment waited with the urge to eat was successfully growing.
The secret to success lies in small, plain truths. How you use your free will is what matters. Would you like to eat the marshmallow in front of you? Will we delay the fulfillment of our immediate needs, waiting for greater satisfaction and rewards? It confirms that the ability to “delay satisfaction” is the ability to drive success. It is said that planning will make you rich, and hasty will make you poor (Proverbs 21:5).
Among a person's desires, nothing is as strong as appetite. Being hungry is a universal human instinct. The Bible says, “Everyone vying for the victory is temperate in all things” (1 Corinthians 9:25). Why not succeed? It's because I can't control it. It is a lack of patience.
It is said that those who practice (修行) do not eat after 4 PM. If you can only keep it, you will be able to control your heart from then on. Abstaining from food is hard work, but it is very beneficial to the body and mind. According to “Success of Temperance,” it is said to teach self-control before passing on wealth to your children.
To be tempted, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to fast and hunger in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights (verses 1-2). Then the devil appeared and tempted Jesus, saying, “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into loaves of bread” (verse 3). After 40 days of fasting, Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God” (verse 4).
You resisted the temptation to eat. Jesus' preparation for the test was by studying the Bible from an early age. The biblical success story is this. “Read the Word of God aloud daily. Then you will succeed” (Psalm 1:8).