Genesis 25

Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?” Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭25:29-34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Esau settled for fulfilling an immediate need, and gave up any spiritual or physical blessings that would have come his way.  We are all tempted to do the same thing in everyday life.  Our culture tells us that we need to buy that new car, those shoes, that new iPhone, etc., and we need to buy it now in order to be happy.  It takes a lot of patience and self control to save money for the future, to be content with what you have, and to trust God for things instead of trying to make something happen on your own.  Patience and self control are examples of the fruit of the Spirit, which are nine visible attributes of a true Christian life (see Galatians 5:22-23).