Devices and Desires

The story of Esau and Jacob shows us how we can stray from God’s ways. Like Esau we can pursue the wrong thing. Like Jacob we can desire a good thing but use ungodly means to achieve it. The temptation to go astray in what we desire and/or the means we use to achieve our desires is ever present. This is why the old confession of Morning Prayer includes the words, “We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own heart.”