“He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.” — Hebrews 11:26
In today’s culture, we can too quickly focus on the tangible and present instead of being Heavenly-focused. But by doing so, we turn our backs on the eternal. As Christians, we are promised an eternity with God, yet we often spend our lives living for what is temporal and fleeting.
The great Christian author C.S. Lewis once wisely stated, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”
We choose our twisted version of happiness over living for the eternal joy that is Christ.
By doing so, we squander what God has given us and make a mockery of His generosity. Thankfully, the Bible provides examples of those who forsook the follies of this life for Heavenly things. Hebrews 11, often called the “Hebrews Hall of Faith,” provides examples of these diligent servants of God.
One example is Moses. He was brought up in the Pharaoh’s home, with all of the riches and power that came with being in the ruling class. Yet, he gave that up to deliver God’s people from slavery.
Hebrews 11:26 says, “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”
Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt in faith that God would do what He promised. Even after leaving Egypt, Moses still endured trials. Yet, he pressed on.
Why would someone sacrifice everything because of a promise? Because when God makes a promise, He always delivers.
Are you still focusing your time on things that don’t ultimately matter? You are not alone. Just continually remind yourself of the greatness of God and what He promises to do if you serve Him.
C.T. Studd, a missionary who served in China, wrote a poem titled “Only One Life.” Two lines of it perfectly demonstrate how we are to live our lives as believers:
“Only one life, ’twill soon be past/ Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
— Christian Shields, Sports Spectrum
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