Deferring gratification?

THEME: DEFERRING GRATIFICATION?

MEMORISE: For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

READ: Hebrews 11:24-26
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.

MESSAGE:
At a point in a person's life, he or she must defer gratification in order to succeed in this world and in the hereafter. This truth must sink into the heart of every Christian, especially the younger generation. It is unfortunate that more often than not, people do not see the need to defer gratification. They want to enjoy everything right now! Unfortunately, life is not utopian in nature. The reality is that there is no gain without pain. Even our salvation which some people erroneously describe as "free" was paid for by the Saviour. He agonised on the cross to procure our liberty. Whether in the temporal or eternal realm, gratification requires deferment.

Daniel stands  as a great example of someone who deferred gratification. His act of sacrifice as a young fellow upholding God's covenant is recorded on Daniel 1:8:
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”

The moment Daniel and his brethren matriculated into the University of Babylon, caterers were assigned to feed them with all sorts of delicacies, including the royal wine, but Daniel deferred these fringe benefits in order to excel. No wonder, Daniel eventually enjoyed the largesse of occupying a high office after he and his colleagues graduated and became ministers in the king's cabinet. This is the reward of deferring pleasure. Unfortunately, some children of God refuse to postpone enjoyment in the present world for eternal bliss in the world to come. 1 Corinthians 9:25 says:
“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”

Even our Lord Jesus Christ deferred the pleasure of food and chose to suffer hunger when the devil told Him to turn stone into bread (Luke 4:1-4). This was what Esau could not do, and he sold his birthright for a meal (Genesis 25:29-34). Beloved, for you to make it to heaven, you need to forgo certain things that may not necessarily be sinful but may constitute a hindrance to your spiritual growth and cause you to be vulnerable to sin and its enticing allurements. For this reason, 1 Corinthians 6:12 says:
“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

Learn to be like Apostle Paul who considered as being worthless those things which should have been valuable to him, so that he could attain the high calling of God (Philippians 3:7-8).

ACTION POINT:
Consider those things you are doing or using which can serve as impediments to your Christian calling and do away with them.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

What is the Moral argument for the existence of God?

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The moral argument begins with the fact that all people recognize some moral code (that some things are right, and some things are wrong). Every time we argue over right and wrong, we appeal to a higher law that we assume everyone is aware of, holds to, and is not free to arbitrarily change. Right and wrong imply a higher standard or law, and law requires a lawgiver. Because the Moral Law transcends humanity, this universal law requires a universal lawgiver. This, it is argued, is God.

In support of the moral argument, we see that even the most remote tribes who have been cut off from the rest of civilization observe a moral code similar to everyone else's. Although differences certainly exist in civil matters, virtues like bravery and loyalty and vices like greed and cowardice are universal. If man were responsible for that code, it would differ as much as every other thing that man has invented. Further, it is not simply a record of what mankind does'rarely do people ever live up to their own moral code. Where, then, do we get these ideas of what should be done? Romans 2: 14-15 says that the moral law (or conscience) comes from an ultimate lawgiver above man. If this is true, then we would expect to find exactly what we have observed. This lawgiver is God.

To put it negatively, atheism provides no basis for morality, no hope, and no meaning for life. While this does not disprove atheism by itself, if the logical outworking of a belief system fails to account for what we instinctively know to be true, it ought to be discarded. Without God there would be no objective basis for morality, no life, and no reason to live it. Yet all these things do exist, and so does God. Thus, the moral argument for the existence of God.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:
• Everywhere I turn, harvest shall salute me, in the name of Jesus.
• With goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men. - Ephesians 6:7
• The head could not have got to where it is now if it did not give.
• When you go on your face before God, you are telling God that you are not in any way competing with Him.
• Regret looks back, worry looks around, faith looks up.