Choose Short-term Pain for Long-term Gain

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES God's Vision For the Rest of Your Life

Choose Short-term Pain for Long-term Gain By Rick Warren — Aug 30, 2016 “[Moses] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25 NIV). Yesterday we learned that, in order to be all that God wants us to be, we have to make this first resolution: “I resolve that no more will I let other people press me into their mold. I’m going to be what God wants me to be. I’m going to do what God wants me to do, and I’m going to fulfill the plan that God has for my life, not somebody else’s plan for my life.” Now, the second resolution that you need to make is this: Choose short-term pain for long-term gain. Anybody who’s ever played sports knows this one. You’ve got to practice and work hard in order to play in a championship game. You don’t just walk out and win the championship. If you’re going to be good at anything, you’ve got to accept short-term pain for long-term gain. That’s not just true in sports. It’s true in finances. And it’s true in relationships. I have a good marriage, but Kay and I have worked hard for it for years. It didn’t come easy. You’ve got to work at it to make your marriage work, just like anything else in life. Why is this resolution important in your life? Because most of the problems in your life come from your inability to delay gratification. Everything in society teaches us to say, “I want everything and I want it now and I want it free and I want it easy.” Life doesn’t work like that! Moses made a choice: “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25 NIV). It says he chose to be mistreated — to endure the short-term pain for the long-term gain of doing the right thing. You’re going to have pain in life. But if you choose to do the hard thing right now and put in the effort and the discipline to learn, to grow, to become strong and mature, then later in life you get to benefit from all of that. I am benefiting right now from decisions I made in my twenties to not spend more than I made, to save, to tithe, to honor God. I’m benefiting many years later because I was disciplined. I did the hard thing first. When you choose the short-term pain like Moses did, you’re going to see God deliver you so that you can enjoy the long-term reward. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over What short-term pain are you facing that calls for an eternal perspective? How have you seen the hard decisions you’ve made or long hours you’ve put in benefit you in the long run? Why do you think God wants you to choose the hard thing right now, even if it means you have to suffer or endure hardship? Our Gift: Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life Book In Daily Inspiration for The Purpose Driven Life, Pastor Rick has taken all the key verses that explain how God created each of us for five purposes and put them into an easy-to-use reference tool that will help anyone study and memorize God’s Word. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren God's Vision For the Rest of Your Life teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: ​​Choosing Your Future Message 2: ​​​​​​​​​​Learning to Live Wisely Message 3: ​​​Embracing the Vision Message 4: ​​Why You Need a Church Family Message 5: Enabling the Vision Message 6: ​​How to Get Ready to Be Used By God PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at pastorrick.com. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2016 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe