“Choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a
season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.” Hebrews 11:25-26
Why
would anyone choose affliction and reproach over pleasures and riches? Why would you choose a life of exile over a
life of palaces and parties? What you choose
reflects what you value and many people value what is seen far more than what
is unseen. However, the sanctified
esteems Christ above all.
Moses
did not choose a life of pleasure, riches, and fortune; God’s providence placed
him there. He was raised in the palace
of Pharaoh and no doubt enjoyed all the conveniences of royalty. It is one thing to give up on wanting something
that you never had, and quite another thing entirely to give up on wanting
something that makes you comfortable.
That you enjoy. The pleasures of
sin and the treasures of Egypt were not only what was comfortable to Moses, but
also they were comforts of this life. He
left all that. He went from being served
to being a servant, from being full to suffering hunger, from a palace of
company to a lonely hilltop. He choose
suffering and the reproach of Christ, because he valued something greater than
all the treasures in Egypt. If there is
a price that would make you give up your salvation, the devil will find it and
offer to pay it. If you esteem anything
above Jesus Christ, the devil will find that something and offer it to
you. Whether he can deliver it or
not. He wants your destruction and he is
always willing to make a deal. In some
areas of the world the affliction and reproach of Christ is in stark contrast
to this world. Christians are arrested,
beaten, and martyred. They are heavily
persecuted and openly reproached for loving Jesus. Against this backdrop, we can see what true
esteem over the world looks like. What
it means to choose to suffer with the people of God. In America, the reproach is sometimes more
subtle (but not always). Regardless, no
matter the cost, no matter the offer, the sanctified, sold-out Christian has
made their choice. They are going with
the people of God and nothing is worth more to them than the reward of a
relationship with Jesus and heaven in the end.
We
have been vouchsafed our moments here on this earth. What we do with those moments, (those micro
decisions that set a pattern that will be examined on a macro level) is up to
us. The sinner who enjoys the pleasures of
this world for a season, investing their all in this world will reap a sinner’s
hell when it comes time to harvest (when they die). The saint who chooses to follow Christ and
invest his/her all in things that are “higher
and things that are nobler” will walk up Mount Sinai sit down with God the
Father and know Him face to face. The
true esteem is the choice to forsake the world and follow Jesus. Knowing, that the reward of a “heaven to go
to heaven” in is worth it all. Whatever
it takes. “Take this whole world, but give me Jesus.”
