Proverbs 20 (Is)
"Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth." Proverbs 20:17 (NLT)
Joss Whedon came up with the 'verse that "Firefly" is situated in but God Almighty came up with our universe, and He made the universal laws that are in place. We take these laws for granted because they are always in effect from the day of our birth until the day we die. I'm not talking about physical laws like gravity; I'm thinking more about stuff like cause and effect. This verse (Pr. 20:17) is hard to argue with. Christian or not, people everywhere would generally agree with it. In the same vein as this verse you could say "if it's too good to be true, it probably is." Or how about "What goes around comes around." Heck, most of the world would call it karma. However you say it, ill-gotten gain doesn't pay off.
On the flip-side, effort does something good to us. Value is an understanding of what something costs. Work creates that value and working refines humans in some way that we can't pinpoint. I've heard it said a dozen times (if not hundreds), "It's good for you, it'll builds character." And, "You'll appreciate it more if you work for it." The Bible is full of this basic truth that the world has echoed since the beginning of time. Don't go for the quick fix or the get-rich-quick. Instead make the sacrifices now and opt to enjoy the benefits for the long term. It works in finances, in marriage, in health, and it works in God's kingdom as well.
Jesus did this same thing for us.
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
Jesus embraced the cross because He loves us and He knew that the long term gain would be well worth the temporary sacrifice. He calls us to do the same by taking up our cross and following Him. There are sacrifices we all have to make and most mature adults can point to numerous things they've gone without and tell you what they gained by it.
"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Mark 8:36 (NIV)
God calls us to look past the immediacy of this world and the pleasures of our dying flesh. We're to focus on His kingdom and the eternal benefits that he has in store for us. I could not offer any final encouragement better than this:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)
Take the hit now, look ahead to the future, and run.
