People hate to defer pleasure; we are creatures of the moment because we are creatures of the flesh. And the flesh knows only one space-time continuum—here, now: Yet if I have a certainty of a future payout, a promise that the cavalry is coming, a definite delivery date of the dream, I can endure a great deal. For God’s dream to be realized in your life, the training is more about endurance than quickness. We are called to endure a great deal and sacrifice experiences, moments, and seasons for a payout that may not come in this life, why, because endurance through sacrifice is the character and expression of Jesus.
The pig and the chicken were on their way to breakfast trying to decide what they wanted to have. The chicken said “Let’s have some ham and eggs. The pig said, well that’s fine for you, it’s a small donation on your part but it’s a total sacrifice on my part. The point of that little joke is donation without sacrifice is not significant. Henry Lord Beecher said, “It’s not what we take up, it’s what we give up that makes us rich” and in the words of an old Negro Spiritual, “This world is not my home I’m just a passing through, If heavens not my home then Lord what will I do. “