Date: Friday, 12th September, 2025
Text: Hebrews 12:1-2
Author: Pastor Adedeji Fadehan
Exhortation:
One of the marks that distinguishes the successful from the unsuccessful is the ability to sacrifice now in order to gain later. It takes inner strength and willpower to shift our focus from instant gratification to future reward.
Many struggle to grasp the value of postponing short-term pleasure for long-term benefit. Some even understand the principle—knowing you can’t “eat your cake and have it”—but still lack the discipline to act on it.
Hebrews 12:16 warns us about Esau, describing him as “godless” because he despised his birthright. Faced with hunger, he traded his inheritance for a single meal. Instead of despising the pangs of hunger, he treated with contempt the priceless gift of leadership within the family and the double portion of inheritance that came with it. A temporary craving cost him a lasting heritage (Genesis 25:29–34; Hebrews 12:16).
In today’s text, we see our Lord Jesus Christ Himself enduring the agony of the Cross, despising its shame (Hebrews 12:1–2). He looked beyond the suffering to the eternal joy set before Him. His example shows us that today’s sacrifice can open the door to tomorrow’s glory.
Are there areas in your life where immediate comfort tempts you to abandon God’s greater plan? What “birthright” might you be in danger of trading for momentary satisfaction?
Prayer Nugget: Father, please help me to fix my eyes on Jesus and to value eternal rewards over fleeting pleasures. Give me the strength to endure temporary discomfort so I may walk in Your perfect will and receive the blessings You have prepared for me, in Jesus’ name.
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