Sometimes Choose Pain

I don’t have any tattoos. I sometimes tell people that I have a conviction against them, because I have a conviction against unnecessary pain!And yet, sometimes, I choose pain. I did at the dentist a couple of months ago. I chose short-term pain in order to avoid long-term tooth loss. Every time I workout, I choose pain. You know the saying, “No pain, no gain."When it comes to gaining life’s best, it’s important to sometimes choose pain for the long-term benefits that come out of that pain.And so it is with godliness. Let’s face it, there are some sins that are fun. Right? In fact, I’d venture to say that just about all of them are fun. Otherwise, temptation would not be a problem. We give in to temptation, because in the moment, we believe the pleasure of whatever sin we indulge in, will be worth it. Even though, in our heart of hearts, we know that sin hurts in the end.But it’s like putting off going to the dentist, or eating junk food that we know will add weight and clog arteries. Our spiritual myopia prohibits us from seeing the long-term affects of sin, and the thirst for immediate pleasure clouds our thinking.Sometimes doing the right thing is painful. A man in our church was fired when he told his supervisor that his Christian faith would not permit him to lie. His job loss was painful. A friend’s wife divorced him because he would not consent to shared immorality. Lots of times, doing the right thing is painful, and almost always, it’s uncomfortable.Hebrews 11:25 says, “[Moses] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin."And that’s the real choice before us every time we are tempted. Am I going after temporary or long-term pleasure? Will I choose pain in the short run in order to enjoy long-lasting satisfaction?Sometimes, it’s best to choose pain. Because, that pain will pay off with wonderful benefits for ourselves and our loved ones, benefits that are not fleeting, but last forever.That’s why I chose pain in the dentist’s chair. Let's all choose short-term pain for the same reason, daily.