Your Spiritual Journey
Delayed Gratification
Delayed Gratification
We live in a culture that heavily emphasizes speed, efficiency, and immediate gratification. No time wasted. No delays accepted. It can often lead us to grow impatient or disillusioned when our efforts don’t yield instantaneous results. I work, I spend, I work more, I spend more! Deliver it now! Many companies have made fortunes from that business model. Speed is the need! Reward me NOW!
In 2 Chronicles 15, we find King Asa trying to lead a nation back to God. His reforms were met with great resistance. He faced opposition from all sides within his kingdom, his family, and neighboring countries. Yet he did not waver. His faith and dedication to the Lord was aligned with God’s will.
God tells King Asa in verse 7: “but as for you, be strong and do not give up for your work will be rewarded.”
This verse calls us to a different standard. It encourages us to persevere in our faith, our responsibilities, and our godly endeavors by trusting in God’s timing and divine justice. It challenges us to uphold our commitments, even when the rewards are not immediately apparent or when we face resistance or setbacks from our efforts. Our faithfulness is not unseen or unacknowledged. It is seen, cherished, and will be rewarded by God… in HIS perfect timing and in HIS perfect way!
King Asa’s story is a powerful testament to the challenges and rewards of standing strong in faith, even in the face of adversity. There is a timeless truth that our efforts, when grounded in faith, are never in vain.
Let this powerful truth motivate us to stay the course in our spiritual journey and remain unwavering in our service to God and to others… and accept our delayed gratification.
Mark
