Short-Term Gain vs. Long-Term Pain

My decision to exercise regularly began nearly 30 years ago. I’d gone on a two-week trip to Europe and discovered walking’s a primary mode of transportation there. Here in the U.S., we drive practically everywhere, but many European cities and towns are compact and pedestrian-friendly, making walking both efficient and economical. Upon returning home I began power-walking several days a week. 

After open-heart surgery in 2006, I started a cardiac rehab program that I continued for more than a decade. Later I shifted to the YMCA, where I try to work out at least three times a week. I’ve adopted a personal motto: ‘I hate to exercise, but love to have exercised.’ I can always think of things I’d rather be doing than walking on a treadmill, pedaling on an exercise bike or lifting weights. But when finished, I’m glad I did it and believe I’ve done some good.

 

I’m no exercise freak by a long shot, but have learned the truth of the adage, “no pain, no gain.” Athletes know this well, as do virtuoso musicians and folks desiring to grow and excel in various pursuits. There’s even a corollary to this motto: short-term pain, long-term gain. To attain a desired outcome or goal, it’s necessary to put in the hard work to get there.

 

Sadly, many people have taken the opposite approach and suffered its consequences: indulging in short-term gain but then having to endure long-term pain. Early in my walk with Jesus Christ, a friend made a comment that stuck with me: “If sin wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t want to do it.” If you don’t like liver or Brussels sprouts, you don’t have to resist a temptation to eat them. But when a temptation seems enticing, too often we don’t stop to consider what might follow.

 

This short-term gain/long-term pain dilemma takes many forms. Years ago, I had a young friend who loved speed. He proudly boasted of riding his “bullet bike” more than 100 miles an hour down the interstate on numerous occasions. He was never involved in an accident at that speed, but lots of other folks haven’t been as fortunate.

 

For other people, “one-night stands” or illicit affairs have brought about ruination in many ways: Emotional turmoil, unplanned pregnancies, severed marital bonds, children growing up without intact two-parent homes. What might have felt like fun spawned devastating residual effects.

 

Addictions are the regretful outcome of many choices made only with short-term gain in mind, disregarding the potential for long-term pain: Alcohol and chemical abuse, workaholism, pornography, gambling, food addictions, and many other vices. No one has said, “I’m drinking now so I can become an alcoholic.” Or, “Gambling to put myself hopelessly in debt seems like a cool thing to do.”

 

Typically, it’s more like, “Just this once. What’s the harm?” Or, “I don’t have a problem. I can quit any time.” Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous and sister organizations have all been created to address the long-term problems of people who claimed they didn’t have any.

 

Thankfully these recovery services can help people deal with the many unintended consequences of wrong, unwise behaviors. But the best solution is to keep a long-term perspective, weighing the value of a little “gain” with the likelihood of a whole lot of pain.

 

In its candor, the Bible offers dozens of examples of people for whom short-term gain was their only consideration. Adam and Eve didn’t wait long to discover the consequences. They defied God’s prohibition to eat from just one tree in the Garden of Eden. As a result, they were banished from the garden, and every other human since has been suffering from the sinful inheritance they passed on.

 

Their son Cain, furious because God had accepted brother Abel’s sacrifice and not his own, decided to get even. After killing Abel, he was cursed by the Lord to live an unfulfilling, nomadic life, also banned from the idyllic life God had created. And murder is a horrific fact of life to this day.

 

Think of King David, who despite already having multiple wives, found the sight of Bathsheba bathing on a rooftop irresistible. Acting upon a “gotta have it, and gotta have it now” impulse, the king ordered her brought to his quarters. Bathsheba became pregnant, and David attempted to cover up his lustful sin by directing that her husband, Uriah, be put on the front lines of battle to die. 

Even though he was called “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) and wrote many beautiful psalms, the king had to deal with one tragedy after another within his family and faced constant opposition to his reign from both within and outside his household.

 

There are many other sad examples, but what’s important is to recognize the short-term gain/long-term pain blinders we all sometimes wear. The adages, “look before you leap” and “think before you act,” should serve as guardrails for our decision-making.

 

The apostle James wisely observed, “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:13-15).

 

Temptations are unavoidable. They’re all around us, and what tempts one person might not tempt another. To avoid suffering long-term pain resulting from what seemed like short-term gain, we should heed the warning of 1 Corinthians 10:12-13, “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 

 

This “way out” might be as simple as to keep going rather than stop and weigh the options. Rather than go into the bar, keep driving. Rather than enter the donut shop, keep walking. And rather than respond to the flirtatious look or touch, envision what the consequences will be. Pain then gain is good. Gain then pain? Not so good.

Nothing Quite So Tempting as Temptation

“I can resist anything – except temptation!” Have you ever heard someone say that? Have you ever thought that yourself, or felt that way?

 

Temptation is insidious. It’s also highly individualized. What tempts you might not tempt me, and vice versa. But temptation is as universal as air and gravity. There’s no escaping it. It made its presence known with the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, and it’s been plaguing humankind ever since.

 

If you ever wanted proof that the Bible is not a collection of varnished, idealistic stories and philosophies, look no further than the lives of biblical patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samson, David, Solomon, and even the apostles. Each of them looked temptation square in the face – and in various ways, succumbed to it.

 

This is why 1 Corinthians 10:12 candidly warns, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” We’re never to become so smug as to believe we’re immune to sin’s enticements. If David, who walked so closely with God for so long, or Solomon, reputed to be the world’s wisest man, could fall victim to temptation, why would we think we couldn’t become ensnared as well?

 

We don’t have to go around looking for temptations. They’re all around us – they’ll find us. They can appear with a click of the TV remote, a glance at our computer or smartphone screens, or as we walk down the hall at work. (That is, if you actually go to work in these days of Zoom meetings and virtual offices.) Temptations are everywhere – there was even an old Motown group by that name!

 

As I’ve met with men in mentoring relationships and we’ve discussed temptation and sin, as is almost always the case, we’ve realized several important realities. One is that there’s a big difference between being tested and being tempted: Testing is an opportunity to grow spiritually; temptation is to fall spiritually.

 

James 1:12-15 expresses this truth very clearly:

“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”

 

Look at it this way: If you go to a gym and start working out with weights, you start with a weight you can handle and then gradually work up to heavier ones, seeking to test your muscles and become stronger. Temptation, on the other hand, is when you leave the gym you stop by a local ice cream shop for a super-sized milkshake or banana split, thereby undoing the benefits of your exercise.

 

Another reality about temptation is that what we’re facing might seem as if we’re the only ones who have encountered it, but it’s not. The first part of 1 Corinthians 10:13 states, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man….” Your particular temptation may seem especially burdensome, but you’re not unique. Others have faced very similar challenges – maybe encountering them right now.

 

In fact, we can’t even pray, “Lord, You just don’t understand!” Because He does. Hebrews 4:15 informs us, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.” If we’re wanting to offer the excuse, “I can’t help it,” Jesus can respond, “Been there. Faced that. Didn’t sin.”

 

There’s one more truth about temptation worth considering, one that’s very good news. The remainder of 1 Corinthians 10:13 states, “and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” 

 

If we’re willing to submit to the Lord in obedience by faith, He promises to deliver us from whatever form of temptation that’s confronting us. In fact, He will even provide “the way of escape.” This is not simply one of many possible ways, but THE way – through the power of the Holy Spirit that lives within us.

 

This is a far better option than trying to power through the temptation in our own strength, or even calling a friend or sponsor to talk us out of it. When we cry out, “Lord, I can’t!”, He nods and says, “Yes, I know, but I can – will you let Me do this through you?”

 

As Jesus said in another context – but a principle that applies here as well – “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27). We all will have to deal with temptation, but that doesn’t mean sin is an inevitable result.

Strength, in All of Its Weakness

Since the cardiac rehab center I used for the past 10 years closed, I’ve changed workout venues and undertaken a new fitness regimen. In the process, it’s caused me to think a lot about strength – what it is, and what it’s not.

Strength holds a lot of different meanings for folks. The word may cause us to think of the muscle-bound person that makes the free weights and weight machines in the gym cringe. Nations boast about military might, implying their enemies don’t dare try picking a fight. In sports, we often hear talk about “strength in numbers.” Businesses refer to “core competencies,” meaning their products, services and strategies that are the strongest.

I once heard a guy describe growing up in a female-dominated household. He said his mom was “strong as an acre of garlic.” (I’m not sure she was still alive to hear that description – but I do recall seeing him look over his shoulder as he said it.)

Bold criticism used to be defined as “strong statements,” but these days it seems everyone’s making comments that are bold, or brash, or bewildering. When everything that’s being said is “strong,” doesn’t that really mean that nothing is strong?

This classic photo of the RMS Titanic on the docks
of Southampton before its ill-fated voyage is an
historic example of weakness in strength.

Which provides a segue to my topic: Can strength become a weakness? We need look no further than the RMS Titanic, the supposed “unsinkable” passenger liner that came out a poor second in its encounter with an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912, costing more than 1,500 lives.

We have many biblical accounts of people weakened in moments of strength, including Samson, whose legendary strength seemed uncontainable – until he was seduced into revealing the source of his power. Strong and revered King David, called “a man after God’s heart,” caught a glimpse of a lovely young woman on a rooftop one evening, and his subsequent actions resulted in a series of tragic consequences.

More than one pastor has strongly asserted, “one area I will never fail is in the area of relationships,” only to leave the ministry in disgrace due to sexual sins. This is one reason the apostle Paul offered this word of caution: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Strengths can work to our benefit, but they can also lead to overconfidence, complacency, and self-destructive pride.

“The flip side of any strength is its weakness,” I once heard someone say. I’ve experienced that myself. Friends sometimes call me an encourager, but one of the greatest temptations I face is succumbing to discouragement. Just as coaches and managers in sports scout for weaknesses in strong opponents, maybe we need to “self-scout”’ to discern where our strengths might leave us vulnerable.

Looking at the converse of this is interesting. A weakness can actually become a strength – especially when we’re aware of it and deal with it appropriately: We can try to work on that area and strengthen it. We can strive to avoid situations where the weakness is exposed and can be exploited. Or better yet, turn to another source of strength.

The apostle Paul had been a proud, militant religious leader, persecuting and seeking to annihilate followers of Jesus Christ. However, after his life-changing meeting with Christ on the road to Damascus, the apostle recognized the weakness of his zeal and “strength” in opposing Him. He wrote about a “thorn in the flesh” that plagued him the rest of his life, an undisclosed affliction that ensured his humility.

Paul said three times he pleaded with God to remove the “thorn,” until he realized it was a blessing and not a curse. “…he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

Seems to me what Jesus really wants is not followers who flex their own muscle and resolve, but ones so in tune with their weakness and insufficiency that they constantly call upon Christ to empower them to do whatever He calls them to do.

As Paul wrote a bit earlier, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:30). Maybe if we become weak enough, we’ll see God exerting His strength through us in ways we could never have imagined.