²⁵ and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin. (Hebrews 11:25 CSB)

This is a scripture that can catch people differently. It speaks to the suffering we endure with the people of God as opposed the the pleasure of sin.

We know the guilty pleasure of sin. We know that it is wrong for us, but like surgery food when you are on a diet, the temptation is strong.

When contrasted with the suffering of the Christian life it can really seem hard to make the choice.

However, in James we are told, “Count it all joy when you fall into trials of many kinds.” You see, there is a difference between joy and pleasure. Joy is something we take with us, while pleasure is something that passes often quickly.

Someone said to me this week that there is no testimony without a test. This hit me quite solidly between the eyes. We do not like looking at life this way. I was looking for God to provide easy answers to my test, but He knew that I needed to do the harder work of preparation, study and testing.

These test bring us much joy in the end and not simply passing pleasure.