Raised by a princess as the adopted grandson of the king of the most powerful nation in the world at the time,  he had privilege, power, and possessions.  From childhood, he was well-educated and groomed to be the next ruler.  He possibly reigned for nine years as co-regent* with his grandfather until he threw it all away in favor of standing up for a persecuted bunch of slaves who weren’t even grateful.   Exiled as a nobody in a poor country forever separated from his birth mother and his adoptive mother, four decades passed before he returned to organize the escape of millions of slaves.  Now almost 3500 years later, his name is known the world over and he is still honored for his faith and obedience.  You know him, too.  His name is Moses.

“[Moses] chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin.  . . . for he was looking ahead to his great reward. . . he kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the One who is invisible.”  Hebrews 11:26,27

We’ve all heard the phrase- ‘Life is hard.  Choose your hard.’  I think the Bible shows us that faith can be hard now, but rich rewards are waiting.  By obeying when it’s hard, we prove that we value God’s rewards more than having our own easy choices. Instead of instant gratification, we choose deferred gratification.  Instant gratification is often short-lived.  But sacrificing present ease to get better, longer lasting rewards is smart.

Although it’s hard to do the right thing now, it’s also hard to experience the consequences later of not doing the right thing.  As a mundane example:  It’s hard to prepare balanced meals with fresh ingredients, and say no to sweet drinks and calorie-laden snacks.  It’s easy to give in to cravings and lazy eating. But it’s hard when you experience poor health and weight gain as a result.  It’s hard to push through and keep trying when success seems elusive.  It’s easy to give up when you hit obstacles, but it’s hard when you’ve settled for less and then feel empty and stuck later.  It’s hard to mention Jesus in conversations.  It’s easy to just go along with the opinions of others, but hard when you’ve failed to stand up for Jesus and no one respects you because you’re a pushover.

Here are just a few phrases that describe the outlook of obedient God-followers who are looking forward to being rewarded while making sacrifices in the present:  (taken from Hebrews 11,12 and Romans 8)
Confidently looking forward
Saw it from a distance and welcomed it
Acknowledged that this earth isn’t their final destination
Looking forward
Looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland
Looking ahead to great reward
Kept his eyes on the invisible One
They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.
Because of the joy awaiting him, he [Jesus] endured the cross.  Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.  
Present sufferings are nothing compared to future glory
Waiting with eager hope
Waiting patiently and confidently

By opting for the hard now, we gain wonderful rewards ahead.  Sometimes God gives us rewards sooner than later.  But other times he saves our rewards for greater rewards in the next life.  Sometimes he answers prayers for healing, restoration, and deliverance quickly.  Other times he doesn’t give us our requests until Heaven where we experience ultimate, unlimited, unending healing, restoration, and deliverance. Even when our prayers are answered, we’ll never in this passing life receive all that God has promised.  We must wait for the happy life to come. 

“. . . the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.  By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,  quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.  Women received their loved ones back again from death.
“But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.  Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons.  Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.”  Hebrews 11:32-39 

So what do we do in the meantime while waiting for the promised happiness?

Like Abraham, we can:
Leave the familiar and go at God’s command
Live this life remembering a better one is coming
“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.”  Hebrews 11:8-10

Like Moses, we can:
Choose to be mistreated
Be with God’s people
Refuse status and riches if they conflict with obedience
Accept bad treatment for being godly
Suffer for the sake of Christ
Leave ungodly relationships in spite of their anger
Keep right on going
Keep our eyes on God

“It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people (or chose to be mistreated along with the people of God) instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.”  Hebrews 11:24-27

Like our Lord Jesus, we can:
Think of the joy ahead
Endure
Disregard being shamed

“Because of the joy awaiting him, he [Jesus] endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”  Hebrews 12:2

We have the help of God to refuse the easy, the comfortable, and the predictable.  We can refuse fleeting pleasures, and refuse to be fearful. Instead, we are confidently looking forward to a better place, a heavenly homeland, a great reward, a better life, and joy in an unshakable kingdom.  So we are thankful, obey God, please God, and worship him. 

“Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.”  Hebrews 12:28

“what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. . .  if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.” Romans 8:18, 25

What hard thing do you need to do today?

Historical Interest

*Moses was born during the coregency of Sesostris III and his son Amenemhet III towards the end of the 12th dynasty. He was raised in pharaoh’s own household by the Princess Sobeknefru the daughter of Amenemhet III who was the son of Sesostris III. Moses was adopted by the Pharaoh and was being groomed to be the next pharaoh after Amenemhet III. He may even have co-reigned with Amenemhet III for 9 years under the name Amenemhet IV. When Moses/Amenemhet IV had to flee to Midian at the age of 40 years, there was suddenly no heir to the throne. When Amenemhet III died shortly after this, Sobeknefru had to become the Queen. Sobeknefru only reigned for another 4-8 years and then she died. When Sobeknefru died, the 12th dynasty ended.  https://creationwiki.org/Moses_and_Amenemhet_IV

Synopsis without the long names:  Many scholars believe that Moses was co-regent with his grandfather for 9 years.   A few years after Moses’ sudden exile and the subsequent death of his grandfather his adoptive mother became pharaoh since there were no other heirs.  Upon her death 4-8 years later, other leaders came to power.

Hieroglyph associated with Moses’ adoptive mother.  Only my conjecture, but do you see three crosses and a crocodile of the Nile?  She rescued Moses from the crocodile-infested waters, saving the one who would himself rescue his people from the jaws of death. Thus preserving the race that would produce Jesus, the Savior, who rescued not only his own people, but all peoples from slavery to sin and death.

Upper portion of damaged statue of Princess Sobeknefru, Moses’ adoptive mother and later pharoah of Egypt after he hastily departed to live in exile.  Lower portion of the seated statue on a throne exists in another location.  See below.