Luke 9:25 :

For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits his own self?

If you ever get discouraged by how well things go for those who hate God, don’t forget what this verse tells us. When we get our focus off of God and start paying too much attention to this world it is easy to become convinced that we are not getting a good deal from God.

First, we should remember that we don’t deserve to have a good life. We sinned and we actually deserve death, Hell, and separation from God, but because of Jesus we have been saved and He has also given us many good things that we, even now, spiritually enjoy. Sure we gave up doing bad things but it is important to remember why.

The biggest reason we needed Jesus was to avoid an ugly future. The present may be bad but it is nothing compared to how it will be in the future for those who refuse Jesus. Satan has tuned this world’s system in such a way that you can receive good benefits by doing evil now. His goal is to make sure that as many people go down with him as possible.

Those of us who have gotten into trouble financially, know exactly how this principle works. When you decide to buy what you can’t afford because you want it today, you end up paying way more than it is worth tomorrow. As I write this, many are losing their homes and their way of life on earth because of this kind of decision. God forbid that we would do the same thing as a whole country! Why would we lose what many of our relatives paid their lives in wars for, by simply getting greedy? We shouldn’t be deceived by those who are completely caught up in this world’s system and the fake benefits it temporarily brings.

Remember early on in our study when Jesus was being tempted by Satan, that Satan offered Jesus power and authority right away without any suffering if He would just worship him. Basically, Jesus would have gained the world right away but lost the favor of God which is the thing that really gives us life anyway.

As believers in what Jesus has done, we have the favor of God. We call it grace. This grace is life to us, even today, and if we were to lose that, nothing else in this world would matter anyway. Not only do we have the favor of God forever already, God promises to give gifts later for those who keep doing good in this life especially when mistreated. He promises that these gifts will never get old or wear out which is not something that can be said about this world.

So don’t lose heart by what your eyes see. Remember what the Holy Spirit is telling you: that you have a wonderful future that can’t possibly disappoint you if you keep going and don’t give up doing what is right.