Should Have Held On To That One

John Pemberton was brilliant. You would have to be to earn a medical degree at age nineteen, start up eighteen companies and own a research lab recognized as the best in the state of Georgia. Yet this brilliant chemist is probably most remembered for the one invention he stupidly let slip away.

In 1888, John invented a wine drink that he tried to sell as mouthwash. As mouthwashes go it wasn’t all that good but it did taste good, so he began selling it as a drink. He decided to incorporate his soft drink company but after the first year, sales weren’t that good. He sold seventy five dollars’ worth of the stuff that cost him fifty dollars to make. So in order to make some money to pursue other interests, he sold the company to an employee for a mere $2,300.

Ten years later, sales were better. Coca Cola, the company he started to sale the drink by the same name was now the number one drink in the country.

Short term thinks caused this brilliant man to sell away a product that is now one the most popular products in the world. Short term thinking can cause us to do the same with an even more precious commodity, our soul

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

Hebrews 10:35-36

Faithful living might be difficult and seemingly unrewarding in the short term. It causes us to miss the ‘passing pleasure of sin’. It can bring unwelcome persecution and ridicule. Yet if you hold out, the reward will be far greater than anything we can possibly imagine.

Never sell your faith for a quick gain, hold on to an eternal reward!

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