No Pain, No Gain

Have you ever wondered where the saying came from?  I discovered that this “proverb” was first recorded in 1577.  We know that nothing can be achieved without effort, suffering, or hardship; often this is applied to physical exercise.  This phrase was recorded in 1577 in the form of “They must take pain that look for any gain.” The more concise form, “no pains, no gains” was used in 1648 as the title of a poem by Robert Herrick.  Variants of this proverb come in the forms of “there are no gains without pains; no sweat, no sweet.”

The principle in this proverb applies quite directly to our Christian lifestyle.  We find a few passages in the New Testament that use the phrase “work out” or “worketh”.  We all like to experience the satisfaction of a godly objective attained.  May the following passages encourage us in pursuing a life that glorifies our Savior.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12

“Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,” Romans 5:2-4

Undergoing the “pains” to see godly gain, Pastor Larry