By Willem Toate
What is a reward? If you do something very well, you get a prize. What is a sacrifice then? It is when you give something away and it hurts you to give it. That is what Jesus did right? When you go through suffering and pain, God does something very deep inside of you. He uses the pain and the suffering to create spiritual maturity. Such is the mystery of the world.
The bible speaks about rewards. Jesus speaks about rewards many times. He says that when you get to heaven, you will have a lot of rewards. Matthew 19:27-30 says, “Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”Matthew 6:19 also says, ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” One day in heaven, you will have actual rewards in heaven. If you think heaven is already the reward, you are wrong. There will be more rewards in heaven for every sacrifice that you do and give. Everytiem you give something to a friend that costs you something, you are storing up a treasure for you in heaven.
Why should we be motivated by rewards?
Because Jesus told us to be motivated by rewards. (Matthew 5:110 - Jordan Raynor, who wrote the book “The Sacredness of Secular Work,” once said, “If Jesus didn’t want us to be motivated by eternal rewards, then why in the world did He spend so much time talking about them?” There arre so many scriptures in thegospel speaking about rewards. C.S. Lewis also said, “If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.” There are so many rewards promised in the bible and Jesus wants you to desire for those rewards.
Rewards are repayment. (Matthew 19:27-30) - Rewards are not always in this life.
The greater our rewards, the greater God’s glory. Some of your rewards willbe given back to jesus as an act of worship. Any rewards you keep will be for Chrst’s glory because they will remind you that Jesus was worth everything yo sacrificed.
How do you get the rewards?
Work hard - Colossians 3:23 - It is the Lord jesus Christ you are serving. If you are working at something that you do not like, work at it as for the Lord.
Endure insults because of Christ. - Luke 6:22-23 - Blessed are you when people hate you, exclude you, insult and reject you. Your reward in heaven is great.
Give to the poor. - Luke 12:33-34 - If you give to the poor because you feel you have to, it is useless. Give out of love and your rewards will be great.
Pray - Matthew 6:6 - Pray in secret and God will reward you.
Do good to your enemies - Luke 6:35 - This is the hardest thing to do. Be extraoridinary by doing good to those who do not do good to you.
Offer hospitality to those who cannot repay you - Luke 14:12-14 - If you are nice only to those who can repay you, you will have no reward. Do not expect anything in return for all the good you do.
What will some of the rewards be?
Words of affirmation - One day, Jesus will judge your work and say, “Well don, good and faithful servant.” Rick Warren once said, “The smileof God is the goal of your life.” If you can put a smile on God’s face today, that is reward enough.
The wedding dress of the bride - You are the bride of Christ and Jesus is preparing you for His return. What will you be wearing on your wedding day? Randy Acorn said, “Each prayer, each gift, each hour of fasting, each kindness to the needy, all of these are threads that have been woven together into this wedding dress. Her works have been empowered byt he Spirit, and she has spent her life on earth sewing her wedding dress for the day when she will be joined to her beloved bridegroom.” Every good work that you do goes into the beautiful dress you will wear as the bride of Christ when He returns.
Increased job responsibilities - Luke 19:17 - Jodi eareckson Tada once said, “Everything we do down here on earth either increases our capacity for joy and worship and service in heaven or it decreases that capacity.” Life is not going to stop whenyou die. Everything you do here will continue in heaven too.
Your work will physically last into eternity. Whatever you do here on earth will carry over into eternity. NT Wright, probably the best mind on the New Testament today, said, “Strange though it may seem, almost as hard to believe as the resurrection itself, the work of our hands has a chance of literally lasting into God’s future.”
All the rewards Jesus speaks about in the gospels is connected with sacrifices here on earth. Whatever you sacrifice on the earth for the sake of the kingdom will echo into eternity. Start storing your treasures in heaven today. Whatever your sacrifice, you are not doing it for nothing. You are doing it for Jesus. One day, all your rewards will glorify Him. He is worth all of it.
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