The Reward

Mark Dunagan
08/07/11 - Sunday Morning

The Reward

Is it wrong to desire to be rewarded for living the Christian life?  Is seeking a reward an unworthy motivation for a Christian?  As I picked up my Bible I found that God speaks very frequently about rewards, and is eager Himself to reward us. It's always been this way, even as far back in history as Abraham and beyond:

• “Do not fear Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great” (Genesis 15:1).
• “But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work” (2 Chronicles 15:7).
• “In keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:11).
• “And men will say, ‘Surely there is reward for the righteous’” (Psalm 58:11).

In the New Testament we find the same wonderful truth about God rewarding the righteous as  Jesus and His apostles often spoke of the reward awaiting God’s people.  In fact, anticipating their reward became a major motivation for their wise spiritual decisions encouraging and godly behavior:

• “Truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42).
• “For behold, you reward is great in heaven” (Luke 6:23).
• “And your reward will be great” (Luke 6:35).
• “Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward” (Colossians 3:24).
• “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward” (Hebrews 10:35).
• “He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
• “For he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26).
• "... that you may receive a full reward” (2 John 1:8).

Near the end of the New Testament, Jesus reminds all the souls He loves “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12).

“But all the reward is in the future—right?”

Someone might say that the difference between the Christian and the non-Christian is that the Christian is opting to delay all his blessings until after death, while the non-Christian is grabbing everything right now—yet this is not entirely true.  The Bible is clear that there are many blessings that come upon God’s people in this life:

• “If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, how much more the wicked and sinner” (Proverbs 11:31).  This verse equally reminds us that if God will punish His own unrepentant people when they rebel, how much more with regard to sinners.
• “The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness” (Psalm 18:20).
• “But shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age” (Mark 10:30).

 Such rewards include:

• Enjoying what you do, enjoying your labor:  Ecclesiastes 5:18
• Enjoying a happy life with your wife:  Ecclesiastes 9:9
• Having a family and good children:  Psalm 127:3
• Avoiding problems caused by rebellion and sin:  Proverbs 22:5
• Benefiting from being a good steward with your money: Proverbs 22:4
• Having all sorts of Christian friends: Mark 10:30

“But you are opting for a scaled down reward—right?”

Some think that the Christian is a person who really does not care about being comfortable, happy, or enjoying pleasure, and that the Christian has opted to forgo all sorts of pleasures now in order to gain some pleasure after death.  Yet this isn’t true either.  Actually, the person who is opting for the small reward is the unbeliever:

• “Truly I say to you, they have received their reward in full” (Matthew 6:2).
• “They have their reward in full” (6:5).
• “They have their reward in full” (6:16).

Jesus is saying here that people who opt for a cheap and instant pleasure, such as seeking human praise or impressing people, are opting for a very diminutive reward.  That bit of human praise they receive at a given moment is all the reward they are going to get.   In fact, John warns Christians about missing the full reward (2 John 1:8).

In this sense, the Christian is far more into pleasure and happiness than the unbeliever, for the Christian is out to get the maximum about of happiness that is possible and simply refuses to trade maximum happiness for some short-lived, cheap thrill.  Moses fits into this category.  Before him stood the options of the pleasures of Egypt could offer him, and all that God could offer him and he took the greater (Hebrews 11:26). 

Luke 14:12-14

“When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”

• First, the above verses were never intended to condemn family get-togethers.  Obviously other passages speak of our obligations to family, and family meals (Psalm 128:3 “Your children like olive plants around your table”).
• The context of this passage is dealing with men who were expending a lot of energy in trying to manipulate circumstances so they received some immediate rewards.  Such as maneuvering and positioning yourself to get the best seat at a party (14:8,11).  In other words the passage gives us the wise counsel to make it our number-one aim in life to reward ourselves, but instead to let God reward you like no one else can.  Relieve yourself from the self-absorbed positioning of yourself  in an attempt to come out in the end with the most stuff. 

“For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous”

This is the same idea as “let God repay you”, or “let God choose the reward for you”.  The same truth is also found in 14:11 “For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted”.  I have learned that it is wise to let God repay because God can come up with rewards that are beyond the scope of human imagination. Furthermore, God’s rewards do not come with any negative side effects.  The problem with selfishly trying to reward yourself, is that the selfishness naturally eats away at the pleasure of the reward. We simply cannot be deeply happy when we know we are behaving ego-centrically.

Choose a Bigger Reward!

Again, man’s problem is not being reward conscious, but rather it is his choosing an unwise, short-lived reward.  Solomon noted, “The wicked earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness gets a true reward” (Proverbs 11:18).   Life is filled with real, meaningful and lasting rewards, but it is also filled with false rewards.  The Christian is simply opting for the permanent rewards instead of the temporary ones.  False rewards of course include:

• The praise of men.
• Fleeting popularity.
• Instant and temporary sinful pleasure.

And those who opt to turn in their "mess of pottage" for their inheritance will often find themselves...

• Avoiding the hard, yet necessary things to opt for an easier path.
• Trying to manipulate people and life into rewarding them immediately.
• Trying to get something that you have not earned, or collecting things that are not deserved, you are not yet ready to handle or that will not fit into your life at this time.

What I Have Seen….

Godly people do see things (Psalm 37:25), and it is not that the Bible contains some unproved theory —we actually do see Biblical principles being demonstrated on a daily basis.  So here is what I have learned:

• Work first, play later.
• Do not worry about who will get the credit.
• Do not try to grab it all for yourself—think about others. Serve, and God will have reserved something pretty sweet for you.
• Do not feel sorry for yourself, do the right thing, and do not be shocked when a nice and unexpected reward shows up.
• Do not panic, but instead put your mind to rest in God's goodness —and wait to see His providence at work.
• Keep on living the Christian life and you will find that the rewards tend to roll in at a faster pace as you grow older.
• Understand that in denying yourself you are never really missing out, but instead are insuring you do not miss out.
• Remain aware and grateful of all the bad stuff—things you actually deserved—that never arrived because of your commitment to God (Psalm 103:10).

 

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017