LIVE EACH MOMENT OF THIS LIFE FOR YOUR REWARD IN HEAVEN
- Key Verse
"[Y]our Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6:18b)
READ TODAY'S PASSAGE-
READ THE CHAPTER
Central Truth
One day, believers in Christ will stand before God, and He will reward us based on how well we lived out His sole purpose in creating us – bringing Him glory through loving Him and loving our neighbor. Our reward will be a greater enjoyment of Him and His glory!
Reflections
One continuous theme throughout the last four years of my life has been a powerful catalyst for intense spiritual growth – eternity. It hit me while reading 2 Peter 3:8, “What if for each day I denied myself, took up my cross, and followed Jesus by doing sacrificial deeds of love, He rewarded me for a thousand years in eternity?” After Jesus commands this in Matthew 16, He says in verse 27, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does . . . .” (Ephesians 6:7-8, NIV)
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV)
“For if you do these things . . . you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom . . . .” (2 Peter 1:10b-11, NIV)
“The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” (Revelation 20:12b)
“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)
This is also the overarching theme of today's passage. In each of this passages Jesus contrasts people living for their earthly reward with people living for their heavenly reward.
Living in light of this truth has radically changed my life. I used to live and work among the movers and shakers of society. Now, I live and work among society’s forgotten and neglected. I used to be task oriented. Now, I am relationally oriented. I used to see the fruit of my labor. Now, I have faith that God will produce fruit through my labor. I used to not evangelize. Now, I have to tell others about Christ because of my love for humanity, the weight of eternity, and the reality of heaven and hell.
Discussion Questions
1. Reflect for a long time on standing before God and having Him pull out His books and reward you in eternity for the deeds of sacrificial love you have done on earth in response to His ultimate sacrificial deed of love for you and you placing your saving, trusting faith in His Son.
2. Are you in strict training, earnestly seeking the prize and reward of Him who awaits you?
3. How rich will your welcome into heaven be?
4. Is it selfish to seek your own heavenly reward? Please read this incredible summary article based on the works of C.S. Lewis and John Piper (http://contendforthefaith2.com/delight.html) or this entry from Randy Alcorn’s blog (http://randyalcorn.blogspot.com/2008/11/motivated-by-eternal-reward.html). C.S. Lewis observed: “It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.”
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Decide on something that you can do as a family to give to someone in need and follow what verses 1-4 teach.
Lindsey Atchley
January 15, 2010 08:14 AM
Thank you so much for this! Your words and reflections really helped push my thoughts in the right direction.
Beth
January 15, 2010 08:19 AM
Thanks Brett for sharing that! What a great perspective and attitude to have. Very excited to see and hear of the amazing lives being changed through Mercy Street.
PRC
January 15, 2010 08:40 AM
Brett, your heart and relationship with our Father is truly amazing. Way to pick up your cross and follow Jesus in your everyday life. Praying for you bro. prc
Bill
January 15, 2010 09:21 AM
Brett: It is difficult to disagree with such a thoughtful devotion. Especially when it comes from someone who truly loves the Lord and is serving Him wholeheartedly. And I agree with about 90% of what you have written. I guess it is the title and the implication that it is a good thing to be motivated by rewards that bothers me. It is hard for me to drag that from these verses. Will we be rewarded for our deeds? Absolutely! Should we be motivated by these rewards? Not so clear to me. But I am often wrong!! :)
Brandon Avance
January 15, 2010 09:22 AM
BV- There is power in the testimony in a man like you, who lives the gospel out in his life. Praise God for friends like you who push and encourage me from afar. keep running, press on.
jay Burns
January 15, 2010 09:47 AM
wow....you hit home with exactly where I am wrestling right now. Todd's message on REv22:12 a few weeks ago is exactly what you are talking about. Thanks not only for your words, but for your example. You weren't moved by the truth, you actually acted on it...what a great example for us all...and by the way a great mission, my wife and I love the WEst Dallas mission greatly. With regard to being motivated by reward that Bill brings up, I understand his concern and in fact, you addressed this in your questions with the great reference. Personally I don't know why Jesus would have told us about our rewards unless to inform us and motivate us...every word and every action of Jesus motivates me. He knows how we are wired. thanks again...awesome message and example to us all.
JP
January 15, 2010 10:00 AM
AMEN. Live life for eternity. amen.
Jim Wimberley
January 15, 2010 10:28 AM
Thanking God for you Brett and your choice and willingness to live your life fully for the Lord Jesus Christ. Looking forward to those rewards in Heaven and striving with you to finish the race well and receive the "crown of righteousness" promised in 2Tim 4:7-8. Jim
Steve Faris
January 15, 2010 10:34 AM
Brett, that is good stuff. It is perhaps the most encouraging testimony to read, where, a rich young ruler doesn't walk away sad, but heeds the call to follow. Practically and culturally, myself included, the church embraces and celebrates rich young rulers (they speak at our luncheons, we like them for our programs, etc, etc), where Jesus turned his type away as His program seems it was not in need of such. I am praying for you now that God further strengthens you, as He did Peter and John as they walked from their pursuits, so that years later in your life, you haven't decided "making a living" is the real driver, but rather, like Peter, you will be joyfully proclaiming, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have, I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" (Acts 3:6). If you have a newsletter or blog or something, let me know - would like to track with you. Way to go Brett! Nothing wrong with the pursuit of the rewards, as you, no doubt, would lay them right back at his feet as your heart is first in love with him....but He loves to give good gifts! Praying now...really encouraged by your testimony to following our King...
Brett
January 15, 2010 11:47 AM
Lindsey, Beth, PRC, Bill, Avance, Jay, JP, Jim and Steve...thank you all for your comments! Bill, at first blush I was right there with you. I really appreciate your respectful disagreeance and you're not the first. The guidance of CS Lewis, Piper and Randy Alcorn all helped redirect my thoughts. That and juxtaposing all the verses of the Bible about judgment, possessions, treasure, and reward - Jesus' appeal to be motivated by eternal reward became clear to me...and well, motivating :) Todd says the #1 reason Jesus tells us to give away our possessions is for our own eternal reward. Shocking at first, but when I read the Bible, without any preconceived notions, it's hard to argue with. Steve: yes, I do have a blog that I have put a good deal of time into complete with pictures and videos. It shares stories of my time spent in Zambia with Family Legacy and here in West Dallas. www.findyourowncalcutta.blogspot.com
Eric Colton
January 15, 2010 11:50 AM
Thanks for living out your testimony. You encourage me. Keep going...
Ted Larson
January 15, 2010 12:07 PM
Brett, Really enjoyed the devo today and catching up with what you are doing. I could see your commitment to this years ago before you joined Mercy street. I was alittle uncomfortable with the rewards issue also but you have so much credibility with me, it motivates me to study this issue further. I will also follow your blog.
Steve Faris
January 15, 2010 12:26 PM
Will head out to your blog. Right on in "reading the Bible without preconceived notions"...having spent much time doing that of late while trying to divorce my mind from much theology and extended thinking from such, western thought driven by capitalistic theories of ownership and law, assumed practices of institutions, etc - and just letting it speak - it is beyond the popular term "radical" and it leaves you stripped pretty bare and realizing the lines he drew in the sand were sharp and rough and why many would not follow, and why the religious God fearers of his time generally despised him - after all, who wants a whip flying around in the lobby of their church by some guy who traveled around in the streets and was completely phyiscally unappealing calling them to empty out their lives at every point, including property, etc and follow Him in faith that the stuff they need would be given to them by the hand of another from the unseen??? :):). For the most part, what I see in myself and much around me is the smearing of His lines, the fuzzying-up (how about that word :)) of those lines, the muting or drowning out of the sharpness of His call - and looking in the mirror or deep inside finds me no better than those He challenged for their religiosity and trying to build a comfortable world for me and Jesus to hang around together in. Frankly, got him following me in what I believe I have to do, not me following Him. His way is, I am growing convinced, after a ThM at DTS, church stuff, and a few years of studying His words and the NT hard without the aid of a stream of thinking theologically, etc, etc - is something very very different. I think you are vernturing into a place, the place of "going" as the disciples did (leave the money and the stuff you got, boys, and head on out trusting me with nothing!) where you are going to see some remarkable things from a Father who sees the world, calls us to live very very differently amidst it (not just moralism), but isn't fooled by our justifications to much of our lives. I wonder if the church will continue with business as usual (gazillions of dollars poured into structures and maintenance of such) as these catastrophes (both traumatic - Haiti, etc, and systemic - poverty, etc)test whether the called out ones can continue to bypass the cry of the NT call or will rise up and truly see numbers being added in the same manner that it did so in the early church. That is my question for me - right in my face and has me torn up. I thought I was doing that when I walked away from career and went to DTS and "into ministry". :). Hardly a match with his call, but all I saw at the time and didnt' get Him real well. Now I see Him more clearly, and realize I am not a disciple like those who did truly follow Him. Anyway. I am wrestling ever more in all this with a large family in tow with me and asking Him to continue leading me to this pursuit and what it may lead to. Quite a collision with every thing one has been conditioned to in the world we cling to. You are responding to that collision. Let your foray into following go harder and stronger as the stuff of faith is built. I will be praying for you regularly now, including many things of which Paul's command of armor coverage in Eph 6:18ff will be consistent on your behalf. Way to go. And again, great devo. Even greater what is behind the writing and crafting of words. Heading for your site. SF
Brett
January 15, 2010 12:34 PM
Ted, thanks for sharing! I would rather inspire someone to embark on a hand-in-hand journey with God to discover His Truth than give people what I believe are the right answers. Kinda like climbing a mountain vs. being flown to the top. One is much more rewarding. I knew this would be a little uncomfortable and controversial for some. But my heart is to motivate people to go on the journey and my hope is that we all discover that God's glory, others' salvation and sanctification, their eternal reward, my eternal reward, their joy, and my joy are all intertwined.
Brett
January 15, 2010 01:17 PM
Steve, wow! Sounds like you've been on quite the journey yourself! Agree 100% with the sharp lines being muddled. I didn't realize it at the time, but somewhere a few years ago I decided to question everything I had ever been taught, similar to the Bereans in Acts 17. One thing I discovered was that Jesus never told me to "give 10%" or "tithe". He said a reasonable response to His mercy on me is to give my whole life and once I've done that I'm still an unworthy servant (Luke 17). Paul said Macedonians gave "beyond their ability" but I was settling for what I thought God said is "good enough" by giving 10%. I realized that others live just fine off of $40,000, so that is well within my ability and I am told to give beyond that. I realized I didn't have the faith in the God of the Universe to be the Provider and Protector He says He is and would be for me if I did what he asked (well, commanded). Then I realized I'll miss out on the reward of "true" riches promised in heaven because I was unfaithful and untrustworthy with the worldly riches that weren't even my own. I realized that I didn't know the (idols) I had until they were gone. And now I have tasted a bit of the life Jesus gives to those who give theirs away. But I still have a LONG way to go. And once I get there, I'm STILL unworthy, but am glad I have a Savior who is and that's all I need and that's worth giving my life for.
Steve Faris
January 15, 2010 01:46 PM
On your notes from Macedonians in 2 Corinth 8, consider the rest of that chapter in light of all the other NT passages related to kingdom, possessions, money, etc. How does one justify ANY holdings (in contrast to our whole financial planning industry)when both those of the household of faith and those outside are struggling to survive. Not what Paul spoke of nor does it appear the early church operated (seems to have changed after Constantine institutionalized the "church" with the Roman government)in any sense of property accumulation, let alone aggrgating resources into institutional operations. Convince we don't get it and so, as Billy Graham said, 95% of what goes on in the modern churches could occur without the Holy Spirit ever showing up. :). Anyway, love your heart and journey - will be praying for you, me and the called out ones (interesting choice of word to use for church, which is often the contained ones..:). We all need restoration. Man! Go, bro!
Doug
January 15, 2010 02:45 PM
Great words,Brett! We are so caught up in this world. Even the Apostle Paul wrote "if only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men". A great book on this topic is Joe Stowell's Eternity.
Martin E Massinger
January 16, 2010 10:56 AM
This is an incredibly encouraging word to hear! Regarding serving with the expectation of reward, I think God intends for us to do that. Even Jesus had His eye on the reward. Consider Hebrews 12:2: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. I don't think it's a stretch at all to infer that Jesus had His reward in mind as He endured the torture and death that crowned His mission on earth. I think, though, that in all things, God looks at the heart. If your reward is your primary motivation, and not your love for the Father, you may be in a bad spot. But that is for the Father to decide! Thank you!
Malissa Page
January 18, 2010 11:11 AM
What a wonderful reminder, I have printed this up and posted it on my wall at work!! Thank you so much for sharing your insight on an invaluable reminder of why we are here, I will definitely be passing this message along