Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Chapter 6- Rewards

Rewards! Surely no man would say no to Rewards ; be they small or great;In 1 Corinthians 3:8 we read "…………and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour."
So if you are in Christ i.e. you have accepted Christ as your personal Saviour there are rewards for you in heaven.
But how do you get rewards? You get rewards in the way that you build on the foundation that is already laid. If we read 1 Corinthiams 3:11-15 we have an insight of future rewards for us in heaven.
Here it says, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble. Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath build thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
Now first the foundation is laid in your heart. This foundation is Jesus Christ. And then he watches how you build on this foundation.
How do you build on this foundation? Basically this means how you live in the world after you accept Christ; whether you are totally obedient to Him; whether you live according to the way He says you should; whether you live by the leading of the Holy Spirit!
However your works must justify your faith (for faith without deeds is useless) How you excel in your calling whether it be secular or totally for Christ as a Minister. Everything is revelant and upon all these depend your rewards.
If you stagnate in your spiritual life after being saved, saying, "yes, I am saved, I need not worry anymore, anyway I am going to heaven, why should I bother? These are the people who build on the foundation (Jesus Christ) with wood, hay and stubble.
And what happens finally to their works? When the fire tests it, it is burnt up. SO NO REWARDS; though the person himself/herself will be saved by a very narrow margin (as one escaping through fire). In contrast, if you build with gold, silver or precious stones on the foundation (Jesus Christ) you will receive a reward. In this case the fire will not burn up your works and it will abide,
Roman 14:10 says, "……..for we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ." So justify your faith (now that you have accepted Christ) with deeds that would gain you rewards in heaven.
And when are we (believers) to get the rewards? When the Lord comes in all His glory and takes us to heaven at Rapture. Then as the bible says in Luke 14 :14, "And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." So after Rapture, in heaven you will receive your rewards.
In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we read "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
Here we see the Judgement seat of Christ and rewards being given Him for things that we do while in the body.
This is not the Great white throne Judgement of God. (Revelation 20:11). That occurs after the Millennium. There the dead (out of Christ) are judged.
So what should be our goal once we accept Christ?In 2 Corinthians 5:9 we read, "Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him." This means that loving God and obeying His commands (however tough they may seem) is very important.
For humanely difficult things that we do on earth for Christ's sake, the rewards are greater. If we read the beatitudes: for suffering for Christ's sake, the reward is great in heaven. (Mathew 5:12) Again, for loving your enemies as we read in Luke 6:35 the reward is great in heaven.
The judgement of the nations involved with Israel in some way of the other prior to the 2nd coming takes place at Christ's 2nd coming on earth. Here the sheep are seperated from the goats. i.e the righteous and the unrigheous are seperated. The righteous are awarded with eternal life with God and the unrighteous go away to eternal punishment. (Mathew 25: 31-46)
This judgement is different from the Great White throne judgement and the judgement of belivers in heaven after Rapture.
Paul, when he writes to the Colossians tells them, 'And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23,24)
So work diligently as pleasing the Lord for your reward.
"Cast not therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward" (Hebrews 10:35)

No comments:

Post a Comment