Rewards
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him/her for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:10
Rewards please us. We can reward ourselves for a task that has to be done. Many times a trip to the grocery store becomes a delight when we reward ourselves for the trip by purchasing a special treat. At times, rewards are used as a strategy to get a child to do something that is best for them. I remember my mother would use the reward method when she would take us to get our fearful immunization shots with a promise that afterwards we would stop and get an ice-cream cone on the way back home.
We see rewards used for positively modifying behavior. One of my little cousins gets to have her ears pierced if she can stop crawling in bed with her parents in the middle of the night. She called me the other day to tell me of her excitement that she had stayed in her own bed for ten days thus far. I showered praise on her and encouraged her to work toward the reward. We may also look for rewards in our business decisions. What will it cost us to do the work, and how much will be the reward? And even though the monetary reward is small or none we may go ahead with the work because the reward is found in the blessing of helping someone else. We do it because we serve Christ Jesus. We do it in order to extend Christ’s love to another.
The rewards in this life help us to understand the reward system of Heaven. The Apostle Paul speaks about this in our Scripture. Christ’s final judgement of our life is not a time of punishment, for Christ took all our punishment when He died on the Cross. Instead, it will be a wonderful time of recognizing reward due to you. Paul reminds us that when our life here ends we are going to receive what we are due. God notices each deed that you do for His glory—others may not even take note but God does. God recognizes all that you do behind the scenes, and every difficulty that you endure in Christ’s Name is not gone by unnoticed by God either. On that day, before the judgment seat of Christ, your hurts and sorrows will dim in the light of His approval and love.
Christ's blessings, Rev. Walker
Go to Holy Communion Online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtuSY3EsSb0
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