Over the years I have heard many say that they are not looking to be rewarded for serving God, as if that were a very noble thing to say. There is only one problem, however: it directly opposes Jesus’ teachings on the matter. Our Lord made a very big deal of how important it is for God’s people to live in a way that will gain the maximum reward from God.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)
People will sacrifice for what they treasure.
We learn from Jesus and other biblical authors that earning heavenly reward comes at a dear price. Jesus taught in the passage above that the pursuit of worldly wealth and heavenly riches can be at odds. Every day people make the choice to run after one or the other.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Matthew 6:24 (ESV)
If we make the choice to forego pursuing the thing that is most attractive to the great majority of people, it stands to reason that there must be something even better being offered by God.
Surely he is not asking us to deny ourselves in this life just for the fun of it.
Paul the apostle was a man who willingly gave up worldly wealth, prestige, and power to follow Christ. What motivated him?
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:8-11 (ESV)
Paul received such a clear revelation of Christ that it propelled him to a lifetime of costly service. He suffered intensely and was finally martyred, but to him it was all worth it.
Our willingness to deny ourselves in the pursuit of Christ and his kingdom indicates how much we believe that the reward being offered is worth it.
Likewise, our unwillingness to sacrifice in the here and now for what is promised in eternity means we probably do not even believe it is true. Either that or we don’t care. I am not sure which is worse.
Jesus taught his followers, and I hope that includes you, that we should choose to do things because of the attached reward.
He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” Luke 14:12-14 (ESV)
Jesus not only taught this principle: he lived by it. As he approached his crucifixion, he weighed the price he was about to pay with the reward that lay ahead in heaven.
We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:2 (NLT)
Everyday we should weigh the cost of serving God against the joy of our heavenly reward.
Every time we choose between immediate gratification and what God promises those who love and serve him, we please God and become spiritually richer. Otherwise, we are danger of becoming like the rich fool who lost everything. (Luke 12:21)
Only those who have faith will be able to choose well.
Paul wrote that those who choose worldly gratification are serving another god.
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:17-21 (ESV)
There is an intense battle associated with the choice to live for heavenly reward.
Over the years people have demonstrated whether or not God’s promises mean more to them than immediate gratification. It goes all the way back to Genesis. A clear example of this is found in the history of Jacob and Esau. According to the Bible, when Esau was hungry he traded his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup, and it cost him eternally.
Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. 17 You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears. Hebrews 12:16-17 (NLT)
But when we do choose for God, Jesus promises a sure and lasting reward.
Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. Mark 10:29-30 (ESV)
The apostle Peter, who heard Jesus say these words, took it to heart and lived accordingly.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you... 1 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV)
Should we be rewarded for serving God? Yes, according to Jesus. Even though our ability to serve God comes through grace, a free gift from God, our choice to serve him is so valuable to God that he celebrates it with pouring out even more blessings upon us.
We cannot overestimate how much God appreciates people who lay down their lives in service to him.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you gave yourself away at great cost to yourself to bring many people into Father God’s family. I am one of those who have benefited from your sacrifice. Help me to value you so much that I am willing to sacrifice my own desires and advantages whenever they run at cross purposes with your will for my life. Help me to believe that your promise of eternal reward is true so that I always have the proper perspective. Help me to love you and others so much that sacrifice comes more easily. At the end of my life, let me be one of those who hears you say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Amen.
