Dr. Johnson. Org
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
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
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
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
The judgement of the nations involved with
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