reward

Just a few

/ EllieJ

While Saul sat in hiding, his son Jonathan, was out trying to find a way to defeat Israel’s enemy. Without questioning his own motives, the young man place his trust entirely in God. Without care for his own being, Jonathan pushed ahead and trusted that God would lead him to save Israel.

Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by a few.

1 Samuel 14:6b (NIV)

If it is God’s will to accomplish something, all He needs is one willing and obedient person to turn the enemy’s camp into confusion. While Saul sat indecisive, Jonathan followed God’s guidance—which lead Israel to victory.

God will direct the steps of those that acknowledge him in all their ways, and seek him for direction, with full purpose of heart to follow his guidance.

Matthew Henry

The will of God in the hands of just a few is far greater than swords in the hands of many. When our confidence is in God, nothing should be able to stop us from pursuing His will and achieving victory in His name.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:31 (NIV)

Like Jonathan, we can put our confidence in our God who knows the ending from the beginning and everything in between. He has ordered our steps, all we need do is take them as prescribed.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

Hebrews 10:35-36 (NIV)

Read: 1 Samuel 13-14, Luke 14:1-24

The profession of Christianity

/ EllieJ

Let us try not to join the profession of Christianity, with seeking after worldly advantages.

Matthew Henry

“You’ll never have to worry about anything again!”

“God wants you to be rich!”

“This is the best life ever!”

“Everything is good!”

All of these claims have been touted by Christians, preachers, and televangelists. They have brought untold millions to their knees to pray a prayer that they’ve been conned into reciting. While they all contain a partial truth, they are not indicative of the Christian life.

Jesus had some choice words for some who wished to take care of business before taking up the business of following him.

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my Father.”

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:57-62 (NIV)

In order to “close the deal” when it comes to leading someone to salvation, we are often apt to spout the benefits while making light of the cost. The truth is, there are many, many benefits to giving your life to Christ, but there is also a great cost—one that cannot be ignored.

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23 (NIV)

The benefits come as a result of us doing the right thing for the right reasons.

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

It is a difficult road to walk, this life in pursuit of God. On one side, we can be easily distracted by the thought of a reward and, on the other side, we can be so focused on our call that we deny the existence of any reward at all.

Our purpose in serving God should be just that—to serve Him and Him alone. If the reward is all we seek, our hearts are in the wrong place. But that does not mean that we should not be prepared to receive a reward or blessing.

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

Luke 11:13 (NIV)

If is with a pure heart and pure motives that we must seek after God. Yet, as His children, we must not deny Him the joy of blessing us.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10 (NIV)

Read: Judges 12-14, Luke 9:37-62

Can you keep a secret?

/ EllieJ / Leave a comment

Read: Genesis 18-19, Matthew 6

SECRET: Separate, hid, concealed from the notice or knowledge of all persons except the individual or individuals concerned.

Some things in life should be public. Our faith being one of those things. No one should ever doubt your salvation or your Christian walk. The way you behave in public should set you apart. But some parts of that walk should remain secret. Jesus addresses three such portions: giving, praying, and fasting.

In Jesus’ day, there were those in the temple who went to great efforts to make sure that everyone knew what they were up to. They needed the world to know that they were righteous and holy because of what they were doing. Let the trumpets sound and the heralds declare!

To what end? What was the purpose in making public their “holy” acts? If it was for acknowledgement then their entire purpose for giving, praying, or fasting was made void for all of those things should be done to glorify God. And if we are seeking our own glorification for doing those things, then how can God get any glory?

Jesus tells us these things should be done in secret. For if we do it when no one is watching, then we can know that our heart is in the right place and our reasons for doing these things are indeed for the glory of God. The reward we look for should not be immediate gratification, but eternal glory. In each instance, we see that there is a reward for keeping our holy acts between ourselves and the Lord.

…so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:4 (NIV)

Matthew 6:6

…so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:18 (NIV)

You see, when we turn our focus on to God rather than on ourselves, not only is the glory given to whom it belongs, but we also receive the reward our actions deserve. A reward is not warranted if our sole purpose for giving is public accolade. But when we give for the purpose of being generous, even in secret, God sees and He stores up for us a heavenly reward that is far greater than anything we could receive here on earth.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

God’s kingdom should always be first and foremost. It is first for His benefit that we give, pray, and fast. Those things will then benefit others and ourselves last. Matthew Henry said that what we do must be done from an inward principle, that we may be approved of God, not that we may be praised of men.

Not all secrets are shady. There is nothing dubious or nefarious in giving, fasting, or praying. Jesus encourages us to do all of these things. And it is not only that we do them that matters, but how we go about doing them.

The reason and reward

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LOVE: In a general sense to be please with; to regard with affection, on account of some qualities which excite pleasing sensations or desire of gratification.

ENDURANCE:  Continuance; a state of lasting or duration; lastingness. A bearing or suffering; a continuing under pain or distress without resistance, or without sinking or yielding to the pressure; sufferance; patience.

What do love and endurance have to do with each other? Paul takes these two seemingly unrelated words and puts them together in a single statement.

May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God and the endurance that comes from Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 (NLT)

Why would we need to have a deeper understanding of God’s love as well as endurance? Could it be that the two are not as unrelated as they would seem? As far as Paul is concerned, they go hand in hand.

As Christians, we should always be striving to have a deeper understanding of the love of God. After all, it’s the reason we’re Christians in the first place. Without God’s love, we are nothing.

So where does this endurance come into play?

In his letters to various churches, Paul has made it pretty clear that we can expect pressure in our walk with Christ. (If you never experience pressure because of your faith, you should probably rethink your faith.) Because of this pressure, we will require endurance, continuance, the ability to go through pain distress without sinking or yielding. Anyone who has no reason to endure pain or distress will most likely give up easily. Why bother if there is no reason or reward? But we have both reason and a reward to endure.

When we have that ever deeper understanding of the love of God, we have a reason to endure. We know what we have been rescued from and we know whom it was who rescued us. It is because of the love of God that we can endure. He is our reason. And, as we endure whatever trials the world may throw at us, we become stronger in God’s love and gain an even deeper understanding of who He is and all He has done for us. His love makes us stronger. His love is our reward.

Without a revelation God’s love, endurance is pointless. But as we are brought into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God, we understand why we must also know the endurance that comes from Christ.

He is our reason. He is our reward.

Daily Bible reading: Jeremiah 3-4, 2 Thessalonians 3

Those faith people

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The Word of Faith has earned a bad reputation in many Christian circles. Faith, in many cases, has become a dirty word. You don’t want to be one of those faith people. Sure, there are some who are of the name-it-and-claim-it or blab-it-and-grab-it crowd—people who see God as a genie in a bottle just waiting for us to make our three wishes. But those aren’t the people I’m talking about. When it comes to the Word of Faith, I’m talking about those people who spend time reading and meditating on the Word of God, learning all the things God has said, done, and promised and firmly believe that what they read is true and, if it hasn’t already, will come to pass.

If you don’t want to be one of those faith people, I’d rethink your stance because I have news for you. You can’t be a Christian without being one of those faith people.

I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law of Moses? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

In the same way, “Abraham believed God, so God declared him to be righteous because of his faith.” The real children of Abraham, then, are all those who put their faith in God.

Galatians 3:5-7 (NLT)

As Christians, our entire belief system is based on faith. You can’t knock those faith people, without knocking yourself.

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

My faith is my confident assurance that Jesus lived, died, and lived again all as a holy sacrifice for my sins so that I can live in right standing God. And if I am in right standing with God, I want to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)

So, if you have the faith to believe in God, why would you not also want to increase your faith to believe in all of His promises as well? If all you want is a safety net to keep you out of hell, that’s fine. But as for me, I want to live a life full of the promises God has made to me in His Word. I want the rewards that come with seeking Him. And if that kind of faith makes me one of those faith people, so be it. I’m not out to please you or the rest of the church. I’m out to please God.

Daily Bible reading: Isaiah 4-6, Galatians 3

True wisdom

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We’ve discussed wisdom before. It’s pretty difficult to read through the Bible and avoid the subject entirely. It’s all about wisdom and obtaining it. It is wisdom.

I tried a quick search on where people believe wisdom comes from. Here are a few interesting responses I discovered:

Wisdom is a belief that’s not only true but that in the fact of our believing it leads us to feel and act in such a way that makes us suffer less or feel joy more.

Alex Lickerman M.D.

While I see the merits of this explanation, truth must first be defined and absolute. Different people believe different things to be true and acting on them with full belief can lead to varying results—some wise, but some unwise.

I truly believe that wisdom comes from experience. You can not fully understand people, things events or even situations if you don’t have life experience. If you haven’t lived through an event or heard the story of how other lived through this event you can’t possible understand it. You cannot know what it’s like to be a mother or a father until you’ve been one.

Sophie

Thanks Sophie, but I have to disagree with you here, too. While there are some things in life that must be experienced to fully understand, I’ve heard very wise words from people who’ve never experienced it at all and, on the other side, watched the fallout from very bad decisions made by people who have already experienced the situation.

Wisdom is the imprint a life has made on other lives.

Krista Tippett

Really? I hope there was more to that explanation somewhere because I can say with absolute certainty that there are many people who have been left with imprints made by very bad choices. Wisdom had nothing to do with those.

There are a lot of different ideas out there about the origin of wisdom. We can keep pondering those or we can just go to the Bible. Paul put it rather simply.

To God, who alone is wise, be the glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Romans 16:27 (NLT)

Done and done. The world can search for and explain away about wisdom all they want, but we—the Church—have access to the source of true wisdom.

Reverence for the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.
The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him.

Praise his name forever!

Psalm 111:10 (NLT)

True wisdom begins and ends with God. We can search everywhere, but true wisdom can be found nowhere else than in the presence of our Holy Father. Only there will we discover the foundation on which we can put our knowledge to proper and prosperous use. Seeking, honouring, and obeying God are the first and only steps required to obtain wisdom.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

James 1:5 (NLT)

Daily Bible reading: Psalm 109-111, Romans 16

Confidence

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Let’s keep going with some word study. Confidence is a word we use with a certain amount of regularity, but do we use it with it’s full meaning behind it?

CON’FIDENCE, noun. A trusting, or reliance; an assurance of mind or firm belief in the integrity, stability or veracity of another, or in the truth and reality of a fact.

In how many situations do you have an assurance of mind? How often does that apply to the stability of another? How often does this really apply to you and your confidence in your salvation?

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.

Hebrews 10:35 (ESV)

This confidence that is being referred to is in the promise of the covenant Jesus made for and with us. It is complete trust that, in any and every situation, our covenant with Jesus stands firm and that we will receive what has been promised to us. But it may not be easy.

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Hebrews 10:36 (ESV)

Be encouraged, though.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Hebrews 10:39 (ESV)

Daily Bible reading: Ezekiel 7-9, Hebrews 10:24-39

Ability

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How do you get good at something? For some of us, it comes naturally. For others, they need to work at it. How do you get really good at something? I believe that, for everyone, hard work is in order. To achieve excellence, commitment and work are required no matter what it is you want to be good at – a trade, a sport, a game, a craft, a career.

I firmly believe that the Church should be the world’s thermometer for excellence. When unbelievers want to see how things should be done, they should be able to look at the Church.

Why?

Because we have the Spirit of the Living God inside of us. Working with us. Guiding us. Showing us how to do things. Because whatever we do, we work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord we will receive the inheritance as our reward. We are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 [ESV])

Read through 1 Chronicles 26 and you’ll see verse after verse talking about people who were good at what they did.

  • they were men of great ability (vs. 6)
  • able men (vs. 7)
  • able men qualified for the service (vs. 8)
  • able men (v. 9)
  • a shrewd counsellor (vs. 14)
  • men of ability (vs. 30)
  • men of great ability (vs. 31)
  • men of ability (vs. 32)

And what happened because they were good at their jobs? They got promoted.

When we view our work – no matter what type of work we do – as doing it for God and not for the men/women who are over us in authority, there should be a greater sense of urgency not only to do our work, but to do it well.

Whether it’s your career or a voluntary position, work for the Lord. Be known as a man or woman of great ability. Not only is there opportunity for earthly reward, but a heavenly one as well.

Daily Bible reading: 1 Chronicles 26-27; John 11:18-46

The Lord’s Anointed

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He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.”

1 Samuel 24: 6 (ESV)

David has just been given the perfect opportunity to off Saul. Saul, the man who has been chasing after David for no reason. Saul, the man who threw a spear at David. Saul, the father of David’s wife. Saul, the father of the man David was in covenant with. Saul, the king of Israel.

Just because we have been given an opportunity for revenge, does not mean we should, or even have the right to, take it. While all of David’s men who were in hiding with him encouraged him to do away with Saul while he was most vulnerable, David took the high road. The road that says we owe honour and respect to those God places before us.

What would David get out of killing Saul in that moment? A brief high before Saul’s army came at him?

But what did David get because he chose to honour God’s anointed?

He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you with evil… So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.”

1 Samuel 24:17, 19

Whether it seems right at the time or not, the reward will always be in honour and not revenge.

Daily Bible reading: 1 Samuel 22-24; Luke 16:1-18

Encourage

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But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to take the land for their own.

Deuteronomy 1:38 (NCV)

Who do you encourage? Are you the one standing up for the minority who takes God at His word? Or are you one to follow the crowd and join in the mob saying, “we can’t do it!”

A majority isn’t always right. Across North America, we’re seeing the results of the majority’s choices in government and leadership.

What would happen if Christians across the world would stand up with and encourage the faithful few? We saw with Israel that those who refused to believe in the promise never stepped into it. Only those who saw potential made it through.

Do you see the problem or the potential? Can you see the promise beyond the propaganda?

You will reap the reward of those you choose to support and encourage. Who do you stand with?

Daily Bible reading: Deuteronomy 1-2, Mark 11:1-19