Topic : Reward, Rewards

A life once spent is irrevocable. It will remain to be contemplated through eternity.'the same may be said of each day. When it is once past, it is gone forever. All the marks which we put upon it, it will exhibit forever.?Each day will not only be a witness of our conduct, but will affect our everlasting destiny.?How shall we then wish to see each day marked with usefulness?! It is too late to mend the days that are past. The future is in our power. Let us, then, each morning, resolve to send the day into eternity in such a garb as we shall wish it to wear forever. And at night let us reflect that one more day is irrevocably gone, indelibly marked.

Adoniram Judson, in E. Judson, The Life of Adoniram Judson (Anson, Randolph & Company, 1883), pp. 13-15

In the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, a Japanese gymnast, Shun Fujimoto, was competing in the team competition. Somehow, during the floor exercises, he broke his right knee. It was obvious to all reasonable observers that he would be forced to withdraw. But they reckoned without the determination of a true competitor. On the following day, Fujimoto competed in his strongest event, the rings. His routine was excellent, but the critical point lay ahead—the dismount. Without hesitation, Fujimoto ended with a twisting, triple somersault. There was a moment of intense quiet as he landed with tremendous impact on his wounded knee. Then came thundering applause as he stood his ground. Later, reporters asked about that moment and he replied, “The pain shot through me like a knife. It brought tears to my eyes. But now I have a gold medal and the pain in gone.”

Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence, (Victor Books, a division of SP Publ., Wheaton, Ill, 1985), p. 152

You approach the buffet table and see a golden-brown turkey, fluffy mashed potatoes, lumpless gravy, buttery vegetables, and freshly baked pies. Your friends await your arrival so the feast can begin. “No thanks,” you say, “I couldn’t wait, so I ate a bologna sandwich and bag of chips on the way.”

Ridiculous? Who would choose a bologna sandwich over a turkey dinner'

Christ calls us to look beyond our immediate satisfaction to what He is preparing for us in eternity. He has made wonderful provisions for our future with Him.

So don’t settle for a bag lunch when you can have the whole feast. It’s worth the wait. The glories that await us in heaven far outweigh any trials or tribulations we might have to deal with here.

Jule-Ann Lattimer, The Quiet Hour, December, 1997-February, 1998, p. 54

When Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Jewish refugees poured into Lithuania. A large group went to the Japanese Consulate, where they found a sympathetic diplomat named Chiune Sugihara.

Against his government’s orders, Sugihara issued exit visas for an estimated 6,000 Jews, writing them by hand almost nonstop for a month until the Soviets closed the embassy. His “reward” was eighteen months in a Soviet prison camp with his family after the war, and dismissal from his post when he returned to Japan. For years he lived in obscurity, feeling disgraced. But in 1985, Sugihara was honored by the Israeli government for his heroic efforts.

Today in the Word, September, 1997, p. 33

The renowned 19th-century English preacher C. H. Spurgeon told this story about King Cyrus, the man who conquered Babylon and freed the Jews from captivity: A visitor who was admiring Cyrus’ gardens said it gave him much pleasure. “Ah,” said Cyrus, “but you have not so much pleasure in this garden as I have, for I have planted every tree in it myself.”

Spurgeon then commented, “One reason some saints will have a greater fullness of heaven than others will be that they did more for heaven than others. By God’s grace they were enabled to bring more souls there.”

those words should cause all of us who know the Lord to do some serious thinking. How many people will be in heaven because of us? Our desire should be that when we reach our eternal home, some will say to us, “I’m so thankful for you. It was your testimony, your life, your invitation to accept Christ that accounts for my being here today.” The apostle Paul anticipated the joy in heaven of seeing people who were there as a result of his ministry (1 Thess. 2:19-20).

Yes, heaven’s joys will be the fullest for those who have helped lead others to Christ. So do all you can to bring to Jesus those who are lost in sin. That’s how you can lay up pleasures in heaven!

RWD, Our Daily Bread, Sept.-Nov. 1997, page for September 10

Appreciation of heaven is frequently highest among those nearing death. Suffering both increases our desire for heaven and prepares us for it. John Bradford (1510-1555), less than five months before his fiery departure from life for preaching the gospel in violent times, wrote to a friend of the glories of heaven he anticipated:

I am assured that though I want here, I have riches there; though I hunger here, I shall have fullness there; though I faint here, I shall be refreshed there; and though I be accounted here as a dead man, I shall there live in perpetual glory.

That is the city promised to the captives whom Christ shall make free; that is the kingdom assured to them whom Christ shall crown; there is the light that shall never go out; there is the health that shall never be impaired; there is the glory that shall never be defaced; there is the life that shall taste no death; and there is the portion that passes all the world’s preferment. There is the world that shall never wax worse; there is every want supplied freely without money; there is not danger, but happiness, and honour, and singing, and praise and thanksgiving unto the heavenly Jehovah, “to him that sits on the throne,” “to the lamb” that here was led to the slaughter, that now “reigns” with whom I “shall reign” after I have run this comfortless race through this miserable earthly vale.

John Gilmore, Probing Heaven, Key Questions on the Hereafter, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989, pp. 26-27.

Q. Since God forgives us when we confess our sins, what is there to deal with at the Judgment Seat of Christ'

A. You are right in thinking that we stand before God as people who are cleared of all charges (Romans 8:1). Nevertheless, when we die we leave unfinished business. God intends to evaluate our lives as Christians and share the information with us.

Paul’s conscience was clear, but that did not make him innocent. At the Judgment Seat (the Bema), Paul says, the Lord “will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts” (1 Corinthians 4:4-5). The passage ends with words of encouragement, not terror: “At that time each will receive his praise from God.”

A review of our lives as believers, with praise, not rebuke, as the main objective, is the purpose of the Bema. If we collect all that is written about it we see that the emphasis is on rewards. God want to commend us, not punish us. See also ! Corinthians 3:10-15.

C. Donald Cole, “Questions & Answers,” Today in the Word, February 1997, pp. 12-13.

Christians do not practically remember that while we are saved by grace, altogether by grace, so that in the matter of salvation works are altogether excluded; yet that so far as the rewards of grace are concerned, in the world to come, there is an intimate connection between the life of the Christian here and the enjoyment and the glory in the day of Christ’s appearing.

From George Muller of Bristol and His Witness to a Prayer Hearing God, by Arthur T. Pierson, p. 460, quoted in Grace in Focus, Vol. II, Number 3, (Irving, TX), May/June 1996, p. 4.

Art thou weary, art thou languid,
Art thou sore distressed'
“Come to Me,” saith One, “and coming
Be at rest.”

Hath He marks to lead me to Him,
If He be my guide'
“In His feet and hands are wound-prints,
And His side.”

Is there diadem, as Monarch,
That His brow adorns'
“Yea, a crown, in very surety;
But of thorns.”

If I find Him, if I follow,
What His guerdon here'
“Many a sorrow, many a labor,
Many a tear.”

If I still hold closely to Him,
What hath He at last'
“Sorrow vanquished, labor ended,
Jordan passed.”

If I ask Him to receive me,
Will He say me nay'
“Not till earth, and not till heaven
Pass away.”

Finding, following, keeping, struggling,
Is He sure to bless'
“Saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs,
Answer, Yes.”

St. Stephen, the Sabaite, Eighth Century, Translated by John M. Neale, 1862.

The essence of emotional self-regulation is the ability to delay impulse in the service of a goal. The importance of this trait to success was shown in an experiment begun in the 1960s by psychologist Walter Mischel at a preschool on the Stanford University campus. children were told that they could have a single treat, such as a marshmallow, right now. However, if they would wait while the experimenter ran an errand, they could have two marshmallows. Some preschoolers grabbed the marshmallow immediately, but others were able to wait what, for them, must have seemed an endless 20 minutes. To sustain themselves in their struggle, they covered their eyes so they wouldn’t see the temptation, rested their heads on their arms, talked to themselves, sang, even tried to sleep. These plucky kids got the two-marshmallow reward. The interesting part of this experiment came in the follow-up. The children who as 4-year-olds had been able to wait for the two marshmallows were, as adolescents, still able to delay gratification in pursuing their goals. They were more socially competent and self-assertive, and better able to cope with life’s frustrations. In contrast, the kids who grabbed the one marshmallow were, as adolescents, more likely to be stubborn, indecisive, and stressed.

Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman, Bantan Books, quoted in Reader’s Digest, January, 1996

Out of the life, I shall never take
Things of silver and gold I make
All that I cherish and hoard away
When I leave these things on earth must stay.

Though I lailed for a painting rare
To hang on my wall, I must leave it there
Though I call it mine and boast its worth
I must give it up when I quit this earth
All that I gather and all that I keep
I must leave behind when I fall asleep

And I wonder often, what will I own
In that other life when I pass along.
What shall He find and what shall He see
In the soul that answers the call for me'
Will the Great Judge find when my task is through
That my soul has gathered some riches, too'
Or at the last it will be mine to find
That all I had worked for was left behind.

Author Unknown

We are afraid that heaven is a bribe, and that if we make it our goal we shall no longer be disinterested. It is not so. Heaven offers nothing that a mercenary soul can desire. It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.

C. S. Lewis in The Problem of Pain

One morning I opened the door to get the newspaper and was surprised to see a strange little dog with our paper in his mouth. Delighted with this unexpected “delivery service,” I fed him some treats. The following morning I was horrified to see the same dog sitting in front of our door, wagging his tail, surrounded by eight newspapers.

I spent the rest of that morning returning the papers to their owners.

Marion Gilbert in Reminisce, quoted in Reader’s Digest, February, 1994, p. 12

In his book The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis notes how believers often underestimate the full riches God has for His children.

…If we consider…the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures…like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

In Touch, June 29, 1993,

On December 16, 1944, 18 members of a reconnaissance platoon held off a battalion of crack German storm troopers in the Belgian hamlet of Lanzerath. Few history books note that their gallant stand gave Allied forces time to begin mounting the defense that eventually won the famous Battle of the Bulge. One of the platoon members was Will James, who after the war slipped into oblivion for nearly 4 decades. During that time he underwent numerous painful surgeries as a result of his war wounds. Not until 1981, through the efforts of U.S. House Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill and columnist Jack Anderson, was he awarded, posthumously, the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism.

Our Daily Bread, 12-16-91

It is a most lamentable thing to see how most people spend their time and their energy for trifles, while God is cast aside. He who is all seems to them as nothing, and that which is nothing seems to them as good as all. It is lamentable indeed, knowing that God has set mankind in such a race where heaven or hell is their certain end, that they should sit down and loiter, or run after the childish toys of the world, forgetting the prize they should run for. Were it but possible for one of us to see this business as the all-seeing God does, and see what most men and women in the world are interested in and what they are doing every day, it would be the saddest sight imaginable. Oh, how we should marvel at their madness and lament their self-delusion! If God had never told them what they were sent into the world to do, or what was before them in another world, then there would have been some excuse. But it is His sealed word, and they profess to believe it.

Richard Baxter

Do not be worn out by the labors which you have undertaken for My sake, and do not let tribulations ever cast you down. Instead, let My promise strengthen and comfort you under every circumstance. I am well able to reward you above all measure and degree. You shall not toil here long nor always be oppressed with griefs. A time will come when all labor and trouble will cease. Labor faithfully in My vineyard; I will be thy recompense. Life everlasting is worth all these conflict, and greater than these. Are not all plentiful labors to be endured for the sake of life eternal? Lift your face therefore to heaven; behold I and all My saints with me—who in this world had great conflicts—are now comforted, now rejoicing, now secure, now at rest, and shall remain with Me everlastingly in the kingdom of My father.

Thomas a Kempis

A world-class woman runner was invited to compete in a road race in Connecticut. On the morning of the race, she drove from New York City, following the directions—or so she thought—given her over the telephone. She got lost, stopped at a gas station, and asked for help. She knew that the race started in the parking lot of a shopping mall. The station attendant also knew of such a race scheduled just up the road and directed her there.

When she arrived she was relieved to see in the parking lot a modest number of runners preparing to compete. Not as many as she’d anticipated; an easier race than she’d been led to expect. She hurried to the registration desk, announced herself, and was surprised by the race officials’ excitement at having so renowned an athlete show up for their race. No, they had no record of her entry, but if she’d hurry and put on this number, she could just make it before the gun goes off. She ran and, naturally, she won easily, some four minutes ahead of the first male runner in second place.

Only after the race—when there was no envelope containing her sizable prize and performance money— did she confirm that the event she’d run was not the race to which she’d been invited. That race was being held several miles farther up the road in another town. She’d gone to the wrong starting line, run the wrong course, and missed her chance to win a valuable prize.

Thinking And Acting Like A Christian, D. Bruce Lockerbie, p. 52

At the Sudan Interior Mission Kijabe Medical Center, SIM medical missionaries Bob and Marion Bowers recently treated a young man with a paralyzing snake bite and saw him live long enough to accept Christ as his Savior. In many Third World countries, snake bites are common—and fatal. For four days, the young man remained unconscious. Under normal circumstances he would have died the day of the snake bite. But on the fifth day he miraculously woke up. That afternoon a group of students from Moffat Bible College came to the hospital to share the gospel with the patients. After hearing the words of truth, the man accepted Christ as his savior. At midnight, he had cardiac arrest and died.

Harvest, Summer, 1991, Vol. 1, #1

After a preacher died and went to heaven, he noticed that a New York cabdriver had been given a higher place than he had. “I don’t understand,” he complained to St. Peter. “I devoted my entire life to my congregation.” “Our policy is to reward results,” explained St. Peter. “Now, what happened , Reverend, whenever you gave a sermon?” The minister admitted that some in the congregation fell asleep. “Exactly,” said St. Peter. “And when people rode in this man’s taxi, they not only stayed awake, they prayed.”

Ray Heit, in Reader’s Digest

When I stand at the judgment seat of Christ
And He shows me His plan for me;
The plan of my life as it might have been
Had He had His way, and I see.

How I blocked Him here and I checked Him there
And I would not yield my will,
Shall I see grief in my Savior’s eyes;
Grief though He loves me still'

Oh, He’d have me rich, and I stand there poor,
Stripped of all but His grace,
While my memory runs like a hunted thing
Down the paths I can’t retrace.

Then my desolate heart will well-nigh break
With tears that I cannot shed.
I’ll cover my face with my empty hands
And bow my uncrowned head.

No. Lord of the years that are left to me
I yield them to Thy hand.
Take me, make me, mold me
To the pattern Thou hast planned.

Source unknown

We must not be troubled by unbelievers when they say that this promise of rewards makes the Christian’s life a mercenary affair. There are different kinds of reward. There is the reward which has no natural connection with things you do to earn it, and is quite foreign to the desires that ought to accompany those things. Money is not the natural reward of love; that is why we call a man mercenary if he marries a woman for the sake of her money. But marriage is the proper reward for a real lover, and he is not mercenary for desiring it.

C. S. Lewis, in Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, p. 158

Matt. 16:24-27
Luke 19:11-27
1 Cor. 3:13-15
2 Cor. 5:10
Heb. 10:32-34
Heb. 11:24-26
James 1:12
Rev. 2:10
Rev. 22:12
Matt. 5:10-12
1 Thess. 2:19
Phil. 4:1
John 4:35-6
2 Tim. 4:6-8

• Swindoll, Improving Your Serve
• Tales of the Neverending, Mark Littleton, Moody, 1990, p. 125.
• The Disciplines of Life, by V. Raymond Edman (Minneapolis: World Wide Publ., 1948), p. 70.
• Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, pp. 158ff.

• They that deny themselves for Christ shall enjoy themselves in Christ. - J. M. Mason
• One day in heaven will pay you, yea, overpay your blood, bonds, sorrow, and sufferings; it would trouble an angel’s understanding to lay the account of that surplus of glory which eternity can and will give you. - Samuel Rutherford
• If we consider the greatness and the glory of the life we shall have when we have risen from the dead, it would not be difficult at all for us to bear the concerns of this world. If I believe the Word, I shall on the Last Day, after the sentence has been pronounced, not only gladly have suffered ordinary temptations, insults, and imprisonment, but I shall also say: “O, that I did not throw myself under the feet of all the godless for the sake of the great glory which I now see revealed and which has come to me through the merit of Christ!” - Martin Luther
• The Scriptures teach that the happiness or blessedness of believers in a future life will be greater or less in proportion to the service of Christ in this life. Those who love little, do little; and those who do little, enjoy less. - Charles Hodge
• Earth for work, heaven for wagesThis life for the battle, another for the crownTime for employment, eternity for enjoyment. - Thomas Guthrie

One of the most grueling of all bicycle races is the Tour De France. A contestant in that event, Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle, describes it in a National Geographic article titled, "An Annual Madness.? The race covers about 2000 miles, including some of France's most difficult, mountainous terrain. Eating and drinking is done on the run. And there are extremes of heat and cold. To train for the event, Lassalle rides his bicycle 22,000 miles a year. What kind of prize makes people endure so much hardship and pain! $10,000? $100,000? No. It's just a special winner's jersey. What then motivates the contestants? Lassalle sums it up: "Why, to sweep through the Arc de Triomphe on the last day. To be able to say you finished the Tour de France.?

Our Daily Bread, October 5, 1990