Yesterday’s blog post, The Time of Reaping Shall Come – for All Sinners, came from the verse immediately before this one. Today, I want to focus on those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
In some ways, everyone reaps what they sow in this life – but because the duration of those rewards is eternal, the stakes are much greater. Paul wrote the above text verse to believers that needed encouragement. c needed reminding that there is a great payday coming for those who continue to be faithful to the Lord and His Word.
Today, many believers are at a crossroads regarding losing their rewards because so many have stopped being faithful and have dropped out of church. It is easy to do this when you get your eyes on this world and forget what God has promised to the faithful, as well as what Christ has done for you.
Although the born-again believer will not face his or her sin at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the promised rewards will be based on the faithfulness of service and obedience. By grace, each believer is given an individualized course to follow and spiritual gifts to use in their place of service.
In the Bible, salvation is never given as a reward, but as a gift (Eph. 2:8,9). After salvation, believers need to be careful of how they serve because rich rewards are waiting for faithful service. The important thing to remember is that God sees the heart, and He understands the motivation of our service.
The Lord Jesus warned His disciples that it is possible to get to Heaven but have no rewards. In Matthew 6:1, Jesus said: “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.” The Apostle John also warns that it is possible to lose rewards. In II John 1:8, he said: “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.“ The phrase “look to yourselves” means to pay attention to ensure that you are living for the Lord and His will.
If you want to ensure a rich future in eternity, remember to keep your eyes on Christ as you serve. He is faithful to keep His promises and to keep you. Remember Paul’s words: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Cor. 15:58).