Rewards – The Result For Those Who Diligently Seek Him
Rewards are a good thing. Rewards are a positive thing. Nowhere in the bible or in life, in general, could the word “reward” be used and those who hear that word equate it with something negative. If that’s the case, then why are so many Christians not experiencing rewards or good things in life?
[pullquote]Diligently seeking God will always end in rewards of some kind. Even the celebrated life of Job ended with Job receiving more from God than he started out with.[/pullquote]
If we took a poll of the average church congregation I would venture to say that more bad things are happening in the lives of Christians than good things. Oh sure you will hear a random testimony here and there or a praise report now and then but by and large the lives of those within the Body of Christ don’t seem to be running over with rewards. We attend church religiously every Sunday. We volunteer our time. We are “nice” to one another. Yet, there seems to be a shortage of rewards showing up in the Body of Christ.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Rewards are the Result of an Action
I drive my car in order to get from point A to point B. As a result of driving my car, my tires wear. No one who drives a car has said, “I drive my car in order to wear my tires down to numbs. However, you cannot drive a car without wearing down the tires.
So it is with rewards. You cannot diligently seek God without incurring some rewards….here, in this life. We don’t serve God for rewards. However, rewards come as a result of diligently seeking God.
Having Faith to Recieve Your Rewards
Hebrews 11:6 is a coin that has two sides. One side of Hebrews 11:6 requires that those of us who come to God believe that He exists. Do you believe that God exists? That sounds like a pretty lame question to ask a Christian right? It’s possible to intellectually accept that the Word of God is true and that God exists by admiring His Word and agreeing with what it says while not allowing it to have an impact on your life.
Jesus addresses this topic of “mental assent” (to verbally agree to something without allowing what you say you believe to affect your heart to the point of acting on what you say you believe) in the parable of the Wise and Foolish builders. Luke 6:46, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
It’s clearly another thing to accept God’s Word and embrace it as something you tailor your life around. I believe in the basic speed laws. I have more than embraced the basic speed laws as a concept that exists out there somewhere. I believe that these laws exist so strongly that I make every attempt to obey them by controlling how fast I drive. Those who believe that the basic speed law exists (belief to the extent that they obey the speed laws) don’t get speeding tickets. Belief without compliance cannot exist. Belief with compliance (to the point of acting on what you believe) yields results.
So we’ve established that believing that God exists equates to doing what He says. Now let’s look at the other side of the coin. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. When I use the word, “reward” I’m not saying that the recipient of God’s rewards are people who walk around with no financial problems, no health problems, no family problems, no issues on the job, and no conflict in their lives at all. I believe rewards are given to those who diligently seek God AS THEY GO THROUGH life’s challenges. Holding fast to God and His Word and refusing to be moved by the issues of life will yield rewards when the challenges of life are overcome through faith. Rewards are given at the end of the race, not at the beginning.
Diligently seeking God will always end in rewards of some kind. Most Christians don’t ever see their rewards because we give up, cave in and quit before ever reaching the finish line. Even the celebrated life of Job ended with Job receiving more from God than he started out with. With all the calamity that took place in Job’s life, Job said in Job 13:15, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him”. If that’s not seeking God, I don’t know what is. Job had unshakable faith and trust in God. And as a result of his diligence, we see the reward he received.
If you’re experiencing a rough patch in your life right now I encourage you to remain diligent. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. The diligent seeking of the Lord will always be rewarded. You have His Word on it!
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