The Scriptures on Finances - Work for your reward in Heaven

This week, we will again look at material from the book “Managing God’s Money” by Randy Alcorn.

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

God has a good plan for each of us. The plan is that we may prosper and not perish. As we think about His plan we need to remember the doctrine of eternal rewards, as this is important if we are to be faithful stewards. Each one of us will be repaid as our actions deserve. We will either gain or lose eternal rewards when we give an account of our lives to the Lord for the deeds done while on earth.

Our works are what we do with our time, energy, talents, money, and possessions. God’s holy fire will reveal the quality of our works. If we have served faithfully the judgment seat will mainly be a time of commendation and celebration. Hebrews 6:10 states that God “will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers as you still do.” God will reward us for acts of love that perhaps no one else even noticed.

The separation between sheep and goats comes down to what people do with the resources God has entrusted to them. God will reward the works we do in response to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Moses was one who looked ahead to a reward. Hebrews 11:26 states, “He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward.” We should be looking to get a crown that will last forever.

The truth is that sometimes we do get discouraged. Galatians 6:9-10 instructs, “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone-especially to those in the family of faith”.

We should do more than just the minimum. Luke 17:10 proclaims, “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’’’ It would help us to remember the incentives that some managers use to encourage employees. Rewards are God’s idea. We need to do our duty with the right heart attitude but also with the expectation that God sees everything and will reward us eventually.

Learning how to do the hard things is important if we want to be rewarded. Luke tells us to love our enemies and to do good to them. We are to lend to them without expecting to be repaid. When we behave in this manner then our reward from heaven will be very great and we will be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. When we give a luncheon or dinner we are to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward us for inviting those who could not repay us.

I heard a story of grace years ago that has always stuck with me. A bride was jilted by her fiancée right before her wedding. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she invited the city’s homeless to a wonderful feast and an exciting evening of entertainment. What the enemy had meant for evil God turned for good.

But for the grace of God you and I do not have a home in heaven. We need to be thankful for our salvation and then ask the Holy Spirit to show us how to accumulate the most rewards and crowns that we can while on this earth. We will all hopefully cast our crowns at the feet of Jesus. We will enjoy our rewards and treasures for eternity. May we all one day hear “Well done” from our Father in heaven.

May God bless you big.

——

This is the 24th column in a series by Kevin Barsotti, pastor at Ark Church in Havre, about financial matters and their treatment in the Christian faith.