Rewards
Revelation 22:12 "Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.
Do I really believe that I am made for eternity? What I choose reflects what I really believe. I have heard it said that if you want to know what you really believe, look at your calendar and your checkbook, they don't lie!
Thankfully, the truth is not quite so black and white. The human heart is so complex. I DO believe that I am eternal, but I often don't make choices for eternity. The truth is, I am immature in my thinking and understanding of what my Father knows and sees. Thankfully, God knew this about the billions of hearts He made to know Him, and, like any good parent, He gives us direction and tools to grow up, to mature to His world view. Isn't that the job of a father? To lead the immature ones that they love, so that they see the world in a way that is accurate, and teach them to make choices that will help them for the rest of their lives?! God calls Himself a good Father! Just like I use rewards to lead my sons closer to my world view, so does God!
God really wants to reward us. He loves to give good things to us. This is why Paul said to set our eyes on where we will live forever:
Colossians 3:1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
Jesus connected our hearts to our treasure, or what we were saving to enjoy later:
Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus' statement in Matthew 6:19 is the most practical financial advice you could ever receive. Jesus is saying that you should store up provision for the time where you will enjoy it most! If you REALLY believe you will live for eternity, living for billions and billions of years in a place where you can make deposits right now, this is the only retirement plan that makes any sense!
Many americans work for 30 Or 40 years, saving and toiling...even making choices to sacrifice immediate comfort, or choosing to not help those around them...so they can be comfortable in retirement, which, if they are really healthy, may last another 30 years. We call that responsible, and it is, IF your long range view is limited to this earth and this dying body. But the truth is, Jesus would call this very irresponsible!
Because He see's more, God's view of the future is much more accurate. Jesus said the wise thing to do is to agree with God about how long you will live, and who really provides for you. Agreeing with God is more important than agreeing with worldly wisdom.
You will live forever, but the choices you make in 70 or 80 years on earth will actually affect your quality of life with Him in heaven forever!
Jesus taught that heaven is a place where men and women are rewarded based on the truth of how they loved God while on earth. Heaven is not a communist utopia where everyone gets the same white t-shirt, floats around on the same cloud, singing the same songs al day.
Jesus said heaven is coming to earth. Jesus is going to combine everything wonderful about the physical Garden of Eden, earth in its original form, with everything amazing in the supernatural spiritual realm. Jesus taught that there would be different levels of glory and physical closeness to Him, based on our choices here. What we choose in this short amount of time we live on a fallen earth "believing without seeing" will affect our lives forever. Right now the exchange rate between heavenly wealth and earthly wealth is really good!
Jesus taught more on the rewards in heaven than anyone else. He said we would actually be rewarded with heavenly "treasure" based on what we did with earthly treasure. Your treasure is your money, your time, your possessions, your talents, and your heart. What you are willing to pour everything out on will make all the difference in the world for your eternal experience.
Heaven will be wonderful for everyone there, but it won't be the SAME for everyone there. That is an important distinction to make. You will live there forever, and Jesus said, at some point you will really care about the rewards He has promised to you there based on your response to Him here.
Treasure in heaven is not symbolic, it is real. Jesus taught about rewards in heaven over 30 times in the Bible. In Revelation 2 and 3, over 20 rewards are listed for the believers who overcome the world's ways in the last days. Jesus' rewards relate to how close you will be to God's throne in heaven, what you will wear, how brightly you will reflect God's glory in heaven, how much revelation you will have of Jesus ...the list goes on and on. For those who pour out everything at His feet now, they will be called "great" in heaven. Those who give Him the leftovers of their time, money, and heart here will be called "least" in heaven. The measure you use to give is the measure in which you will receive.
Paul said that to get your vision in the right place, you should set your mind on the things above. He said "think about heaven, because you will live there forever." Extending my vision beyond the horizon of my short natural life will help the decisions I make for eternity make sense!
Matthew 6:1 "Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.
6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Matthew 10:42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded."
Do I really believe that I am made for eternity? What I choose reflects what I really believe. I have heard it said that if you want to know what you really believe, look at your calendar and your checkbook, they don't lie!
Thankfully, the truth is not quite so black and white. The human heart is so complex. I DO believe that I am eternal, but I often don't make choices for eternity. The truth is, I am immature in my thinking and understanding of what my Father knows and sees. Thankfully, God knew this about the billions of hearts He made to know Him, and, like any good parent, He gives us direction and tools to grow up, to mature to His world view. Isn't that the job of a father? To lead the immature ones that they love, so that they see the world in a way that is accurate, and teach them to make choices that will help them for the rest of their lives?! God calls Himself a good Father! Just like I use rewards to lead my sons closer to my world view, so does God!
God really wants to reward us. He loves to give good things to us. This is why Paul said to set our eyes on where we will live forever:
Colossians 3:1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
Jesus connected our hearts to our treasure, or what we were saving to enjoy later:
Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus' statement in Matthew 6:19 is the most practical financial advice you could ever receive. Jesus is saying that you should store up provision for the time where you will enjoy it most! If you REALLY believe you will live for eternity, living for billions and billions of years in a place where you can make deposits right now, this is the only retirement plan that makes any sense!
Many americans work for 30 Or 40 years, saving and toiling...even making choices to sacrifice immediate comfort, or choosing to not help those around them...so they can be comfortable in retirement, which, if they are really healthy, may last another 30 years. We call that responsible, and it is, IF your long range view is limited to this earth and this dying body. But the truth is, Jesus would call this very irresponsible!
Because He see's more, God's view of the future is much more accurate. Jesus said the wise thing to do is to agree with God about how long you will live, and who really provides for you. Agreeing with God is more important than agreeing with worldly wisdom.
You will live forever, but the choices you make in 70 or 80 years on earth will actually affect your quality of life with Him in heaven forever!
Jesus taught that heaven is a place where men and women are rewarded based on the truth of how they loved God while on earth. Heaven is not a communist utopia where everyone gets the same white t-shirt, floats around on the same cloud, singing the same songs al day.
Jesus said heaven is coming to earth. Jesus is going to combine everything wonderful about the physical Garden of Eden, earth in its original form, with everything amazing in the supernatural spiritual realm. Jesus taught that there would be different levels of glory and physical closeness to Him, based on our choices here. What we choose in this short amount of time we live on a fallen earth "believing without seeing" will affect our lives forever. Right now the exchange rate between heavenly wealth and earthly wealth is really good!
Jesus taught more on the rewards in heaven than anyone else. He said we would actually be rewarded with heavenly "treasure" based on what we did with earthly treasure. Your treasure is your money, your time, your possessions, your talents, and your heart. What you are willing to pour everything out on will make all the difference in the world for your eternal experience.
Heaven will be wonderful for everyone there, but it won't be the SAME for everyone there. That is an important distinction to make. You will live there forever, and Jesus said, at some point you will really care about the rewards He has promised to you there based on your response to Him here.
Treasure in heaven is not symbolic, it is real. Jesus taught about rewards in heaven over 30 times in the Bible. In Revelation 2 and 3, over 20 rewards are listed for the believers who overcome the world's ways in the last days. Jesus' rewards relate to how close you will be to God's throne in heaven, what you will wear, how brightly you will reflect God's glory in heaven, how much revelation you will have of Jesus ...the list goes on and on. For those who pour out everything at His feet now, they will be called "great" in heaven. Those who give Him the leftovers of their time, money, and heart here will be called "least" in heaven. The measure you use to give is the measure in which you will receive.
Paul said that to get your vision in the right place, you should set your mind on the things above. He said "think about heaven, because you will live there forever." Extending my vision beyond the horizon of my short natural life will help the decisions I make for eternity make sense!
Matthew 6:1 "Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.
6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Matthew 10:42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded."
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