Suppose that gold,
silver, and bronze medals would no longer be awarded at the Olympics. How would that
affect the contestants? Some athletes would refuse to participate. Others wouldn’t
train nearly as hard. Envisioning winning a gold medal is what motivates
athletes to get through extremely grueling training. Some athletes train for
hours every day for four years to run a 10-second race!
The
Scriptures reveal that God will reward His faithful followers with something
much greater than a gold medal. These eternal rewards are designed to
motivate us to live correctly during our short stay on earth. They will not be given to every believer, but
only to His children who have cheerfully sacrificed and served Him.
You only have a
window of time to win them. Rewards can only be earned after you are saved—in the
time-space between the moment of salvation and the day you die. I believe receiving
these rewards will be thousands of times more exciting than winning an
Olympic gold medal, and they will have something to do with our eternal
assignments, which will be like special privileges. It’s hard for us to grasp,
but winning a heavenly reward will
actually improve your eternal experience!
God
could have kept the truth about eternal rewards a big secret that would be
revealed after we die. Instead, He told us about them to motive us to live for the next
world. I’ve heard some Christians say, “I don’t care anything about rewards
in heaven. Going to heaven is good enough.” Although that sounds humble, that
statement is an insult to God and rejects
everything He has revealed about rewards. Consider a few verses:
- “Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great” (Matt. 5:12)
- “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matt. 5:20).
- “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great” (Luke 6:35)
- “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever” (1 Cor. 9:24-25 NIV).
Always
keep in mind that the Lord is watching your attitude, giving, and service to
determine your position and assignments in the next life. We need to be more motivated
to win these heavenly rewards than an athlete is to win an Olympic gold medal!
For
more info on eternal rewards, read The
Judgment Seat of Christ and Rewards
in Heaven.
Follow
me on Twitter @KentCrockett
What is
Making Life Count Ministries? (3 min. video)
***********************
Slaying
Your Giants is filled
with interesting stories, humor, and practical advice about how to conquer 20
giants (fear, depression, discontentment, self-image, anger, and more)
The Sure Cure for Worry contains amazing true stories and helps the reader see God
is in control.
