There are generally 2 schools of thoughts, “degree of rewards” and “rewards of inheritance”. I am not going into all the theological argument or justification to show which school or which teaching I subscribed to or to persuade you to believe in a certain doctrine. However, it is hard to write this blog without “straying” a little and hope against odds that I don’t offend anyone who believed in either one of these teachings.
You can choose to believe what you believe, know what you know, check with your pastors, read up books or search the internet on articles and studies pertaining to rewards. My purpose is to challenge and lay down what I believe and when it comes to “rewards in heaven” and my premise is that I seek none and expect none and I will not work simply because I want a reward in heaven. I may sound very high standing and pompous but truth be told, as a man, I do desire rewards, I do desire that praise from men, financial rewards and acknowledgement for a job well done. Who don’t even if it is simply for self satisfaction? But with regards to rewards in heaven, my focus will come down to what we do for God and what we seek in return.
This is where the example of Josie comes into the picture.
Initially I was going to talk about all the rewards that Josie will get when she gets to heaven but then I thought about it over and over again and realized that Josie did what she did in the last couple of days not because she was expecting a reward from me or Nathan. She did what she did out of love for me and for Nathan and there was no expectation of rewards or compensation for the works done.
I would like to stress one very important point again. Josie did not expect any rewards from me or Nathan (except maybe a break just to rest her body when we got through this period).
It is on this same example that I say that I do not seek, expect nor will I work simply because I want a reward in heaven. It is sufficient enough in the knowledge that I do what I need to do because God is pleased with it and I do it out of love for him. Am I perfect in what I do? No. Am I perfect in who I am? No. Therefore, if I am not perfect in who I am or what I do, what grounds do I have to seek and justify for my rewards. The ultimate reward had already been given in Salvation, the gift that God has given as an act of Grace through faith in Him.
The question I had asked myself before I started with this blog entry was why did I sought for rewards if I keep telling myself that I do whatever I do for God out of love and trust in Him and bam… it was like a lightning bolt striking my head and I spent the entire morning (except for the one hour when I had a walk with Nathan) thinking and trolling the internet for articles about it. This is how I got to know about the 2 schools of thoughts on “rewards in heaven”. I thought further and realized that it was my premise all along but it had probably been pushed to the back of the mind or it had became a non-issue as far as I am concerned and thus was never really bothered by it.
Here, I will go slightly into the realm of political incorrectness by asking the following questions:
If you tithe because you loved God, is it important to you and expectant of God to return to you what you had tithes and in many folds?
If you served God in whatever capacity within the church environment because you loved God, Is it important to you and expectant from God His blessings as a direct result of your works?
If you obey the “laws” because you loved God, is it important for you to expect rewards for your obedience?
There are many more questions of similar nature that I could ask but the last question I have is whether loving God and obeying Him is more important than seeking His rewards and storing up treasures in heaven?
If you loved God and obey Him, will you not do whatever that pleases Him regardless of rewards?
If God do not reward me for my “works” so be it because He is sovereign and His will is what I seek. If God choose to reward me for my “works”, I thank Him for His bounty that he bestowed on me. Sufficient for me is the knowledge that He loved me and died for me and gave me eternal life.
There is no further reward I seek from Him for he had already given me the best reward there is, His Son.
He came, He died and He rose again and In Him We Trust.
As a footnote, I will reward Josie for her sacrifices.
As a 2nd footnote, if you are curious as to which school of thoughts I subscribed to, not in its entirety but the majority of it, read the article in this link (all 26 pages of it): http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/bible/rewards.html
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