When your life is done here on earth, what will be your eternal rewards? What exactly will the Lord reward you for? Just for making it to the finish line? For your own efforts that you did in response to the pastors that you listened to? For the ‘tithe’ you gave each week out of obedience to the ‘message’ the preacher brought? For the amount of Sundays you made it to service and sat quietly in the chair / pew? For all the things you did to be like the other “good” Christians?
Our eternal rewards will be about our work for God, empowered, inspired, and directed, by the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit). Rewards are conditional and dependent on our faithfulness. Notice rewards will not be given for things WE thought we should do. Rewards will be given for specific acts of faithfulness to God, as personally directed to you by the Holy Spirit.
God is watching. He is keeping track. Even down to the smallest act of obedience from the direction by the Spirit in giving just a cup of cold water to the one needing it. There is a permanent heavenly record being made on your life.
Have you noticed the ‘keys’ here in this topic? Obedience to HIS instructions to us PERSONALLY. Not just the Logos (complete Word of God), but the Rhema (Word spoken by Him directly to our hearts). His personal instructions for you to do something specific for Him at a certain moment. This can be almost anything, from prayers for others, to actions to help someone, to a word of encouragement, to the courage to stand up and speak the Word He is giving you to give to someone else. What’s the key? Being able to hear Him for yourself. To recognize His Voice within you. Then to begin to act on those things He is prompting you to do. Those first few steps can be hard to figure out. Was that His Voice or my own in my mind? Did I give out of obedience to His instruction, or by coercion, or guilt, or greed? Don’t ever think you’ll be rewarded for something that He didn’t specifically ask you to do.
What will be some of the rewards? A crown. A job ruling over certain things, lands, cities, nations, etc. To actually reign with Him if we endured. When I think about these rewards of rulership I wonder if I’ll actually be ready? These words of Jesus often comes to mind with thinking about these things…
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Luke 16:10-13
Are we obedient to Him now with all the things He has already given us? Or do we think all that we own is actually ours? You actually own it if you can take it with you when you die. Have I been obedient in the smallest of things He has asked me to do and steward for Him? Am I ready to rule over things and others as He would have me to do? Can I hear Him now as I try to navigate this life? Do you ask Him to help you? Do you already follow His leading?
Everything is being recorded in your life for the annuals of Heaven. What will the book about you contain?