Skip to main content

Thursday... We live for our rewards.


Thursday... We live for our rewards. And we want them now.

But that's not always how it works. We get up everyday and work hard and want and expect someone to reward us with a compliment, a well done, or even a raise. And we feel hurt when we didn't get it. But if we were rewarded all the time then we would expect it as normal. But that may not be the way it happens. There may be a greater reward in the waiting, not in the expecting. 

Jesus in Luke 14:12 (NLT) says, "When you put on a luncheon or a banquet... don't invite your friends, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back and that will be your only reward." And you might say but that would be a good thing. I like to be appreciated and get something in return. We want instant gratification. And we'll do anything to get it.

But He goes on. In verses 13-14 He says, "Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you."

We have wanted our reward, right now for living in the midst of this pandemic and now through these economic troubling times. We want to be rewarded right now. We don't like living through the hard stuff. 

We really are so spoiled. We want our rewards right now. But maybe God has something greater for us if we do what He wants us to do and we are patient about getting our reward.

Jesus came to this earth and lived a very difficult life and He was patient because He knew there was a great reward for what He was going through. He would heal someone and then say, "Don't tell anyone." He knew there was a greater reward than the accolaids of the crowd. He put His total trust in His Father. He lived His life for His Father. 

The writer of Psalm 26 says in verse 7 (NIRV), "I shout my praise to you. I tell all about the wonderful things you have done." And verse 12, "My feet stand on level ground, In the whole community I will praise the Lord." That is why we are here. We are to praise Him, to give Him glory and to make Him look good even in the hard times. And we will in due time be rewarded. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thursday... Maybe we need this word today.

Psalm 57:1b (NIRV), "There I will stay until the danger is gone." Thursday... Maybe we need this word today. There are words in life that give us confidence no matter what we are facing. Now we have to believe them in order for them to have an impact. David wrote Psalm 57 while he was in a cave hiding from Saul who wanted to kill him and he says in the last part of verse 1, "There I will stay." It was a safe place and Saul didn't know that he was there. But he doesn't stop there. With confidence he said, "There I will stay until." And until is definitely a word of faith and confidence. "There I will stay until the danger is gone." Do we need that today? Let me give you the whole verse. In verse 1 David says, "Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me." And that is a great place to start in times of trouble. Maybe that is what we need to pray today, "Have mercy on me, God. Have mercy on me." It is so great to have someone...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tuesday... We just have trouble listening.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Tuesday... We just have trouble listening. Over in Jeremiah 25:4 (NLT) it says, "Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention." And Jeremiah went on to tell what was going to happen. There will be consequences if we do not listen to what God says through his Word. Now the Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians was having a problem with some professed Christ followers who were having trouble at listening. And we too can have problems at listening. We can think that being a Christ follower means we do a lot of finger pointing and we give up on people who don't do what we say. We can even do that in our families. But Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In verse ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Friday... It is so exciting but wait a minute.

Proverbs 19:2 (NLT), "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes." Friday... It is so exciting but wait a minute. This time of the year is so exciting. We get our paycheck from work and then we head to the store or Amazon and buy and buy and buy all those presents and then our check is gone Proverbs 19:2 (NLT) says, "Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes." But buying gifts can be so much fun and seeing how happy they are when opening those presents makes us feel so good. But then verse 3 says, "People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then they are angry at the Lord." Now for some that is their life. They get money and they spend it on their wants with no thought of what needs to be paid. An important lesson that we have learned is just because you have money in the bank doesn't mean you must spend it. But our enthusiasm takes over. But the problem is when it is gone and there is no money to pay th...
Post a Comment
Read more