Significance – Expect God’s Reward

Posted byEd LevyPosted in21 Things I Want to Tell My Sons, Blog Post, ChristianityTags:, , , , , ,

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

(Matthew 6:33)

To get the most out of life, you must live your life for something bigger than yourself. Every man needs a transcendent cause to live for. Expecting God’s reward is our transcendent cause. Expecting God’s reward means that we do not seek the rewards of the culture or society in which we live. Rather we choose to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. We work to earn eternal rewards, living for the kingdom of God rather than for the kingdom of this world. It is about living today for the day that we will stand before the Judgment Seat of God. On that day we will be judged by God for what we have done with our lives (1 Cor 3:10-15) and with the resources God has given us during our lives (Matt 25:14-30). It is not that we will be judged regarding salvation, for that has been accomplished in Christ. But we will be judged regarding rewards. And we must live each day with this end in mind.

The power to persevere lies in knowing this truth. By remembering that we will all stand before Him one day and give account for our lives, it can help us to endure tribulation, resist temptation and make godly choices. By living for eternal rewards rather than for personal or temporal rewards, you will guard yourself from the worries of this world and the deceitfulness of riches (Mark 4:18-19). You will avoid the love of money (1 Tim 6:10). Your life will be truly rewarding, and you will look back over your life when you get to the end and be pleased.

The book of Ecclesiastes lays out the futility of a life lived for the things of this world. Solomon had it all – he was the richest man to ever live; he had hundreds of wives and hundreds of concubines; he had all of the best toys of his day; and what was his conclusion? Vanity of vanities, all is vanity and striving after the wind (Eccl 1:2, 14). Jesus asked “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). It is better to work for the food which does not perish, to work for the rewards that last forever, that do not rust and cannot be stolen. I encourage you to live your life for God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, expecting God’s reward. Live for ‘The Day’.

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“Choose you this day whom you will serve…..but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua 24:15

Published by Ed Levy

Growing up Jewish, the extent of my knowledge about Jesus and Christianity was limited to what was on the rock album "Jesus Christ Superstar". Becoming born again in college, that changed. Jesus showed up, and my life has never been the same. I thank God every day for bringing me into His kingdom, and write these blogs to remember what He has shown me, and to share them with my four sons and others. I owe much to several pastors who have strongly influenced me over the years, including Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Robert Lewis, John Ortberg, John Eldredge, and most recently Tim Keller and David Levine. Many of my blogs are the 'aha' moments that I have had over the years from listening to their sermons and reading their books, and I owe them a great debt of gratitude. My prayer for you is that you will be blessed by these writings, that God will become more real to you, and that your relationship with Him will become more profound as you grow in His grace.

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