Sunday, March 30, 2008

Anyway, just thinking...


I've been thinking lately about our rewards... or should I say meditating on the idea of rewards... or maybe God has been talking to me about rewards.

Anyway, in the First Book of Samuel David said, The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness,(1Sa 26:23)He said this right after he DIDN'T kill Saul, even though he could have.

Then in Hebrews it says that without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Heb 11:6)

Just based on these two scriptures it seems that our rewards are tied directly to us responding to God and not much else.

There are things that I want... not selfish things... kingdom things. There are things that I would consider to be great rewards, things outside of myself but I am thinking that it is predicated on these scriptures and on what Jesus says in the Book of Matthew... seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Mat 6:33)

So now comes the real questions, the real focus of my meditations... do I believe he rewards those who seek him, am I seeking him, am I being faithful, am I being righteous, am I drawing near to God, am I wanting Him more than the reward?

I guess if I am focusing on the reward than I would be focusing on the wrong thing. These scriptures seem to say that our focus needs to be on the rewarder not the reward and that the reward is simply the natural outflowing of a Good Father loving on his child. Again, it comes back to intimacy with Father, always, it returns to this.

I like these versus out of Matthew again where Jesus makes it clear the Father's heart toward his children... Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Mat 7:7-11)

Here again though it talks of relationship. A father to his child. Not a stranger to another. If God is a stranger to us... yikes! I guess there are bigger problems than a reward.

So the ending thought is this... maybe the true reward is having an intimate relationship with our Father in Heaven. Maybe He is the only reward we need.

Anyway, just thinking...

3 comments:

Joy said...

Great thoughts, Joe. And some good questions. Lots to think about here. Thanks for meandering.
love ya
J

Jamison said...

Umm, yeah. Lots to think about. See ya Monday. DJ

Shelden said...

Don't bother reading this. It's the same thing as everybody else said.


-Shelden