Rewards!

His master replied, “Well done thy good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:23

These days we are constantly receiving offers from different sources to collect rewards for being a part of their program. Businesses such as hotels, airlines, cable companies, restaurants, coffee houses, and many others offer enticing paybacks if we join their reward program.

The not so new, but extremely effective “gimmick” to draw more customers to a respective establishment has been around for a while now. These programs are designed to engage customers and ultimately generate loyalty among them. Some places give you a card that you present every time you purchase something, but the new method is to download the respective establishment’s app on your phone and your purchase is recorded for instant rewards. The rewards can then be exchanged or redeemed for something of our choosing,

That system has been working well for me until recently when one of my favorite places decided to upgrade and “improve” their app. I have no problem with that, but I do have an issue when all the rewards I had accumulated suddenly disappeared! None of my points transfered to this new app. Totally unbelieveable! How dare they take all my hard earned rewards away!

My reaction to losing my rewards is really absurd because in reality, I didn’t do anything to deserve them other than frequent the establishment, pay for my orders, and enjoy using the points I acquired. I have no reason at all to expect a reward!

A reward is defined as something given in recognition of one’s service, effort, or achievement. A synonyn for a reward is a prize or payment such as a bonus. If we are honest, we all look forward to rewards. It can be different for everyone, but basically we all appreciate it when it comes. Perhaps it’s a pay check for a job well done, a bonus, a kind word of appreciation, but no matter what it is, we all love the rewards.

Recently, I began chatting with a lady who comes to the pool area and sits “exactly” ten minutes in the hot tub to ease those sore muslces. During our conversation she said, completely honestly, “This is my reward for riding the bike for twenty minutes!” If we can use this kind of mindset as an incentive for something we need to accomplish, then we might consider we’ve earned it!

God also has a reward program, but His program is a little different. According to the Bible, God rewards believers for their faith and obedience through eternal rewards in heaven. These rewards are a way to encourage Christians to serve Christ and encourage them to put His will before their own. There is no need to announce your good deeds in public as the hypocrites do in order to be recognized by them, but the reward for service will come from God.

So, how do we go about earning God’s rewards? There are many ways, but I have some that stand out to me. First, God rewards our faithfulness. God is faithful to make a way even when there seems to be no way. Each step of faith we take brings us one step closer to the blessings and rewards God has in mind for us.

Next, God rewards our love for Him and our fellow man. In our world today, the word love means different things to different people. What causes us to stand out is that we, as Christians, don’t just say the words, but we show our love through our actions. God rewards those who have overcome differences and are able to truly love one another.

Finally, God rewards compassion. Compassion is one thing that Jesus exhibited, not because people deserved it, but because they needed it. He promised that we will be blessed in this life and rewarded in the life to come.

We follow God’s will not for the rewards here, but because He has given us great and precious promises of rewards in the life to come. God gives rewards to us in ways that we might never know until he reveals them.

“Lord, I am thankful that You reward us when we are faithful to fulfill the assignments You’ve given us to do.”