REWARDS AND LOSSES THAT LAST FOREVER
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
As we approach the end of the year, bonuses are being determined and given to employees and sales people! Many evaluations are also taking place to determine the position (or lack of it) of people. People who gave their very best and did well will be delighted with the generous rewards they will receive (at least assuming that their employers are able and willing to give lavishly to those who did well). On the other hand, those who did not do well (that is, were irresponsible, disloyal, lazy, and the like) will suffer loss, and may even find themselves demoted.
When our lives on this earth are finished, you and I will face God in a judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Judgment means evaluation. Our entrance into heaven (the new heavens and earth) is based on whether we trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or not. It is by grace and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are saved from sin and the eternal separation from God that sin brings because of Jesus’ death for us on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. But though our entrance into heaven is by grace, our position in heaven is determined by our works. Our rewards in eternity are determined by the life choices we make on this earth.
Knowing that the way we live our lives on this earth determines the quality of our lives in eternity is a big motivational factor. For the rewards (and losses) will last not just for 10 or 20 years, but for billions and trillions of years. Anything whose consequences last that long deserves some serious attention. I want to be okay on this age, but I certainly want to be more okay in the age to come (eternity). In fact, I am willing to make sacrifices which last only for days or years on this earth, if I know that the benefits that I will enjoy as a result will last forever. I will be wise in doing that.
Are you living your life in a way that you will be richly rewarded in heaven? Are your actions, words, and attitudes the kind that will receive a positive evaluation by Jesus Christ when he comes to judge the living and the dead? Or are you living a disorderly or sinful life that, unless you change, you can only expect losses in eternity? Next to making sure that Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of your life, you do well to make sure that you are making life choices that make you rich in heaven. Do your very best to be found by God as faithful and fruitful. The Lord will help you. You can count on his power to enable you to live a life that gives assurance of a full reward in eternity!
God’s rich blessings on you and your family!
Lathur Badoy