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Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Matthew 6:1 (CSB): “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
As a child, I loved to be rewarded for something I did. It felt good to have someone affirm my efforts and give me something to commemorate what I had done.
But for some reason, I bought into the notion as a Christian that I needed to do the right thing simply because it was the right thing. Desiring a reward for what I did seemed to trivialize my actions. It made me feel a bit petty.
Yet, deep down, I still wanted to know that my acts of service, heroism, or obedience to the Lord were observed and applauded.
What was I to do with this desire to be applauded and rewarded? Was it wrong? Was it right?
Then, I came across a word that showed up repeatedly from Matthew 5:46-6:18. It was the word “reward.” It appeared 8 times in those few verses!
I came to realize that my desire for people’s applause should diminish. Sure, they can applaud my efforts, but I shouldn’t do it for their applause. If I do, all sorts of bad things are waiting to pounce. One is that I might be tempted to only do those things that others will see and applaud me for, and I won’t be as motivated to do good things when others aren’t watching and won’t know.
But seeking Heaven’s applause is quite another matter! In Matthew 5:46-6:18, Jesus encourages us to obey Him with the right attitude and motive. In doing so, we are laying up rewards and treasures in Heaven!
Read those verses again! Jesus encourages us with the notion of rewards! He certainly doesn’t think it is bad to do what we do because we desire God to reward us one day!
So don’t be afraid to serve the Lord and bless others when no one is watching and won’t find out! (And by all means, don’t post it on social media!) Realize that God is watching and will one day reward you. Let that be enough.
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you crave His applause more than the applause of people, if this is a problem for you.
- Ask God to enable you to serve Him and pursue holiness when no one is watching, knowing that He is watching and will reward you one day.
- Thank Him for this incredible blessing that can inject hope, excitement, and purpose into each of our moments.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into what the Bible has to say about rewards, consider reading the following GotQuestions articles:
“What are some Bible verses about rewards?”
“What is the purpose of there being rewards in heaven?”
Sharing
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)
Matt’s Musings 