Reward

 

The Spirit of God has helped me see this truth a little more clearly, and this is what I would like to share. Sadly, self plays a vital role in this topic, yet when we strip away the layers, I will endeavour to unpack, I conclude that even God is about reward. But it is crucial that we understand the different energies at play. The fundamental difference between man and God’s motivations is mammoth. God is righteous and holy, and we are sinners, with similar drives yet polar-opposite intentions. Everything we do and have ever done in life is about our own self-gratification. It is part of our make-up, and it’s who we are as human beings. In fact, nothing that exists is without a similar intent. God also has a master plan that revolves around reward, but the beauty of His will is that it springs from a fountain of righteousness. A good tree will produce good fruit, whereas an inferior tree will only ever continue to produce spoilt fruit.

 

Mankind’s existence is motivated by self-indulgence, marred by sin. Our motivations, regardless of how pure we believe our intentions to be, will always end up on the wrong side of what is right. It may even take decades to reveal their true colours, but they will rear their heads and eventually be seen for what and who they are. Mankind seems doomed; however, praise be to God, who sent His Spirit into the world to arrest the hearts and minds of some individuals who have seen the truth for what it is and need to pass the baton onto those willing to listen. Without Him, it would be impossible! It’s God’s influence that brings about this change, not the will of an individual. Once God ignites this intent, it’s then the will of the individual that must daily determine to walk in the light. God first, and then we must learn to follow. That, in itself, is a choice.            

 

A reward or an honorary prize is only ever awarded once, unless an alternative is specified. Press photography awards were presented once a year. That was the way it was structured, with different awards given for different categories, but only once a year. Interestingly enough, a specific picture could never win an award the following year. It had reached its expiry date unless a new set of rules was introduced. Let’s say that in 1997 I won an award in the news category. That picture was excluded from the 1998 awards, a general principle easily understood. But if they called for the best picture of the nineties, this would then free up this image to be entered. You get the point…

 

Let’s face it, we all want to be recognised in our industries. However, the foremost call for the Christian now is a call to strive at all costs to please our heavenly Father, with many other instructions interwoven. Who has ever truly squirmed at a pat on the back? Pride is alive and well in all of us. And yet this very nature gets us into trouble with God; “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble”. It’s Satan and his allies who feed this in our lives. He structures all his traps around pride, with money as the overarching goal. Then default kicks in, and it is James who teaches us this truth about our hearts: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:13-14)

 

Why bring this up if it wasn’t something we needed to recognise in our lives? We love to play the blame game… It is time to sit up and confess where needed and to take responsibility for our own actions, and then the likelihood of being shown God’s light is far more likely to spring to life. The WORD OF GOD is for us and never against us, unless we choose to blatantly disregard it, then we are playing with fire, literally! How does a trap work? It is a device or contraption designed to ensnare an animal. However, in our case it is obscure to the naked eye and yet far more effective. Both are designed to achieve their objectives, a trick or arrangement designed to catch someone or something.

 

Once a trap is recognised for what it is, it will be avoided at all costs, or at least should be. I am forever thankful that God Almighty, the maker of the universe, chose to send His Spirit into the world and give us insight into such unseen mysteries. Born-again believers have been afforded this privilege. Having said that, our struggle lives on. Daily, we are called to put off our old natures and put on the mind of Christ. Paul teaches us how to do this in Ephesians chapter 6, with reference to putting on the armour of God. We must dress for battle. This is why I am a firm believer that one should make time in the mornings for the Lord. Your special time, an allocated stint with no other distractions, will arm your mind with the correct perspective for the day. Evenings are a good time to reflect on the day’s progress and hardships, and on how we handle the challenges. Does a soldier go into battle without his armour and then, just before bed, decide to dress up? We have also been instructed to live one day at a time. I believe it is for this exact reason. We must come to value the light of God as our ultimate treasure in every area of our lives. This is the objective; “not my will, Lord, but thine be done” an impossible exploit without the Spirit of God and putting on the “mind of Christ”, more of Him and less of us…

 

Our reward will not be fleeting; it will last into eternity. It’s God’s light that teaches us this lesson well and drives us towards this objective. It’s not as if the Christian will be sitting on a cloud strumming a harp for eternity; “if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us” (2 Timothy 2:12). This is truly the only goal worth fighting for, as the reward is eternal.

   

Signing off

 

Tyrone