GOD OFFERS REWARDS

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matt. 5:11-12). "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets" (Luke 6:23).

Devotion 8 of 12

REWARDED AT HIS COMING

While there are benefits to be found in divine service now, they are not the fundamental advantages. Primary advantage has always been related to the initiative of God, not the enterprise of man. God promised that the bruising of the serpent's head would occur with the appearance of the Seed of the woman (Gen 3:15). The prophets further clarified this matter. They declared that God's people would be rewarded when the Lord came with a "strong hand"--a hand His enemies could not withstand. "Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him" (Isa. 40:10).

God challenged His people by focusing their attention on what was to come. Salvation was on its way, and the reward for righteousness would be brought with it. "Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him" (Isa. 62:11).

The Lord Jesus Christ further clarified this promise, identifying it with His glorious return. The time is coming when Jesus will return in all of His glory. He will no longer be hidden, no longer obscured, no longer unseen. This will be a magnificent burst of glory! He will come in the glory of His Father, as well as the glory of all the holy angels (Matt 16:27; Lk 9:26). That is a glory that cannot be concealed. This is the glory that will consume the heavens and the earth, which will not be able to abide His coming. From the viewpoint of the ungodly, "the nations shall not be able to abide His indignation" (Jer. 10:10). Considering the natural creation, "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them" (Rev. 20:11).

However, the destruction of the natural order is not all that will occur when Jesus descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God (1 Thess. 4:16). He will bring rewards for His people! "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works" (Matt. 16:27). For the wicked, this will be a curse, but for the righteous, it is unparalleled blessing! It is not possible to contemplate this reward without being inclined to labor for the Lord. It is a most powerful incentive.

Some of the last recorded words spoken by our Lord remind us of the reward to be given at His coming. "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (Rev. 22:12). Let these words be a strong incentive for you to engage in works worthy of divine reward!

PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank You for the promised return of the Lord Jesus. I praise Your name that His reward will be with Him, confirming it is not vain to serve You. In the name that very Christ, my Savior, I seek for grace to prepare myself for His return by persistent faith and consistent labor.

-- TOMORROW: GREAT REWARD --