If you’ve ever dealt with a kid who didn’t want to take a bath or go to bed, you may have reached the point of bargaining. Sometimes, you might get so exhausted that you resort to making an offer. You might say things like “if you’ll stay in bed tonight, we’ll go buy a treat tomorrow.” Of course, this isn’t a good way to handle the situation, but there are times when it’s a tempting solution.
What does God promise if we obey Him? Does he ever deal with us like an overwhelmed parent at bedtime? The answer is no. God does promise us some rewards if we obey Him. However, God doesn’t use rewards because He is desperate or wants to manipulate us. Rather, God is a loving Father who loves to give good gifts to His children.
Different churches in Galesburg, IL have different perspectives on how God rewards obedience. But we don’t have to guess– the Bible has a lot to say about obedience to God and its results. Although God does reward obedience, there are some complexities to understand about God’s use of rewards. Let’s take a look at a few passages that shed light on this issue.
Principle 1: Rewards Aren’t Always Direct Or Immediate
It might sound appealing to serve a God who immediately rewards good behavior. What if every time you gave money to your church, you got a check in the mail? Or, what if every time you got victory over bitterness towards another person, they called you to apologize for wronging you? You might be more motivated to do the things God asks us to do. However, it would be much harder to have a trusting relationship with God, driven by faith and love. Instead, God would function like a vending machine in your life, giving you what you want every time you pressed the right buttons. God seeks a deeper relationship than that with His followers.
God promises heavenly rewards for living a life of obedience. In Matthew 5:10-12, Jesus discusses following God, even when you are persecuted for it. He says that people who endure persecution will get great rewards in heaven. That doesn’t mean they will be immediately delivered from the persecution. However, God will later reward their faith.
Principle 2: God Cares More About Your Heart Than Your Accomplishments
Several of Jesus’ parables emphasize this important concept. When you obey God, your reward is based on the condition of your heart, not on the outcome of your obedience. In Luke 21:1-4, Jesus tells the story of a widow who gives a tiny coin to the temple treasury. From a human perspective, her gift was very small, and many other people gave a lot more. However, Jesus explains that from His perspective, she gave more than anyone else. Since she gave all that she had, her gift had more spiritual value than others’ gifts.
The principle here is that God cares more about your heart and motivation than about the outcome of your obedience. In a sense, this takes a tremendous burden off of believers. Instead of worrying about whether our obedience has the right outcome, we can focus on whether our obedience is motivated by love for God and whether it represents our best effort.
For example, if you’ve been sharing the gospel with your coworkers for a while, you might feel disappointed that they haven’t accepted Jesus yet. If you believe that God is judging the outcome of your efforts, then you might feel like you just haven’t done enough. However, knowing that God sees your heart of obedience, you can have peace about the situation.
Of course, reflection is always a good idea too. Are your coworkers seeing hypocrisy in your life? Are you taking time to develop personal connections with them and get to know their interests? There might be a way you could improve your interactions or approach, to increase the likelihood of your witnessing success. However, sometimes, despite your best efforts, your obedience won’t have the outcome you’d hope for. God stills sees it!
Principle 3: God Expects Obedience From All Believers
One important principle to keep in mind is that obedience isn’t optional for Christians. It isn’t just something we can do to earn “extra” rewards in heaven or blessings on earth. Instead, it’s a key part of what it means to be a Christian.
The principle of obedience begins in the Old Testament. Disobedience resulted in Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden of Eden. God demands obedience in memorable ways from leaders such as Abraham, Moses and David. In dealing with the nation of Israel, God promises His people that their obedience will bring blessing, while their disobedience will bring terrible consequences. He also follows through, over and over again, by blessing them for obedience and punishing them for sin.
However, obedience is still a fundamental part of what it means to love and serve God. In John 14, Jesus says that people who love Him will keep His commandments. The reverse is also true: people who don’t keep Jesus’ commandments, don’t love Jesus. This doesn’t mean that any person can be sinlessly perfect. However, a life characterized by disobedience is not a life that demonstrates God’s presence.
Going To Church: One Important Way To Obey God
How can you obey God in your daily life? The Ten Commandments are an important place to start. Are you honoring your parents? Being honest with your time and money management? Staying truthful in your speech? However, Jesus and the New Testament writers describe many other ways to obey God, too. One of these is going to church regularly. Hebrews 10:25 tells believers not to stop gathering together. We should keep meeting regularly as believers to build each other up and encourage each other’s faith.
Are you looking for a good place to gather with other Christians in the Galesburg, IL area? There are many churches in Galesburg, but at Harmony Baptist Church, we value biblical teaching and warm Christian fellowship–without the extra, manmade rules. Want to join us this Sunday? Check out our Contact page today!
