God Is Our Rewarder
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August 23, 2015 |
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 "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
After we achieve our goal, we may feel satisfied and joyful. Moreover, we may gain wealth, fame, and authority. We have hope for Heaven and run to achieve the goal. Those who believe that God will reward them according to their works may naturally work harder for the Lord. Then, what does it mean to believe God is our rewarder?
1. We believe the Word of God and His promises in the Bible
God led the Israelites out of Egypt in order to lead them to Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey.
At that time Moses, the leader of the Exodus, dispatched twelve spies to scout the land of Canaan. It was indeed the land flowing with milk and honey as God had said. A single cluster of grapes produced on the land was so big that it was carried on a pole between two men.
At this time, ten of the spies, excluding Joshua and Caleb, were afraid of the inhabitants who looked strong. They failed to believe God's promise and made negative remarks before the Israelites. After hearing from them, the Israelites also lost faith in God's Word telling them that He would lead them to Canaan. They lost their hope for the blessed life in Canaan. Then they started to grumble against God and Moses. God had protected the Israelites with pillars of cloud and fire, let them drink water from the rock when they were thirsty, and fed them with manna and quail when they were hungry. However, even then they did not have faith in God.
But Joshua and Caleb were different from the others. In Numbers 14:7-8 it is recorded that they told the Israelites, "The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us a land which flows with milk and honey." They completely believed God who had promised to lead them out of Egypt into the land of Canaan. They also believed His promise for blessed lives in the land flowing with milk and honey.
God was very pleased with the profession of faith that Joshua and Caleb made and blessed them to enter Canaan. We also should see the Word of God with eyes of faith. Then we can please God and receive blessings from Him.
2. We believe that God will give us the beautiful Heaven and reward us
Hebrews 12:2 says, "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Jesus is the Son of God. He was with God before eternity and was with Him when He created all things. However, Jesus was whipped by creatures and took all kinds of sufferings. He was then crucified. It was a truly difficult and tough way that He took.
Jesus believed that many people would be saved through the way of salvation He made. He believed that God would rejoice with it. He also believed that He would have great joy with God forever after He completed His duty as the Savior. That is why He took no concern about all regardless of the shame.
Moses the leader of Exodus was a son of a princess of Egypt. He had wealth and power. But Hebrews 11:25-26 states, "[Moses]…choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward."
This is faith. Looking to the reward itself is the proof that shows faith in God. By looking to the reward, we can act in faith all the more with hope for Heaven. Thus, we should believe God who is a Rewarder as Revelation 22:12 says, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done."
3. How to completely believe God as our Rewarder
1) We should circumcise our hearts by God's Word and achieve sincere hearts
A sincere heart refers to the truthful heart void of falsehood, the good heart without evil, and the sanctified heart that resembles the Lord's heart. It is the heart of spirit. Only when people have sincere hearts can they profess true faith, and it results in righteousness that can be recognized as righteousness by God and leads to salvation (Romans 10:10).
To the extent that you love the world or the things in the world, you cannot achieve the true heart. Without such a heart you cannot sacrifice yourselves perfectly. To bear truly beautiful fruit, you should achieve sincere hearts. Only then will you not sway and lose heart. You can go out winning until the end.
Matthew 13:44-46 says, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."
As said, if you want to enter New Jerusalem and gain the rewards prepared for you, you must first be able to 'sell all that you have'. That is, we must cast away the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life of this world and prepare a sincere heart. Then we can possess perfect faith in God the Rewarder.
God wants His children to see Heaven with hope. He wants us to act with faith that God will repay us according to what we have done on the earth. So, God is pleased with people who do not lose faith in any kind of situation. He answers their prayers and He guides them to the way of blessing.
2) We should pray fervently and arm ourselves with the Word
In the Bible are many verses where God promises rewards for us (Psalm 18:20; Luke 6:35).
God promises to give blessings to anyone if they live according to His Word. But we sometimes meet with persecutions when we try to live in a godly manner in the Lord. In this case, we must pray fervently and arm ourselves with the Word in order that we may not lose faith that God gives the best things to us all the time.
Then strength to overcome every trial comes down from above and we can receive the Holy Spirit's works. If you realize the spiritual reason of the trial and always give thanks with joy, it is light itself and darkness cannot but go away. We can bear up suffering, we don't feel disheartened in persecutions, and we can rejoice because the reward prepared for us in Heaven is great.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, God promises to reward us as He promised the blessed land to the Israelites. Only when we believe the living God is our Rewarder can we receive the blessings. I urge you to believe the Word of God and run earnestly although faced with difficulties in reality. I pray in the name of the Lord that by doing so you will glorify God everywhere you go.
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