Want Some Reward?

Godly Rewards

Malachi 3: 13 God says, “You have spoken hard, rude words to me.
“You ask, ‘When did we ever do that?’ 14 “When you said, ‘It doesn’t pay to serve God. What do we ever get out of it? When we did what he said and went around with long faces, serious about God-of-the-Angel-Armies, what difference did it make? 15 Those who take life into their own hands are the lucky ones. They break all the rules and get ahead anyway. They push God to the limit and get by with it.’” 16 Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over. God saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in God’s presence and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honored God’s name. 17 God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, “They’re mine, all mine. They’ll get special treatment when I go into action. I treat them with the same consideration and kindness that parents give the child who honors them. (Message)

Does it pay to serve Christ?
What is my reaction when I do gain anything (seemingly) from serving Christ?

Malachi 3:14-15 BACKGROUND: Israel was still under Persian rule, they were economically poor, and were still awaiting a Savior.
Often we are so consumed with our tangible needs that we forget that God is convicting sin in our life that has replaced our first affection for Christ.

There are two types of delay for reward in our lives, sometimes its short (in this life) and sometimes we won’t see the reward until the next life.

Have you ever felt that serving God had little reward and the ungodly seemed actually to be more blessed than you?

This is what the people of God felt. God heard their cry and responded through the prophet Malachi to explain God’s view on this matter.

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His name.
“They will be Mine,” says the Lord Almighty, “in the day when I take up My treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not” (Malachi 3:16-18).

Notice that after the people complained about this, they began to talk to each other, and the Lord listened and heard. God had been taking note of those who were serving Him and honoring Him. There is a day coming in which God will honor His “treasured possessions.” We will see that there is a distinction between the righteous and the wicked on that day when “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall” (Mal. 4:2). What a beautiful picture of what we will feel like on that day.

God rewards faithful obedience. It often requires patience, suffering, and perseverance. Be of good cheer; He will reward you if you faint not.

Hebrews 10:35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.
JAmes 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Patience means to be consistently constant or to be same way all the time … NO matter the situation and/or circumstance!
You see, FAITH opens the doors of God’s promise in our lives, PATIENCE keeps the doors open until the promise is fulfilled!
“Lacking nothing” … that phrase in James above,  alone should convince us that patience is not merely a consolation prize. It’s a first-class ticket, a first-grade power that will put the promise of God within our reach.
It’s a force that will make a winner out of all of us …

Revelation 22:12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Living for Jesus means responding to and living out the Gospel. It means living a redeemed life on this earth and understanding that our reward isn’t anywhere on the planet. Oh, there’s plenty to enjoy in God’s creation, but if those things do not compel us to worship, they can easily change into idols.
‘God wants everyone to be saved’. He wants everyone to ‘come to the knowledge of the truth’, to ‘come to repentance’.

Do you hear Jesus calling?
When something in your life or thoughts makes you anxious, come to Me and talk about it. Bring Me your prayer and petition with thanksgiving, saying: Thank You, Jesus, for this opportunity to trust You more.” Though the lessons of trust that I send to you come wrapped in difficulties, the benefits far outweigh the cost.
Well-developed trust will bring you many blessings, not the least of which is My Peace. I have promised to keep you in perfect Peace to the extent that you trust in Me. The world has it backwards, teaching that peace is a result of having enough money, possessions, insurance, and security systems. My Peace, however, is such an all-encompassing gift that it is independent of all circumstances. Though you lose everything else, if you gain My Peace you are rich indeed.
Yes, Do you hear Jesus calling?
Isaiah 26: 3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. 4 Trust in the lord forever, for the lord, the lord himself, is the Rock eternal.

Phil. 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Thank You, Jesus, for this opportunity to trust You more!!!!
We are not at peace with others because we are not at peace with ourselves, we are not at peace with ourselves because we are not in Gods will. Where the Spirit of God is there is peace.
God is the only One who can satisfy
our need to love and be loved,
whether we are married (happily
of unhappily), divorced, widowed
or single.
“Because Thy loving kindness is better than life…”  Psalm 63:3
Amen