To Abram, called from the luxury of city life to be a sojourner in a strange land, God said: “I am thy Shield, and thy exceeding great Reward” (Gen. 15:1). Was Abraham a loser? Whatever he left, he had God as his present Reward. But in connection with a man who lived centuries before Abram, we read that God is “a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). He is the Reward in the present, and will be the Rewarder in the future of men who put Him first.
Of course, there is such a thing as present reward for the Christian. For instance, Paul, speaking of himself as a servant of Christ, exc1aims: “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (l Cor. 9:16). He continues: “If I do this thing willingly, I have a reward.” It is not here a question of the future, but of what Paul had during his life on earth. “What is my reward, then?” he asks. Note his noble answer: “That when I preach the gospel I may make the gospel of Christ without charge.”
But, generally speaking, reward is reserved for the future. For the Christian the time of reward will be that period called “the resurrection of the just” (Lk. 14:14), when he will appear before the Bema. The Lord distinctly says: “Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me” (Rev. 22:12).
Investigation
Our Lord likens Himself to a king who will “take account of His servants” (Mt. 18:23). He “cometh and reckoneth with them” (Mt. 25:19). He is like one who calls his servants to him “that he might know how much every man had gained” (Lk. 19:15).
The Lord is going to investigate the measure of our fidelity, how far we have acted in His interests, what we have done with the time, influence, ability, wealth, strength, and opportunity He has entrusted to us. The result will be far-reaching indeed.
We are sent into the world (Jn. 17:18) with a definite mission: to glorify God and do His will, to represent our Lord JesusChrist and do our best to make Him known. What will unfaithfulness on our part mean? Not the forfeiture of our relationship, not exclusion from heaven, but loss of the glorious reward which might have been ours. “He shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved” (1 Cor. 3:15). There will be a solemn and searching investigation into what we have said and done.
Manifestation
“Every man’s work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it.” “The Lord…will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts” (1 Cor. 3:13; 4:5). Everything will be disclosed in the light of His presence. We shall get His estimate of all.
As our lives are reviewed, how we shall magnify the goodness and mercy that followed us “all the days” without missing one! We shall see how again and again His grace intervened for us and stood between us and the powers of evil. We shall know then what is of true worth and what is of little value.
I am sometimes asked: Will everything be manifested at the judgment seat? Has not God said that He will remember our sins no more? Do you not want to see all that you have ever said and done in the light of His grace? Could we rightly appreciate all that Christ has done for us if we did not know what we had done? It is not that our sins will be remembered as sins, nor will they be brought up against us. But it would be impossible for us to understand our lives without being shown the love that has forgiven all.
Commendation
The Lord will say to those in whom He has found fidelity: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Mt. 25:21). The day is coming when those who have lived to God, and not to men, will receive their praise. When the day of manifestation comes, “then shall every man have praise of God” (1 Cor. 4:5).
It will be helpful to enquire as to what doing well really means. The apostles, while the Lord was here, were great at saying good things. “Ye call Me Master and Lord,” said He, and “ye say well.” But He went on to lay stress on doing: “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them” (Jn. 13:13-17).
Even good men sometimes think they are doing well when they are doing extremely ill. Jonah was giving way to what he would have called righteous indignation. Twice God asked: “Doest thou well to be angry?” He replied, “I do well to be angry.” But the dear man was doing exceedingly badly. He could say: “I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful,” but he was out of touch with the grace of God’s heart. So we must seek instruction from the Scriptures as to what “doing well” really means.
We come now to the question of what kind of things will be rewarded at the judgment seat.
Putting Away Our Idols
In the story of good King Asa, we read that a prophet came to him and said: “Be ye strong, therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chron. 15:7). What work?
“He took courage and put away the abominable idols” (v. 8). This is a thing for which a reward will be given: putting our idols away. If anyone questions the application to Christians, one need only remark that it was Christians who were exhorted to “flee from idolatry” and to “keep yourselves from idols” (1 Cor. 10:14; 1 Jn. 5:21; 1 Cor. 6:11; 10:7).
It is quite possible for us to be theologically orthodox and ecclesiastically correct, and yet to set up idols in our hearts (compare Ezek. 14:4). God help us to put them out of our lives and reap future reward.
Asa also “renewed the altar of the Lord” (v. 8). We sometimes hear the phrase “the family altar,” meaning prayer and Scripture reading in the home. This is important and good, but has little value unless there be also a personal walk with God. Perhaps the greatest insult that can be offered to God is to join in public worship on Sunday and live the rest of the week as if He did not exist. We resent the insults that atheists heap upon His holy Name. Let us beware lest we commit the greater sin. To seek the restoration broken by our backsliding is to ensure a reward.
Sowing Righteousness
To the person who sows right deeds, we are told, there “shall be a sure reward.” What precisely is meant by this? Have you ever seen a man sowing grain in the old-time way, scattering the seed by hand? When he gets across the field, he looks back and sees a straight trail of seed. So with those who sow righteousness. They leave behind a trail of right doing. To be honest, pure, truthful and kind; to avoid lying, deceit, selfishness and bad temper; to do the things that are pleasing in the sight of God.
But righteousness goes hand in hand with readiness to forgive those who do us an injury. So in Proverbs 25:22 we read that if we find our enemy in need, we are not to revenge ourselves upon him, but “heap coals of fire upon his head,” and the Lord will reward us. We gather from the verse a general idea of being kind to one who has wronged us, even if the significance of the coals of fire is not understood. For such kindness, “the Eternal will reward you.”
A Cup of Water
“Whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward” (Mk. 9:41). The cup of water is of little value in itself. It is the motive behind the gift that makes it precious to Christ and for which the reward will be bestowed–“Because ye belong to Christ.” Whatever is done from love of that dear Name will assuredly come up for commendation and reward “in that day.”
Private Prayer
The Lord taught His disciples: “When thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Mt. 6:6). There is nothing here about God hearing our prayers, but there is a twofold assurance: He sees and will reward openly.
Is it not a great comfort to remember that God is looking on when we pray to Him behind the closed door? Even when the words will not come; when we are too weary to concentrate on what we are saying; when our hearts are too broken for us to be able to frame definite petitions; when we kneel, not knowing what to pray for as we ought; then God sees.
All this, however, is secret. But the day is coming when the reward will be given. God will testify how dear to Him are the cries of His children. He values the expression of our confidence and will openly reward those who have sought His face in secret.
Suffering and Reproach
The Lord taught His disciples that a great reward awaited them: “Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man’s sake; rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven” (Lk. 6:22-23). All that has been endured for Christ will be richly rewarded. While suffering in itself is valueless where love is lacking (1 Cor. 13:3), yet all that is endured for love of Him is unspeakably precious to Him. All those who suffer persecution (2 Tim. 3:12) shall reap a rich reward.
A Full Reward
In Ruth 2:11-12, Boaz says to the desolate young Moabite widow: “It hath been fully showed me all that thou hast done unto thy mother-in-law…the Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” Naomi was even more desolate than her daughter-in-law, for death had robbed her of her two sons, as well as of her husband. Mothers-in-law, when widows, are often thus, made to feel that their presence is a burden. How gracious of God to have this passage about kindness to a mother-in-law. Not only a reward, but a full reward is promised to those who show her kindness!
In 2 John, verse 8, we read: “Look to yourselves, that we (servants of Christ, apostles, preachers) lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.” Really, this is extraordinary! Is it possible that John, for instance, will miss the full reward because of the failure of his converts to walk as consistent Christians? It looks like it. It was because of their happy and consistent conduct that Paul could say of his converts at Thessalonica: “What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” (1 Thess. 2:19).
In some way the preacher’s reward is connected with the way his converts conduct themselves. Surely the patient, faithful labor of those servants of Christ who have the sorrow of seeing their children in the faith turn back to the world and the crooked ways of sin will not be forgotten by their Lord. But the teaching of 2 John 8 is there for a purpose. Surely it is that we who preach the gospel may be more diligent in prayer, and more concerned about the walk of those whom we have been enabled to lead to Christ. You cannot say “good-bye” to a convert and leave him to his own devices without risking the partial loss of your own reward.
Beguiling Us of Our Reward
We learn that there is the possibility of somebody beguiling us of our reward (Col. 2:18). Most of us would rather give a man a dollar than be “done” out of a quarter. This word “beguile” means just that. We must let no one do us out of our reward.
May I beg my younger brethren and sisters to remember this when the proposition of marriage is before them? It is so easy for us to link our lives with those who will do us out of our reward. It is not enough to know that the one you think of marrying is a believer. He or she may be that, and yet not be God’s choice for you. Unless we make earnest prayer to God for guidance, we run the serious risk of taking a life-partner who will do us out of our reward.
The Prize
Rewards are many, but the prize is one, “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). Paul tells us it was the goal towards which he hastened. His body could hinder his running. So he brought it into subjection that he might secure an incorruptible crown (1 Cor. 9:24-27).
Crowns are also spoken of as rewards, and it is noteworthy that they are primarily connected with the affections of the soul. The Lord promises “the crown of life” to them that love Him (Jas. 1:12). A “crown of righteousness” awaits all that love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8).
Have you ever heard anyone say: “I’m not thinking of reward; it is enough for me to be in heaven with Christ”? It sounds so religious, doesn’t it? But when the Lord speaks so much about reward, and desires to give us one, it seems a rather low-down thing to depreciate it. We read of Moses that “he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (Heb. 11:26). We shall not err if we follow him.