Reward

Good morning people of God,

I've been thinking about "reward" lately as it pertains to a quote I read recently and I want to get your opinion. I have been meditating on it because I sense the Holy Spirit in it and I want to gain any insight I can. It's by a man named Art Katz and it says:

"Salvation is a gift of God by grace, but what we do with the grace, having obtained it as a gift, determines our eternal reward. Works is only a bad thing when we think that we can labor for our salvation."

The main word used for reward in the New Testament is the word mis-thos and it literally means payment due for labor. Jesus uses it in Matthew 5:12 when talking about our reward in heaven in the context of standing up under false accusation and persecution. Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians 3:14 when talking about the reward someone will receive if what they have built survives the testing of the fire on "the Day." Neither Paul nor Jesus are talking about working for the reward of salvation, but about the mis-thos to be received for the work done while in the earth. This brings me to my wonderings.

Is it possible that we as believers are missing out on something because we don't like to teach on and live for the eternal reward? Yes, we believe in heaven in the after-life and teach on it to some extent but are we amiss by not teaching what the scriptures teach about in eternal reward? It feels to me like teaching on that reward may be a wonderful tool for helping us go through trials and temptations. It may also be a tool to help us avoid the toxic nature of praise from men and our need for it. If we have our eyes focused on the reward we are storing up for ourselves in heaven because of our work down on the earth, we can work for years without recognition, we can endure the worst of persecution and trials, and we can learn to sincerely enjoy being the "chief of servants" because we know we are storing up great riches for ourselves in eternity.

I'm starting to believe the enemy has tempted us to avoid talking about "reward" because of the possibility of "works righteousness" getting involved. We are right to want to avoid works righteousness, but not at the cost of avoiding a teaching Jesus taught on. Salvation is a free gift from God. But reward by its very definition is about payment for wages, so Jesus, Paul and the other writers of the New Testament couldn't have been talking about reward for salvation because salvation is free. If Jesus said your reward could be great, then it could also be little. We don't ever want to slide into working for our salvation, but I think we're missing something by avoiding talking about works except only in a negative way. I think it is okay to want to receive a great reward. We don't receive it in the same way the world does but wanting greatness in the kingdom of God is not a bad thing.

One thing is certain, we are going to be judged and rewarded in some manner. Wouldn't it be nice to have thought about and acted on it before "the Day?"

Love you all

N8

Thoughts From "Tha Streetz"

Good morning people of God,

Haven't talked out loud to you guys in a while. Absence makes the heart grow fonder? Anyway...I wanted to tell you guys something that we've been seeing and practicing in the streets so you can use it in your own lives should you choose.

1 Timothy 4:4 says, "Everything God created is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." The context is that Paul is writing to Timothy over the issue concerning food sacrificed to idols which was a big deal in that day and time, and was counseling him on what to do. What we noted is that Paul doesn't discount the fact that there is power in food sacrificed to idols but instead argues that thanksgiving in connection with prayer and the word of God is powerful enough to nullify the power enlisted by the sacrifice.

What Paul is teaching Timothy is a principal that we are learning in our ministry which is that of the sanctifying power of thanksgiving. When we give thanks to God for anything, our thanksgiving has a purifying power and this is a spiritual warfare weapon that we as a street ministry team had largely ignored.

Instead of giving thanks when we saw small progress we focused on all the work that we still yet had to do. What we realized is that the devil was robbing us of one of the most powerful weapons God had hidden for us to use, that of our thanksgiving. In this we could have accelerated what God was doing and engaged His sanctifying power in each situation instead of ignoring it and not finding room for celebration which would have brought God's purifying power flowing mightily into a neighborhood that needs just that to really live.

Now we are making the change. We are committed to giving thanks for even the smallest advancement realizing that in our thanksgiving we are engaging in life giving spiritual warfare that has the potential to transform any and every situation. Instead of complaining that so-and-so got drunk again, we praise God that so-and-so has been sober four days this week. Instead of complaining that this person has only been to church once in the past two months, we celebrate that they came four times in the past year.

The results are amazing! Not only do we feel better spiritually and emotionally, but we continually see the cup as half full. The enemy has a much more difficult time getting us to lose faith in situations because we are constantly looking for any little thing we can give thanks for to begin the cycle of sanctification that Paul counseled Timothy about.

Think on it.

Love you guys,


N8