When You Believe God Is a Rewarder
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December 10, 2017 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"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).
If you believe God will reward you, you will be able to cast away sins with hope for Heaven and joy. You will also be able to seek the kingdom and righteousness of God, work faithfully with your life, and thereby receive the crown of righteousness and dwell in glory. What will happen when you believe God is a rewarder?
1. You can become a good-hearted worker who completely believes and obeys the Lord.
Jesus said in John 12:44-45, "He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me." God sent Jesus, and Jesus did everything according to God's will. Thus, believing in Jesus is the same with believing in God.
It is through Moses that God led the Israelites, who had been taken captive in Egypt, to Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey. Today, through the spiritual messages delivered by His servants, He has been leading believers to beautiful Heaven. If you understand this spiritual order, you will trust and obey the shepherd whom God set up just as sheep hear and follow their shepherd. Thereby, you will be able to bear abundant fruit and glorify God.
Timothy in the Early Church time is one of the examples. He helped the ministry of the apostle Paul, and took part in sufferings Paul underwent for the gospel until the end. After the apostle Paul established a church and left for another ministry, Timothy took care of the church in accordance with Paul's teaching and encouraged believers' faith in the truth (Philippians 2:19-22).
Today as well, churches need trustworthy and good-hearted workers who look after believers' circumstances with the heart of the shepherd and devote themselves to the work of God.
Some people say they believe in God, but they do not seek the kingdom of God first above all else. They put every effort and much time in achieving their personal goals, but they are not earnest in works related to the church. However, Timothy put his everything in the work for the Lord Jesus Christ and dedicated himself to the gospel until the end.
If you believe God as a rewarder, you will fulfill your God-given duties like Timothy did, no matter how insignificant they may appear to be. You will visit believers with love for the souls. You will help or pray for them with joy and thanks. God the Rewarder will let you reap thirty, sixty, even a hundred times more when His loving children sow with faith, hope, and love. You will reap not only heavenly rewards but also abundant fruit on the earth.
The apostle Paul regarded Timothy as his son because Timothy was with Paul as a child would always be with his father. It was so even when Paul toiled and received sufferings for the gospel. When Paul suffered from all kinds of persecutions such as being beaten and imprisoned, Timothy joined the suffering as well. When Paul was faced with difficulties, Timothy prayed together with him, and he prayed for the church and believers in lamentation and tears.
Therefore, if you long for heavenly rewards and want to receive praise by fulfilling your duties well and become the light and salt of the world, then you should trust and obey the shepherd with good heart just as Timothy believed and obeyed the apostle Paul.
2. You can be led by the Holy Spirit through His voice and His urging.
When a ship sails, it is very important for the captain to clearly know the destination and route. Only then can the ship avoid rocks and dangerous places and reach the destination safely.
Church workers are spiritual leaders who lead other believers like the captain of a ship. Thus, they should always be aware of the will of God. Otherwise, they themselves will go the wrong way and even mislead many people. Worse, they will put others into death (Matthew 15:14).
Therefore, if you have a precious God-given duty, you should destroy fleshly thoughts and fight against sins to the point of shedding blood in order to hear the Holy Spirit's voice and be guided by Him. You should see, hear, and think only in goodness. You should pray earnestly to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Then the Spirit will move your heart and let you realize the will of God and guide you every step.
To hear the voice of the Holy Spirit clearly and to be urged by Him, you must become sanctified by means of God's Word and prayer (1 Timothy 4:5). You should cast away every form of evil by praying fervently (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
After called by God as a servant of Christ, the apostle Paul went to Arabia and communicated with God first. And while doing his ministry, he planned to go to Asia and spread the gospel, but after he realized the Spirit's will through a spiritual vision, he went to Macedonia and preached the gospel. When he obeyed the voice of the Spirit, the gate to the world mission was widely opened.
He was guided by the Holy Spirit even in the prison and delivered the will of God in letters. So, he could make churches firm on faith.
1 Corinthians 3:9 refers to those with God-given duties as God's fellow workers. If you are God's fellow worker, you should figure out every moment what God wants, and then you should obey it. You should commit everything to God by prayer and let the Holy Spirit guide you. Only then can you reap abundant fruit. If you do not, you cannot bear fruit even though you think you work hard and faithfully.
When you make a plan, you should discern the will of God. Suppose God wanted you to do something but you did another thing in accordance with your thoughts. Then, the Holy Spirit cannot work for you and you cannot bear fruit. You may say what you did is not against the truth. But only when you follow and obey what is pleasing to God can you experience the work that God guarantees.
Therefore, leaders in the Lord should believe God is a rewarder, pray all the time above all else, and hear the Spirit's voice and be urged to be led by Him. When they do everything according to God's heart and will, they can please God.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the apostle Paul gave up everything of the world to spread the gospel and consider what he had loved as rubbish. He learned how to get along with humble means; in any and every circumstance he learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. Even if he was being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of brothers' faith, he joyfully gave up everything.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will believe God the rewarder, work to the point of death, and enjoy everlasting rewards in beautiful Heaven.
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