TO CHEW ON: "'And behold I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work.'" Revelation 22:12
Do you remember your first pay check? You got it, looked at the amount, and suddenly realized all those hours you put in—cleaning tables and making change, straightening beds, answering call bells and fetching bedpans, changing oil and tires—were worth something. You had the money to prove it!
Our passage today talks about payday for the way we've lived our lives. It describes a day we'll get our pay check from Jesus. Revelation 22:12 tells us:
- He will return - "'And behold I am coming quickly…'"
- He will bring our rewards with Him - "'… and My reward is with Me…'"
- He will assign them and they will be commensurate with our work - "'… to give to every one according to his work.'"
Other Bible passages reiterate what Jesus says here, and shed more light on work and rewards:
1. Rewards will be handed out when Christ returns - Matthew 16:27; Revelation 22:12.
2. We may get some reward for our labors even in this present life - Luke 16:30.
3. We'll get rewarded for work done at any stage of the growing cycle (using a garden metaphor)—that is, be rewarded not only for bringing in the harvest but for planting and watering too - 1 Corinthians 3:8.
4. How much we plant will also determine the size of our harvest (or reward) - 2 Corinthians 9:6.
How are you feeling about your life's work and impact? Tired because the assignments keep coming with no end in sight? Disheartened because no one sees and recognizes how faithfully you're doing your work? Discouraged because you haven't seen many results? Take heart. Someday your work will be done, and you will be rewarded by the fairest, most all-seeing Boss you've ever had!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for this promise of fair reward for my work. Help me to work at the things that will earn Your praise and pay, and not get sidetracked by tasks that reward on earth but fail to make an eternal difference. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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