Good Weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus‘ friends,
Reward is an important word in every society, isn’t it? As children we sought rewards from our parents when we did chores they gave us, or as students we hoped for rewards with good grades, right? As employees we expect a paycheck and hopefully some words of encouragement from time to time? But, honestly now, do we expect some rewards from God for living what we believe to be ‘good Christian lives’?
Yesterday you and I looked closely as the apostle Paul was writing something very specific about this matter of rewards. We’re in 1 Corinthians 3 and Paul was chastising his Christian Corinthian friends for their spiritual immaturity, remember? He felt their spiritual focus had turned away from Jesus. Disagreements and divided allegiances were causing them to live very much like the non-Christians in Corinth.
In fact, Paul wrote: “You are still worldly, for there is jealousy and quarreling among you…” (1 Cor. 3:3) It causes us to pause and look at ourselves, doesn’t it? How different are we, who claim to be Christians, from those in our city who have no interest in God?
Then Paul challenged his Corinthian friends to consider that he and Apollos and others were seeking to build up these young Christians by building on the foundation of Jesus. Paul wrote: “No one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.“ (1 Cor. 3:11) The legitimacy of our spiritual life, our salvation, our eternity in heaven is all based on the person and saving work of Jesus Christ, right?
Once we are spiritually saved, God’s expectation is that we will spiritually grow rapidly in our understanding of God’s truth and our relationship with Jesus, under the instruction and guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. But vital in this is our understanding that each of us is responsible for our own pursuit of our spiritual growth, and too easily we become bored with God and His Word, and we get distracted into other things, which draw us away from Jesus. That leads us to spiritual anemia, spiritual immaturity, spiritual malnourishment. Look back over your life. Can you see the reality of this?
Yesterday, I left you specifically considering our end-of-life evaluation, which every Christian person will experience with Jesus. Standing with Jesus, He and each of us will review the period of time in our life journey from the moment of our salvation from our sin-condemnation, until the moment of our departure into God’s presence at our death or rapture.
Paul uses the metaphor that we are all builders, building our life legacy, on the foundation of our Jesus earned salvation. Our resources for building are our God given time, talents, spiritual gifts, and other resources. Our “works will be shown for what they are, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet [they] will be saved.” (1 Cor. 3:10-15)
Now my friends, you and I both know it is the CHOICES we each make which has written the story of our lives, right? Not our intentions, not our hopes and dreams… our choices, our decisions, our words and actions. Thus, it should not be too difficult for you and me to evaluate what we have done with our lives thus far, and when standing before Jesus, what will be the eternal value of our lifetime?
Remember Jesus had spoken about this: “Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where…thieves can break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:19-24) I wonder how you have woven those wonderful but strong words from Jesus into your life journey, my friends?
Now to help us understand this, let’s add this verse from Paul’s second letter to these same Corinthian Christians: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor. 5:10)
What specific things do you conclude about these and other similar verses of Scripture, which describe this time of evaluation with Jesus? May I suggest these important truths:
First… Yes, there will be a day of reckoning before God, for EVERY human being, at the end of our lives. (Heb. 4:13; Rev. 20:11-15; Matt. 25:31-46)
That reckoning will deal with the question: what did that person do with Jesus and God’s offer of salvation only through His Son Jesus Christ? Is their name written in the Book of Life? We’ve looked at that several times in our “WWJ” journey. But here, in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul is describing a different end of life reckoning. This experience is only for Christians, as each of us will stand with Jesus and evaluate our own, personal life, from the time of our salvation, until that moment in God’s presence.
Second… our Christian evaluation with Jesus will focus on stewardship.
How well did each of us steward that which God gave us… specifically our TIME, the years which we lived our Christian life. But also how we used our God given talents and abilities? How we used our Holy Spirit given spiritual gifts? How did we participate with the Holy Spirit in our spiritual development? How well did we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in participating with Jesus in what HE wanted to accomplish through us in each place we lived? In other words what will be our spiritual legacy which we will have built with our lives in the time since our salvation?
Third… in this evaluation with Jesus, things of no spiritual eternal value in our lifetime will fade away, as though burned up in a fire, leaving only that which Jesus views as valuable.
Based upon that, will be the rewards Jesus will then give to each Christian person as they enter the rest of their eternity with Jesus in heaven.
Now that puts our life legacy into an entirely different perspective from how the world views a successful life, do you agree? That’s the point Paul was trying to make and it’s important we each take some time regularly to invite the Holy Spirit to help us understand what Jesus sees in our lives and what changes He might want us to make!
I urge you to read carefully all of 1 Corinthians 3, asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand how HE wants to apply it to your life.
Of course, the “lessons learned’ notes at the link below are very powerful and a great worship song that’s really a story, ready to draw you to Jesus in prayer, and Paul and I will be here on Monday waiting for you.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Cor. 3
Choose below to read or listen.
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Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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