treasure
Matthew 6: 1-4: “Be careful you do not do
your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do you will
have no reward from your father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do
not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in
the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth; they have received
their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand
know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then
your Father who see what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Do
you ever feel as though you are invisible? It can be frustrating, especially in
the work place where being recognized for your actions is important for
advancement. When I find myself in this situation I must remember the bible
verse above. Even though other people are unaware of my kindness, I always come
back to remembering that God knows what I have done. The thing is he knows
EVERYTHING I have done, good and bad. I already have my reward, I am a child of
God and I have salvation and he isn’t going to take that away from me. Why, do
I ever insist that this is not enough?
If
I insist on recognition from man as my reward, what am I saying about my
salvation? It is discounting what God has given me; it is trading in the
eternal for the temporary. We are in the awards season for Hollywood, we see
the fancy gowns, listen to the acceptance speeches and either agree or disagree
with the choices. All the pomp and circumstance to celebrate is over in a few
evenings to be forgotten. Yes, it is exhilarating to watch and imagine one’s
self in such a position. However, the glory fades and one returns to the same
old life. In heaven, nothing will fade. We will walk on pavement brick made of
pure gold! Can we even begin to imagine the glory that awaits? We will NOT be
forgotten, we will be with God for eternity.
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for
yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break
in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and
rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Sometimes the cast and characters on the earthy scene do acknowledge our goog work and reward us. And also at times a reward from one set of men leads to a tearing down by another set that begin to look at us a little more critically. When Jesus rewards us the angels will surely rejoyce with us. I'm concerned more about what God who is always watching thinks of me and my actions. Eternal life in his indestructible domain is what's at stake.
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