The reward is freedom. Without Christ’s sacrifice, without his saving grace, we would have remained locked in an inescapable prison. And then we would have died. But not only are we saved from death, we are given eternal life.
The reward is community. We may be alienated from the world, but we now have a new family. We are part of a community that builds each other up. We have all the support we could ever need. Our brothers and sisters surround us with love and encouragement and strength. We are made whole by the new connection to the many. The difference is that this community is not just made up of fallible people; it’s brought together through the renewing power of our Lord and Saviour.
The reward is self denial. From a worldly perspective this is a cost, but from a Christian view it is a reward. When we deny ourselves our world opens up to include others and most especially it includes God. We give Him room to move in our lives. We are more able to love others, more able to love ourselves and more able to love God and see all that He has done for us. We gain God’s peace.
The reward is reliance. Again, this could be seen as a cost, but the end result is a reward. It’s no longer up to us to save the world. It’s no longer up to us to carry the burden on our own (Matthew 11:30). It’s no longer up to us to battle the storms. We have our Lord who will fight for us. We only need to be still. (Exodus 14:14). We have no reason to doubt Him and every reason to trust Him.
The reward is a relationship with God. This is the greatest reward of all. We gain a friend who will never betray us, who will never leave us and who will always help us. We gain a love that gives us unspeakable joy. We gain a power that will always protect us. We gain everything worth having.
Can you think of other rewards to add to this list? How has God made a difference to your life in a way that out-weighs any cost?
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12 comments:
A very thought-provoking post. To walk with The Father is daunting. But to walk life's path without Him is to experience true lonely pain. Have a great weekend, Roland
Roland, welcome. That's so very true. You have a great weekend also! :)
Your post on rewards follows perfectly from your previous post Lynda.
In my daily walk with God I am learning new things He is showing me. The last reward in relationship with God is the ultimate. Great Post. Thanks for sharing.
Praise God for the rewards He does give us through following Him. The cost may be high, but in the end...so worth the peace and joy that none other can give!!!
Blessings! Heaven
He freed me from an addiction that was leading me to an early death.
He gave me a second chance at life and today I find life worth living. I have found love, beauty, and joy. I am happy, joyous, and free.
PG
JBR, Heaven, PG - Isn't God great? Isn't He marvellous? He performs miracles in our lives everyday. We are free and we are loved.
Lovely post.
Thanks for the comment in my blog and for following. It means a lot :)
This was very good...I will have to be sure and come back later and read the previous post...
This line stood out for me...
"We have no reason to doubt Him and every reason to trust Him."...I say a big AMEN to that!
Wendy - likewise thank you. I know the feeling :)
Karen - Amen indeed.
Ah, amen. Thanks for the post and for visiting me! I have a dream of Australia...
I think the rewards far outweigh the costs!
Hi Lynda - I'm visiting after reading a comment you left on Faith Imagined. As Elizabeth said, the rewards from following Christ far outweigh the costs.
Blessings to you and keep writing!
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