Ever wonder about the rewards you receive?
“41And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” — Luke 23:41 (ESV)
Here we see the words of a criminal that was hanging next to Jesus at His crucifixion. This criminal was not naive and understood the cost of his crimes. He also knew that Jesus was innocent of that which He was accused and convicted. This man’s understanding of the crimes and consequences allowed him to seek forgiveness as he repented of them with the only one that would/could forgive him of them.
I find myself in the position of knowing what it is that I have done. I am responsible for the consequences of those deeds and have the responsibility to seek forgiveness of them as I repent. The thing is that like the criminal, I have to seek that forgiveness through repentance from the only one that can/will forgive me, Jesus.
My deeds are mine and mine alone. I cannot blame anyone for them and have to accept the punishment for them as the owner of them. I have to know that I am being rewarded for those deeds that I have committed. That reward may or may not be of the positive kind. Like the criminals that were hanged with Jesus, my reward could be the punishment for those deeds. I have to remember the work that I am tasked with and take action to perform those in and for the glory of God. When doing so, I will be positively rewarded for those deeds and will be able to avoid the negative consequences of falling away from the work of Christ.
I am responsible for my deeds. I am accountable for their impacts. I am the one that must answer for them. I am rewarded for them. What better to know that it is I alone that controls the rewards I receive. No, I do not know what those rewards will be, but I know that I am controlling the positive/negative impacts to me of those rewards. I will be fully rewarded for the deeds I am tasked with completing.
What deeds are you working to complete? Did you know that you are/will be rewarded for their completion? What if you did those deeds for the glory of God knowing that in doing so, you will be positively rewarded for them?
Trevor's Thoughts 