“¹⁶The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man.” Psalm 115:16 (ESV)

I read this verse this morning and was instantly reminded of that which the LORD has given. He has given the earth and this world to the children of man and to His children, He has give heaven.

But, aren’t we one and the same. I have an earthly and heavenly father. I am a child of man and of the LORD. Shouldn’t I have the benefit of both, the earth and heaven?

Well, whereas it is true that I am of this earth and am a child of God, I am given that to which I have worked to lead a life of. I have the choice to live a life of and for God, or I can choose to live a life of and for this earth. I cannot have both. Even Adam and Eve had a choice to live the life of greatness in the Garden and was given by the LORD or, as they did choose, to live a life of this earth and miss out on that which the LORD had given them.

There is a conflict that I have to get past when it comes to living of/for this earth or of/for God. The conflict is in the reward timing. Yes, when living of/for this earth I may receive reward right now and be able to enjoy the sweetness that comes with it whereas the reward from God comes much later when I arrive in heaven at the appointed time. The thing is, the reward here and now is fleeting. Here today and gone tomorrow. I find myself not satisfied for very long and tend to live for the chance to get more. I am chasing the carrot that seems to always be alluding me. When live of/for the LORD, I know that my reward is to come as given by the LORD and therefore will/can continue looking forward to it and know that I have the opportunity to experience that reward soon enough.

Fifteen minutes of fame or a forever of glory. That is what I am speaking of here. The LORD has given to that which we seek, and our reward is in line with our desire. If I desire the fifteen minutes, God will allow us to have it, but that very well may be where it ends. When we desire the forever glory and live our lives as such, God gives to us that glory in heaven at the appointed time.

Which that the LORD has given are you seeking after? Are you looking to achieve the fifteen minutes? What if your desire were for the forever glory in heaven and proceeded through life bringing glory to God to receive that forever glory?

God gave Jesus to be sacrificed for my sins so that I would not have to endure the death that comes with it. I am able to simply work to do the work of God knowing that my debt has been paid for the sins I have and will commit as I am in this world. But even before Jesus, God was given offerings on the behalf of His people.

“¹⁴Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. ¹⁵And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent of meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering. ¹⁶For they are wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself.” — Numbers 8:14-16 (ESV)

The Levites were given by the Israelite people as offering to God. They were given as a “wave offering” to be used by God for the completion of His work. The “wave offering” was one where the offering, usually meat, was waved before the Lord by the priests and then eaten for their own use. In the verses above, the Levites were the “wave offering” and therefore were for the use of God and Aaron and his sons for their use in the “tent of meeting”. They were offered and accepted instead of the more customary sacrifice.

God was able to use the Levites as opposed to taking of the Israelite first born to serve Him. God had already taken the first born of those in Egypt through the Passover and would not do that again as He was dedicated to His people the Israelites.

God always provides the way for His people. He provided for Abraham with Isaac, He provided for the Israelite people out of Egypt, and now He provided for the “tent of meeting”. God has given time and time again and it is up to me to accept that which He gives.

What have you been given that you may not recognize as a gift from God? Are you looking for the monetary giving from Him? What if you were to look for that which He has given as an alternative to what we deserve and accept that gift?

God has given to me over time, before I was here and continues even after I am gone. Provision and salvation are specifically what I am talking about. Before He gave salvation, He gave provision. This is noted in the very first book of the bible, His word.

“²⁹And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.’” — Genesis 1:29 (ESV)

In the above verse, God demonstrates to Adam and Eve that everything they would need, has been given to them. He provided for their sustenance with the plants and fruits and berries there in the garden. God gave to them all that they would need to live prosperously there in the place He created.

I admit that as a man, I am not satisfied with just having what is needed. I have things and will continue to secure things for myself that would not be considered provisions. Where that is not wrong for me to collect things that I “want” I have to remember that when it comes to what I “need” God has provided and He always will. God has given to me that which I require to live in this world and all that I require when I am called to Him at that appointed time.

There is not much that I “need” in this world, and all of it God has provided. Food, shelter, safety, those He has provided for me, just as He provided them for the first of me, Adam and Eve. The garden was that place where God’s provision abound for Adam and Eve. Yes, they were not able to remain there due to sin, but God demonstrated His provision for them there. He continues to do so now, only sin is still in the way of me being able to see it and accept it always. I have to consult God’s word and study it and absorb it to know and understand that all I need, He has provided, and that began at the beginning of time with His giving of provision for my life and survival.

What awareness do you have of the provisions God has for you? Are you continuing to seek out that which you want in thoughts that somehow it is needed? What if you were to simply look at provision and salvation as those things that God has already given you?

This morning my understanding of God’s Word was again in question. I had to look to many different areas to get at the meaning for me. I want to first of all encourage you to do the same. Just because you do not understand something the first time you read it, don’t give up. God will reveal what it is He wants you to know, it just may take a bit of time and study, and is that really a bad thing, to spend time in His Word studying and learning?

“²⁶He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” — Hebrews 11:26 (ESV)

Here is where I got caught up in the words and created the questions driving me to study deeper. Reproach is: “Disgrace; shame” (biblestudytools.com/dictionary/reproach/). So disgrace in front of Christ is the greater reward? No, that is not really it.

As I continued to study the Word of God and the different commentaries, I was reminded that context is everything. The before and after of the verse in question brings it all together. You see, Moses was more interested in pleasing God and doing His work than accepting the reward of man, Pharaoh. He was offered the opportunity to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, and he refused. He was able to take part of and claim ownership in the riches of the Egyptians and He refused. He was driven to avoid reproach of Christ and that is where his reward came.

“²⁴By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” — Hebrews 11:24-25 (ESV)

The reward found with God is greater than any reward found in this world. God’s disappointment in us should be the driver to follow Him and do the work He has tasked us with in our lives. We are to bring glory to Him by spreading the gospel to the world so as to please Him and avoid his reproach. My reward as give by God is where I should be focusing my attention and not on those rewards that might be found here in this world for the short, and I mean short, time we are here.

What rewards are you concerned with in life? Are you searching for and seeking out the rewards that are given here in this world? What if you were to work at avoiding the reproach of Christ and do the work of Him so as to receive the reward in heaven at whatever cost here in this world?

I hear that in taking action, “confidence is key”. This is very true in all that we do. I know that in taking action on the job, I have to go into it with the confidence of knowing that I have what it takes to do the job. In approaching a problem, confidence in knowing that the problem can/will be solved is a recipe for success. In my faith and with Christ, “confidence is key” in knowing that God will/does protect and guide me along the way.

“¹⁹Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²²let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” — Hebrews 10:19-22 (ESV)

In the above passage, the writer of Hebrews is speaking of “The Full Assurance of Faith”. Indicating that the confidence to progress by the blood of Jesus is what gives us strength to do so. Jesus paid the price so that I do not have to go through the same sort of persecution in my life and can proceed with bringing glory to Him through my actions. I can accept that the debt has been paid and I am free to continue in the world with the task of doing the work of Christ without fear. I have the ability to draw on the confidence that God will/does protect and guide me along the way.

“³⁵Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” — Hebrews 10:35-36 (ESV)

Jesus gives me confidence and as seen in the verses just above, the writer of Hebrews encourages the embracing of that confidence in our work for Christ. That confidence breeds rewards that begin with endurance. Endurance is what is needed to continue in the pursuit of the work for Christ in this world that has so many societal pitfalls to trip me up. Even with Christ in my corner, I am still human and susceptible to the draw into this world and all that is promised by the evil one for doing so. I have to endure in those instances and draw on the confidence in Christ and that which He provides for me, endurance.

I know that I cannot make it alone and thankfully I do not have to. I have Christ in my corner and the confidence to do His will know that He will provide that which I need to persevere in the face of adversity. That confidence leads to my reward.

What are you fearful of in this world that you might be able to overcome with confidence in Christ? Are you allowing the world to influence your approach to it? What if you were to draw on Christ and the confidence in your faith for the reward of endurance to make it through?

“²³Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, ²⁴knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” — Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV)

What a concept for me to follow, work for the Lord and not for men. This is something that may be foreign for a lot of folks as the vast majority of us have jobs that require us to work for someone here in this world. I know that I am not a sole proprietor in my main work for monetary gain, although, I can say that this blog is done not for a worldly boss, but for Christ.

And there it is, working for Christ and not for man is where our true work is done. Yes, I have a job for money, but I believe I have just as much, if not more opportunity to work for God here than in the world where I interact in a worldly manner. Here, as I convey my thoughts, I am working for Christ to spread the gospel. No, I do not know everything and frankly, that is the reason for the naming of my blog itself, Trevor’s Thoughts. These are my inner thoughts as I study God’s word in hopes that someone will find them and simply take my study as an opportunity for them to dig into God’s word themselves and grow from it.

The hard part for me and I suspect for others, is that the reward we receive from God for doing his work is not usually something tangible that brings immediate value to me. I struggle with seeing the impact I am having when there is little to no response to my postings. I am not sure if I am even reaching anyone else and as such, discouragement sets in.

But, I have to remember that I do not need to know all of the impact I am having. I am to sow the seeds of Christ and allow Him to do His work in the lives of those that receive the seeds. Some of the seeds I sow may not end up in the most fertile of situations, I cannot concern myself with that and only concern myself with the sowing of seeds. I have to continue doing the work of Christ and know that some of that work will impact others and God will work in their lives and they will benefit with salvation and reward in heaven just as I will receive for the sowing of seeds for Christ.

I have work to do in satisfying the bosses in this world, but more importantly is the work I do for Christ. The reward I receive here is here today and gone tomorrow as I toil to continue the cycle of earn and spend. My reward in heaven is forever and therefore much more bountiful as I am currently storing it up for enjoyment upon my arrival in heaven.

What rewards are you seeking? Are you overly concerned with doing work for those in this world in hopes that your reward will somehow be greater? What if you were to simply do the work of Christ to store up your rewards in heaven that you will enjoy when you arrive?

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?

How we express ourselves is how our reward will be given, but not in the way we expect.

“⁵And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” — Matthew 6:5-6 (ESV)

As Jesus begins to speak on the proper way to pray, you can see that He first discusses the rewards that we will receive from our prayer. Verse 5 discusses the overt outward appearances that are used to let everyone see that we “are holy”. Where there is a time and a place for our prayer out loud and in public, prayer for everyone to see is not exactly what God is looking for in our prayer. In fact when taking that approach, our reward is just that, being seen in public as praying for all to see. We get the pats on the back and the nodding looks from those around us as to saying “good job in praying, it was really well”. And that is really where it ends in the grand scheme of things.

In verse 6 above, you can see that Jesus also discusses the quiet personal prayer as we sit and have an intimate conversation with our father. In those instances, it is just me and God having a chat with fewer distractions and I am not trying to impress the masses or anyone I may want to influence. This conversation is one that is just between God and me for the purpose of uninterrupted discussion and conversation. This prayer is one where focus is on the substance of the prayer and not the structure of dynamics of it.

As I mentioned above, there is a time and place for public out loud prayer. I have to be careful in those situations to have the same sort of conversation with God that I would have in my private room with the door shut. I have to remember that prayer is an intimate conversation between God and me and is meant for spilling myself to Him to get it out and seek repentance for that which I have done and thank Him for all that He has done in my life and ask for assistance in fulfilling His plan.

Whether in private or in public I should be seeking only to be rewarded with that which comes from God and not that which comes from man. Ultimately, man can do nothing for me, whereas God can and does do all for me. My reward comes with that intimate conversation with my Father and not in the public oration for all to hear.

What type of interaction with God are you having? Are you seeking for everyone to see and hear you speaking with God? What if your interactions with God were of the intimate private affair and you seek for your reward from Him and not from those around you?

This morning as I study the word “reward” I am brought to The Beatitudes in Matthew Chapter Five.

“¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” — Matthew 5:12 (ESV)

Here Jesus is speaking to the disciples and guiding them through the rewards for following Him. The verse quoted above comes after outlining The Beatitudes themselves. Jesus points out blessings that come from living according to His example.

As I read through and recall these blessings I am reminded that these are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of follower-ship and dedication to the living a life like Christ. Being poor in spirit, mournful, meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted are all characteristics of Jesus and by no means characteristics of the weak. Jesus’ example is one of strength and resolve in the face of challenge. He was and is that which I should strive to be.

I know that I have had many opportunities to be like Christ and failed in doing so. Yet, there have been other times that I was able to stand with resolve as Christ. The latter is where I have to remember to dedicate myself to. If Jesus can stand with resolve in the face of the persecution He experienced, even to the point of death, I should stand with that same resolve as I deal with a couple of minor scuffles in my life, they certainly do not stand to the same level as those He faced.

I am blessed for my following of Christ. I may not be able to see it at all times, but I am blessed and should remember to take a closer look each day and in each situation. I have to remember that Jesus is my example and for following that example, I am rewarded. Not just with what I receive in heaven, but for the blessings that come for simply following His example. Be poor in spirit, mournful, meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted and be blessed.

What reward are you seeking? Are you looking for grand rewards here in this world? What if you simply followed the example of Christ and accepted the blessings He gives as your reward?

“²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, ²²for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.” — Proverbs 25:21-22 (ESV)

I am to do the work of God and love. Love like Jesus. Love everyone. Love, love, love, love.

There have been and will be more times when I will find myself in the midst of those that are not exactly kind and loving to me, one might even call them enemies. In those times I have to remember that regardless of the actions of others, I have been tasked with bringing the gospel and love to all. I have to rise above that which is contrary to me and be as Christ and love.

I can recall on many occasions where I have been confronted by someone who believes and acts contrary to me. I have in return, not fought with them, not agreed with them, but simply listened and provided empathy for them as having been in situations of contrary thought before. In those times, they have backed off, knowing that they were not going to “win” in this encounter. They leave the situation frustrated and confused at the outcome, or lack thereof. What a turn of events. I loved them and worked to understand and they walked away. If we are looking at the “win/loss” column, I guess that I “won” although it was really more about them losing than I winning.

God rewards for the work done in His name. When I turn to love and away from evil, He rewards me with “victory”. In those situations where I simply showed love to someone else, I was rewarded with “victory” over the evil in the situation. I was not evil back, and it served me to walk away unscathed and with my head held high knowing that I was in line with the love of Christ. I was able to “heap burning coals on his head” and I was rewarded by God for simply following His example.

In my role of a corporate training professional, I teach that one does not have to accept the abuse of others, however that does not give us the right to attack others in the interest of defending ourselves. We are to hold to the love of Christ and provide for the opportunity of others to repent and accept the love we are bringing to them. For those actions, we are rewarded by God.

What situations have you found yourself in that you wish you would have presented love instead of fighting back? Were you the “winner” or “loser” in those situations? What if you were simply to provide love for the other person and accepted the reward of Christ for doing so?