Give without Receiving

How is it that we are to go about in this world? Well, we are to give to the betterment of others and for the glory of God. We are to go out into the day and think solely in how can I make the life of others better and bring glory to the LORD in the process.

“⁸Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. ⁹Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, ¹⁰no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.” – Matthew 10:8-10 (ESV)

In the above verses Jesus is giving instruction to the 12 apostles as He has sent them out to deliver the gospel just as they had received it, for free. He points out to them that they are not to expect or require anything for the journey. The 12 are to go and focus on giving the word of God to the people just as it was given to them.

You see, the apostles received without paying anything. Yes, Jesus came to them and asked them to give up their lives and follow Him, so you might think that they paid with their lives. But here’s the thing, they did not have to go with Jesus and what did they really get in this world. The received ridicule, hardship, hunger, thirst, and a whole host of other calamities in their choice. They may have been better off staying with where they were, at least in this world. What they received was not of this world. Remember that we/they are just passing through this world on way to heaven. We receive our reward there and maybe not in this world.

Jesus did not give to the apostles because they paid a sum to gain access. He gave to the apostles out of love and sacrifice. We are to do the same. We are to give to others without expectation of anything in return. We are to give freely and see the joy on the faces of others and know that we have done a thing that the LORD is proud. We are to provide for the needs of the people and not be concerned with our own reward, for we have already received it in our salvation.

I know what you are thinking, as I think it myself, and am really struggling with it. What keeps us from being taken advantage of by others realizing that we just keep giving without asking for anything in return? Well, Jesus addresses that as well in the below verses.

“¹¹And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. ¹²As you enter the house, greet it. ¹³And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.” – Matthew 10:11-14 (ESV)

We are to leave it behind and not think of it any longer as we move on to the next. If there is no appreciation or receipt, then it is not in our interest to keep giving and waste our time and energy. It is a challenging thing to give and then end up leaving, but we are not here to pour good into perpetual bad. Once we realize that continuing to give does not change the outcome, then we move on. This saying rings true in this situation, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result”. We have to move on to the next when we realize there is no change.

Now, I want to be cautious here and say that walking away from those who do not do things your way is the order of business. With those we love and who are part of us personally there is deeper understanding and tolerance. I give freely to my family without expectation of receiving in return. I don’t expect them to pay me for being dad or husband. I will not leave them for not giving back, but I will let them know when I am hurt. I will let them know when my tank is empty. I will let them know when I will not be able to give because I feel taken advantage. I will let them know that I have wants and needs as well and they do go beyond just seeing them joyful.

I have to give without receiving to get my reward. What I receive may not be in this world as my forever home is not here, but that should not stop me from giving to and for the betterment of others and the glory of God. I have been tasked with giving by God. I received the gospel and grace and mercy without paying for it and I should be giving the gospel and grace and mercy without seeking payment.

What is your view of giving without receiving? Are you reluctant to do things for others without getting paid, whether monetarily or socially? What if you were to give as Jesus gave and instructed the apostles, without receiving, but just to give?

Reward Received

When is it that we receive reward for our work? I am sure that you would agree that receiving reward is shortly after the work. Whether that is in payment or benefit or even in award, as man we take action to see return of some kind. We are quite proud of the work we do, in fact, we like to call attention to ourselves as we work to ensure that everyone can recognize us for it. And we should be. Although who is the work for, us or for those who are in need.

When it comes to helping out with the needs of others, we should be a bit more quiet. I am not saying that we should hide our work and ensure that we are always in the shadows. That really does not work either, as we will miss opportunities to do good in the interest of anonymity. We should feel good about doing work and bringing some assistance to others. Yet we have to be careful of our motives in the process of giving to the needy.

“¹Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” – Matthew 6:1-2 (ESV)

Here we see that Jesus is warning against the open display of and attention bringing to our work in the helping of others. He shows us that those who actively make it a point to draw attention to themselves are receiving their reward at that time. People seeing them doing the work is the reward. They have made it a point for everyone to know the work they have done and in so doing have been rewarded. They may receive some acknowledgment or award in the public square in the moment. They have received their reward.

“³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:3-4 (ESV)

Now look to what Jesus says about how we should do our work for the needy. We should just do the work and not make a spectacle. We should be those who just do the work. When volunteering at the food bank, just go and do. When the neighbor needs some assistance with the yard work, just bring your mower and trimmer and help out. When someone is struggling with replacing the battery in their vehicle, offer up your tools for them to use and bring your hands to assist. There is no need to call things out on social media. There is no reason to call the papers. We don’t point out the work done in the company of others. We are to just do the work to help those in need.

I look at my giving and see that I just do the work without fanfare. Our church is a plant and we currently meet on Sundays in a school. This means that we have to set up and tear down the space each Sunday. We have been doing so for six years and in that time, I have been a part of the group that tears down for all six years. In fact, beyond our pastor, I believe that I may be the only one who has given to the church this way for the entire time. I don’t ask for anything or draw attention to myself at all, I just do the work that I am asked to take on as part of my duty. I know that God sees the work I am doing and He will reward me in due time.

Jesus points that out our reward in verse four above. God will reward us for the work, as He has seen us. We may not get a public announcement. We may not receive a plaque from the community. Others may not even see us, but God does. He knows how we are bringing relief to others. He knows the work we take on. He knows our value and He will reward that in due time. Our reward is from the LORD and not from man. Our reward is received in the work performed and from the LORD.

Again, as a man I have this innate desire to be recognized for what I have done. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with that, otherwise why do the work. The thing is, who am I seeking recognition from. I have to remember that I am only passing through this world on my way to heaven when the LORD calls me home. I am to look to Him for my reward and not be concerned with the recognition from man. My reward is received from the LORD.

Where are you receiving your reward? Are you seeking recognition in the now for the work you do from the public space? What if you were to just do the work the LORD has for you knowing that your reward is received from Him?

Receive Through Obedience

This morning I am in Colossians continuing my study on the word “receive”. The passage is titled, “Rules for Christian Households”. The big takeaway for me is obedience this morning. As with a lot of my studies, I am led to passages time and time again and this one is no different. The focus in the past was on the work done and the reward received. This morning I see the obedience to receive and not the work itself.

“¹⁸Wives, submit…”, “¹⁹Husbands, love…”, “²⁰Children, obey…”, “²¹Fathers, do not…”, “²²Slaves, obey…”, and “¹Masters, treat…”. – Colossians 3:18-22, & 4:1

All of these are the rules that we are to obey in our households. They will keep us moving in the right direction with our families and most importantly in our Family of God.

“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)

And there we have it. Obedience to the rules will result in receipt of the inheritance. See the one we are obeying is “the Lord Christ”. We are serving Him in our work. We are in His house and we are to follow and live according to the rules of the house. Those rules are spelled out in the passage as noted above: “Wives, submit…”, “Husbands, love…”, “Children, obey…”, Fathers, do not…”, Slaves, obey…”, and “Masters, treat…”. Everyone in the house is addressed. We are all accountable to the rules set forth in the household. We are all to obey the head of the house, our Father God.

I remember speaking to our boys and answering their questions as to why they have to do certain things with, “because I am the head of the house and I said so”. I am sure that all of us have used a similar statement in the past and we do so for the good of the children and others in the household. I have to remember that I am part of the house of the LORD and am accountable to what He answers me with, even when that answer is, “because I am the head of the house and I said so”. We will receive our reward through our obedience to the head of our forever household, our Father God.

What is your view on obedience in the house? Do you see yourself with only the earthly household? What if you realize the forever household you are in with God as the head and master and delivered your obedience to Him?

The Due Reward

What have we done and what is our reward? Well, it is pretty simple when we look at it. We have work to do in this world and for that work we will be rewarded.

“³⁹One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’” – Luke 23:39 (ESV)

We see here the words of those who were crucified along with Jesus. Knowing that Jesus is the Christ, the one knows that He could save Himself. The criminal also takes the selfish approach asking to be saved as well. The man was looking to get out of the death sentence that he was due as a result of the work he had done. The sentence he was receiving was in line with his deeds according to the law.

“⁴⁰But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’” – Luke 23:40-41 (ESV)

And then we have the other criminal crucified along with Jesus. The man understood who Jesus was and called Him out just the same. Except, He did not ask for his own redemption as he knew and understood the reward for his deeds was right where he was. But, he also knew that Jesus was doing something extraordinary. Jesus had done nothing wrong and was receiving an unjust reward for His deeds. Jesus was being crucified for the deeds of others and not His own.

Isn’t this something. We are accountable for the actions and deeds we undertake. We are to receive reward for those deeds, and the reward is not always something that we find pleasing. Our reward is in line with the action. We commit a crime, we are punished in the law. We avoid giving of ourselves and we do not receive help when we need it. When we provide for others, we receive the picture of joy on their faces. We show up, and we get to celebrate with those we showed up for.

The second criminal understood the reality of receiving the reward for the deeds committed. He may not have liked the idea of dying for it, but understood that he was accountable to the consequences of his actions. He also understood that Jesus had done nothing to receive death. He knew that Jesus could save Himself, yet was doing something extraordinary for others, even himself. This man knew of receiving due reward.

“⁴²And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ ⁴³And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.’” – Luke 23:42-43 (ESV)

This second man accepted the reward he was to receive. But he also accepted the gift Jesus was giving. He did not ask for something other than the reward he was due, but thanks to his accepting of Jesus for who He was and the gift He was giving, the man received the reward of eternal life with Jesus in heaven.

You see, we are due to receive rewards for our actions. Yet we can also receive redemption for those actions through Jesus. And we can receive justification through our faith in Him. And when we do, we receive the due reward that comes, eternal life with Jesus in heaven.

What is your due reward? Are you receiving that which you deserve based on your actions? What if you believe in your accountability and accept the consequences, and accept that Christ died for your actions and have faith in Him to wipe away your sin and provide the due reward of eternal life in heaven with Him?

Find Your Reward

Seek, seek, and keep seeking. Our reward will be found. We will receive that which we are due.

“²⁷For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” – Matthew 16:27 (ESV)

Here is the thing. I am sure everyone feels confident that we should be rewarded for the work we do. Well, we will. We will find our reward based on what we are due thanks to the actions we take. But, our reward may not be what we expect.

I first want to be sure and give the following disclaimer, we are not earning anything. We are judged and rewarded based on the work we do. But that work is not to earn our salvation, rather the work is because of our salvation.

“⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)

We will be rewarded according to what we have done in this world based on the work that the LORD assigned to us before we were born again into the Family of God. He assigned us work that is revealed to us with our time and study of His word and our gaining of understanding. We don’t do the work to be rewarded, but rather we do the work because we are blessed to call Him LORD.

I would be remiss if I did not speak of the reward gained by not accepting the gift of salvation. Look back to verse 27 from Matthew chapter 16 above. Jesus says that repayment will be according to what is done. That repayment, for those who have not done the work assigned (as they will not know of it without salvation), will be judgment and casting into the lake of fire. Yes, we will all be judged, but those who have accepted salvation and turned to do the will of the LORD will be judged faithful and rewarded with a place in heaven. All others will be judged and cast out.

So, we will find our reward. We will be repaid according to our work that the LORD assigned to us and was revealed at our salvation and study of His Word.

What is your reward? Are you looking for payment of heaven based on the work your doing? What if you were to do the work assigned because of your reward of heaven thanks to the gift of salvation from the LORD?

Christ’s Rewards are Shared with Disciples

“⁴⁰Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. ⁴¹The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴²And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” – Matthew 10:40-42 (ESV)

I am continuing my study of the word “disciple” and this morning I am still in Matthew 10 as Jesus is directly speaking to, instructing, and guiding His disciples. A disciple can only be like his teacher as Jesus indicates when speaking to them (Matthew 10:24-25a). And that carries forward in the rewards that are received as a result of being a disciple and doing the work of Christ.

In the above verses, we see that as we do the work of Christ, we are working on His behalf and we are received as Christ is received. We are treated as Christ is treated. And we are rewarded as Christ is rewarded.

The reward that we receive is as Christ would receive for the work. That reward could be persecution or consolation. Either way, we can expect a “shared” reward with Christ. The reward is shared as remember, we are like Jesus and as such we receive as He receives. We do not share our reward with Christ in the sense that we are allowing Him a portion of our reward, we receive a share of His reward for being disciples of Jesus.

I am embarking on a discipleship journey this week to be more like Christ every day. I had not really thought of being rewarded as a share of Christ’s reward until reading and studying this morning. I am proud to be a follower of Christ and have a better understanding of my reward as a result. My reward is not my own, but a share of the reward of Christ.

What is your thought on the reward you receive? Are you looking at things from the selfish side and the reward is all yours? What if you approached the work you do for Christ as being his disciple and knowing that the reward you receive is a share of the reward He receives?

The LORD Rewards According to the Heart

“²³…And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of your according to your works.” – Revelation 2:23b (ESV)

I have to remember that the LORD is looking in my heart. He is searching for the works that I have performed in this world, and where those works started from. It is up to me to ensure that all of the works that I am performing in this world are coming from my heart and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

“¹⁹I know your works, you love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.” – Revelation 2:19 (ESV)

Here we see the Revelation of Jesus Christ and is related to the Church in Thyatira. We see that He knows the works performed and the order of those works in the lives of the church. We should be looking for similar words from the LORD about us. We should seek to ensure that our works today are greater than our works of yesterday and that those works are driven from our heart which is filled by the LORD and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Whether we are guided from our heart by the world or by the Holy Spirit, we are rewarded in heaven for that work. When guided by the world, we are rewarded with the wrath of God. When guided by the Holy Spirit we are rewarded with treasures in heaven. But regardless, our reward is from the LORD and specific to each of us according to the works found to have come from our heart.

What works are guided from you heart? Are you proceeding to please the world? What if you were to proceed as guided by the Holy Spirit to the Glory of the LORD?

Righteousness Rewarded

“⁸Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” – 2 Timothy 4:8 (ESV)

Paul was the LORD’s great evangelist. He did not work of God without concern for himself as was evident by the amount of time he was imprisoned and also executed for that work. He only looked forward to His time in heaven and knew that God appreciated his work and would recognize him for it when he arrived in heaven.

I know, I have been saying that we are not given the right to declare ourselves righteous, and yet here is Paul indicating that he would receive the “crown of righteousness”. How can he declare it so? Well, he is not. Paul knows the work that he has done and the dedication to the LORD he has and therefore is declaring that as God sees it He will declare it so. Paul was not doing the work to get the reward, he was doing the work as he had already been rewarded.

Paul knew that the chains of persecution would be coming off. They were there due to his dedication to the LORD. He was well aware of the way to have them removed in this world, and yet he persisted with his love and dedication and work to God. Paul worked for the LORD all the way to his death and never gave in to the world.

I wonder if I have dedicated myself to the LORD as Paul did. I know that I have not endured the same type of persecution as Paul, although it does still exist. I wonder if I am and will be dedicated to the work to my death and never give in to the world.

I can only do the work that God gives to me. I may not be traveling the world to spread the gospel, but I can do so here where I am. Our church mission is to have “A gospel movement that reaches every person in the hill country and is carried to the ends of the earth.” And from this I get that my role is to reach everyone I can where I am. I will have the chance to reach the one to carry it forward, I am to be focused on the work here where I am.

Yes, because of this medium my evangelism may reach you where you are. I am grateful for the chance to share with each of you. I am focused on my study of God’s Word and declaring my thoughts. In this world today, that affords me the chance to get those thoughts to the world. This is me doing the work where I am. This is me reaching you who has the chance to carry the gospel where you are. I know that not everyone is next door to me and that some are being reached all over the globe. To you I say spread the gospel where you are.

My actions will be rewarded by the LORD. I will be awarded that which He declares. I can only do the work here and know that I have done that work and rely on God to see and recognize as He sees fit when I arrive in heaven.

What work are you doing? Are you giving in to the world? What if you were to just do the work, knowing that you will be recognized and awarded for that work when you arrive in heaven?

Accept the Father’s Discipline

I know, who wants to be disciplined. Who wants to be rebuked and corrected. Who wants to be pushed to be better and more effective. Well this guy does.

In the mornings, I get up early and get some exercise. Now mind you, I am not a super fit guy and frankly, I am sure that those who are would not really consider the exercise I get as doing much for them. But, each morning I push myself to be better than the day before, and am excited when I best things by even the smallest of margins. Sometimes just getting up and getting out is besting things so I am excited for those just as much. Now, how is it that I am able to get and do in the mornings, but through discipline. Thankfully I have some willpower to do them, yet if not, I would seek out someone to hold me to account at getting better, just as one does when they hire a personal trainer.

Well, the Father is my spiritual personal trainer. He holds me to account so that I get better, at least better than the day before. And yes, sometimes it is better by the smallest of margins, but it is better none the less. I have to seek out my personal trainer and the discipline to get better and where it may not be super fun in the moment, the results are great to behold.

“⁹Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? ¹⁰For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. ¹¹For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” – Hebrews 12:9-11 (ESV)

Our Father in heaven is here to train us in the glory of the gospel. He wants us to be strong and courageous in our work for Him. The way we do that is with the discipline to continue, even when things get hard. He will not make things easy for you and me. We will struggle with getting through. We will endure pain and frankly will fall into the trap of avoiding things just because they are hard. But those are the times when we seek Him out to hold us to account and maintain our discipline to press forward for His glory and now our own.

Only the Father will hold us to account for His work, and only when we are in His arms. I have to ensure that I will have the Father on my side and be lifted by Him and the way I do that is to dive into His Word and work to understand where I stand as His son. I have to remember that regardless of how hard things might be in the moment, He is allowing the hard to toughen me in the moment to reward me in His time.

What are you working toward that is hard? Are you out there going it alone? What if you engaged with the Father to hold you to account and press you to completing so that you will be rewarded for your work?