The word Rewards – What does this word mean to me?
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24, NIV).
The question I must ask myself often is who am I trying to please? Getting trapped in a vicious cycle of people pleasing can leave oneself both exhausted and disappointed. When I find myself complaining that I wasn’t noticed or recognized for something I did, I also find that I lose my sense of purpose and joy. Once again I need to ask myself the question, “who am I trying to please?”
Upon answering this question, I realize that when my heart’s desire is to please the Lord first and foremost then the joy and adventure of life comes. My personal challenge is to remember that everything I do is to be done as unto the Lord! That’s when I suddenly have an eternal perspective and purpose. My attitude shifts from all about me to lifting up the Lord. When I work with all my heart as working for the Lord the scripture says that there is a reward waiting for me. As the scripture promises in Colossians, I know my reward will be an eternal one but there are also immediate rewards such as the rewards of joy and peace, knowing we have put a smile on the face of God.
Upon further reflection on the subject of rewards, I decided to do a little bible study on the word reward. The following are a few scriptures that I found:
Psalm 19:11 – in keeping God’s laws there is a reward
Psalm 127:3 – children are a reward from the Lord
Proverbs 19:17 – rewarded for our kindness to the poor
Proverbs 25:21-22 – rewarded for showing kindness to our enemies
Proverbs 31:31- rewarded for our hard work and the fear of the Lord
Jeremiah 17:10 -rewarded for our conduct and deeds
Matthew 5:12 – my rewards are great in heaven when I am falsely accused, insulted and persecuted for my faith
Matthew 6:6 – when I pray in secret God will reward me openly
Matthew 16:27 – Jesus will reward each person for what he has done.
I Corinthians 3:5-14 – talks about motives and rewards. I will be rewarded for what I do for the Lord. My work will be tested by fire and if it passes the test I will receive a reward.
Perhaps you have had similar challenges. What has been the one thing that has helped you to stay focused on working for God’s approval rather than for people’s?
Here is a You Tube video that may help you to answer the question of whose approval are you looking for and striving for?
