Have you ever debated in your mind how it could be that desiring rewards for our obedience to Christ truly glorifies God and is not somehow sinfully selfish? I have. Jesus frequently motivated His disciples with the anticipation of receiving rewards. An example is Matthew 5:11–12:¹

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

So does Paul:

“For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with stewardship” (1 Corinthians 9:17).

And John:

“Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward” (2 John 8).

Numerous examples could be given.

God rewards for something that is actually all of grace.

“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

Every good work we do as we follow Jesus Christ is the result of God’s saving and sanctifying grace. How could God then reward us for acts of obedience? I reconcile this in my mind similarly to how I recognize God’s sovereignty and man’s free will in salvation—it is a mystery beyond my comprehension. While I cannot boast in anything I am or do as a good work for Christ, it is still true that I have to choose to obey. I have to choose to exercise self-control.

It is good to desire eternal rewards for obedience for God tells us to have this motivation.

Our rewards are themselves worship.

How is it that such motivation lines up with seeking God’s glory and not our own? True obedience comes from love for Christ and a desire to please Him. We will be rewarded, yes, but these rewards will be given back to Him in grateful worship. This is well illustrated for us in Revelation 4:9–11:

“And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.’”

There is much we do not understand about eternal reward, but we know for certain that  rewards are good and that desiring them has God’s blessing.

We are rewarded for individual acts of obedience.

The Apostle Paul spoke of reward being eternal fruit from his labors (1 Corinthians 3:14) and for faithful stewardship of the life and ministry he was given by God (1 Corinthians 9:17; 2 Timothy 4:6–8). These are the rewards we usually think about when we consider rewards from Christ Jesus. We think of the final “well done,” of being faithful to the end, and we most certainly should. There is, however, a practical aspect to all this we often fail to consider and that is individual acts of obedience.

Missionaries will be rewarded for every individual act of obedience motivated by the love of Christ (and not self-righteousness). Each good work of adorning the Gospel in our lives as believers and every way by which missionaries do so in trying circumstances on the field will be rewarded:

• When we are on the field far from home and loved ones pass away, and we were not able to be there because of the circumstances of our calling, Jesus sees this willing sacrifice and will reward it.
• When sickness is frequent and we are beaten down by illnesses acquired in a foreign land, yet we continue to serve Him willingly, God “knows our works” (Revelation 2–3).
• When language learning and cultural adjustment become extremely taxing and we are strongly tempted to give up but instead turn to Him for grace to endure and overcome, God will not forget.
• When finances are greatly strained or unpredictable and we struggle with uncertainties and doubt, but continue to trust Him, the Lord is pleased.
• When stress and weariness open us up to strong temptations to sin and we turn to Jesus for help and find victory, God makes note or our faith and love.
• When we fail and then repent, seek help, and are restored to serve Him again, this humility will be rewarded.
• When we voluntarily place ourselves in oppressive and risky situations to make Christ known, He sees.
• When ministry goals are thwarted, when we are suddenly redirected through global events and our hearts are devastated by loss, Jesus not only cares, but He remembers it.
• When persecution, continual visa problems, corruption, or oppression from widespread injustice and evil around us weigh down our spirits, and we are tempted to throw in the towel, but we keep coming to Christ for grace to endure and overcome, He is honored.

Missionary friends, know that we will be rewarded for every single way in which we have been tested and tried and have overcome by faith. Every sacrifice for Christ willingly endured to fulfill our calling will be acknowledged by our God.

We are rewarded for displaying the glory of Christ.

Why are we so rewarded? Because our endurance in obedience and faith show to both man and the spiritual realm the glory of Jesus Christ. We will be rewarded for displaying the value of our relationship with Him and His Gospel through our faithfulness through each individual challenge.

The Apostle Paul reminds us of the big picture that encompasses our individual acts of obedience and faith in Ephesians 3:7-13.

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

If you would like to study this topic in depth, Elliot Clark’s Mission Affirmed: Recovering the Missionary Motivations of Paul is devoted to this discussion. Clark immersed readers in an examination of Paul’s discernment and values as given in 1 and 2 Corinthians.

 

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