Tag Archives: rewards

Is it worth it? (Luke 14:26-30) December 3, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Acts 21-22

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 14:26-30
Jesus: If any of you come to Me without hating your own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and yes, even your own life, you can’t be My disciple. If you don’t carry your own cross as if to your own execution as you follow Me, you can’t be part of My movement. Just imagine that you want to build a tower. Wouldn’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to be sure you have enough to finish what you start? If you lay the foundation but then can’t afford to finish the tower, everyone will mock you: “Look at that guy who started something that he couldn’t finish!”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Sometimes we Christians give non-believers the wrong impression about the Christian life. We kind of let people think the Christian life is easy. Just let Jesus be Lord of your life and everything will be great from there on out. You’ll always have plenty of money. Friends will pour in from every direction. Jobs will fall into your lap. God will do incredible things for you all the time. You will always have a smile on your face because God is a God of love and He will make things perfect for you, right?

Well, that’s not the Christian life that I’ve experienced and if you ask most Christians, they will tell you that their walk has not been a bed of roses. The Christian life is not an easy one. Jesus hinted at the difficulties we would face as He talked to those who followed Him. He continually talked about suffering, taking up our cross, being despised by the world. He didn’t say much about easing through the world with lots of comfort. He talks about the rewards at the end, but until then, He indicates life can get pretty hard since the world doesn’t understand us and because of that failure to understand us and believe in Him, they will hate us intensely.

Jesus laid out the costs of following Him throughout His ministry. He scoffed at the wealthy because they put their faith in the wrong things. He told the rich they already had all that would come to them if they didn’t let go of their golden god and embrace the One, True, Living God. Then He said count those costs and see if you want to pay them before you sign up. I don’t think He wanted anyone to be disillusioned about want it means to be a Christian. He didn’t want anyone to think everything would turn out just the way you want when you decide to give your life to Him. Because it won’t.

We don’t know what just right means because we’ve lived in a tainted world that tells us our whole life what right means but the world is wrong. So what we think is right is probably not what God thinks is right. So expect to be disappointed sometimes. Expect to be angry at what God allows to happen every once in a while. Expect to scratch your head and wonder why things progress the way they do because they just won’t make any sense to you. But remember God is God and we are not. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what is best for us and His world. He knows how to make His plans work through our lives. And He will when we let Him.

When you count those costs, though, you’ll also find that the costs are well worth the price. The price is everything. It is all you have, all your material goods, all your dreams and aspirations, all your relationships, all of you. The cost of following Jesus is a commitment of everything you can think of and everything you can’t think of now but will pop up in the future. It’s all or none with Him. That is a pricey commitment. There is nothing else that will cost you so much. Nothing demands so much of you as following Jesus.

But in the end, when time finally comes to a close and the last tick of the clock has sounded, you will discover the cost has been infinitesimally small compared to the reward you receive. Despite the sorrow you might experience here, there will also be indescribable joy. An inner peace that can only be explained by the presence of God Himself living inside you. You will find that God really does meet your needs. Not your wants, but your needs. We often get our wants and our needs confused in our materialistic world, but God never does. He knows what you need and provides it at just the right time when we stay in the center of His will.

God also gives you opportunities to serve others as you serve Him. He puts you in places and situations at just the right time to share what He is doing in your life so that you can introduce Him to others in a way that allows His spirit to stir their hearts and so allow them to come to know His saving grace as you do.

Are the costs worth the prize at the end? Absolutely. But don’t be surprised by the cost of being a Christian. It will never be an easy life. God never told anyone who stayed in His will that He would make life easy for them. But He always promised it would be worth it. And it is. Trust Him. He never breaks His promises.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

The dog in the park (Matthew 17:17) April 19, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 9-12

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 17:17
Jesus: This generation is no better than the generation who wandered in the desert, who lost faith and bowed down to golden idols as soon as Moses disappeared upon Mount Sinai! How long will I have to shepherd these unbelieving sheep? (turning to the man) Bring the boy to Me.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

In the weekly church staff meeting I attend, we try hard to stay on task. We usually have a lot of ground to cover and need to keep on our agenda because all of us are busy and what we really want to get to is the prayer requests that have been given to the staff. If we spend too much time on business that can be done elsewhere or start down tangents, we can easily lose lots of time in the meeting. You’ve probably all been there if you’ve been in more than one meeting in your life.

Invariably, though, something will be thrown on the table that sparks a discussion and off we go. We act just like those young pups you see in the park the owners are trying to train. They are pretty obedient in the middle stages of their training until a squirrel darts across the playground. Then all bets are off. Whatever the trainer was trying to do just ended. That squirrel has become the center of attention and the dog is off to chase it.

No matter how good the treats the trainer offered. No matter how important the training benefitted the dog. No matter how much better off the dog would be with the obedience to the commands the trainer provided. That squirrel was all that was on that dog’s mind. You’ve seen it happen. It seems like just a little thing that distracts the animal and yet it’s whole purpose changed. But a well trained dog will keep its instincts under control. It will let that squirrel run by and leave it alone. It knows his master’s commands to sit and be still will keep it from running into the street and getting hit by a car or will result in a kind word or even his favorite treat from his master.

We’re a lot like that dog being trained. We so often let our fleshly desires chase after insignificant things that will cause us to run out in front of a car instead of keeping them under control so we can get the real rewards in life. We fail to listen to the commands of our master and instead run to and fro after some illusive target that we have little chance of capturing in the first place, but we run as fast as we can to get it only to have it disappear up a tree and we’re left with nothing.

We’ve risked everything. Lost the benefit of all the training we’ve had. Given up that prime spot next to the master. Lost the reward that was just in our reach. For a glimmer of something that stayed out of reach and then disappeared forever.

Jesus described the Israelites that wandered in the desert like that. Wandering sheep in the desert who lost faith and bowed down to idols. They chased after some illusive thing that they thought could do something it couldn’t. They thought they could capture God in a piece of gold and chased after it, but the dream escaped them and He couldn’t be found there. They lost their faith because they chased after a squirrel instead of remaining obedient to the commands of the Master. Consequently, they lost the land promised to them by God. The only adults who left Egypt to enter the promised land were Joshua and Caleb. All the rest died in the desert sands chasing squirrels.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that as a legacy. Jesus warned His disciples and those around Him about the problem. It’s easy to get off track and chase the things the world throws in front of us. It’s easy to see the glamor and the glitter and think those are important because the world keeps telling us they are important. But all those things will disappear. Those things are temporary. They cannot last. Just look around at the great civilizations and name those that have lasted. They belong in history books and they are covered with dust, buried under tons of sand. They lasted a few hundred years and then they were gone. But what is that in the span of eternity? It’s just the blink of an eye.

We must be steadfast in our faith if we want to see the promised land, heaven. We must listen and obey the commands of God if we expect to make it through the desert of this world to life everlasting with Him. We must stop our flitting around, chasing after every new fad that passes by that sounds good to our ears and pick up God’s word and meditate on it. We must make it part of our daily routine and let it permeate our life. We must become like that well trained dog in the park so that when the squirrels run by, we sit quietly at the Master’s feet knowing our reward is at hand. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Live a life of integrity (Job 27), November 4, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Job 27

Set – Job 27; Mark 15

Go! – Job 26-27; Mark 15-16

Job 27
1 Job continued.
2 Job: By God—who lives and has deprived me of justice,
the Highest One who has also embittered my soul—
3 I make this proclamation:
that, while there is life in me,
While the breath of that selfsame God is in my nostrils,
4 My lips will not let lies escape them,
and my tongue will not form deceit.
5 So I will never concede that you three are right.
Until the day I die, I will not abandon my integrity just to appease you.
6 On the contrary, I’ll assert my innocence and never let it go;
my heart will not mock my past or my future.
7 May my enemy be counted as the wicked
and my adversary as the unjust.
8 For what hope does he who is sullied and impure have
once God lops him off from life and requires his soul?
9 Will God listen to his cry
when he is overtaken by distress?
10 Will he have made the Highest One his pleasure after the fact?
Will he have marked the seasons with his calls to God once it is too late?
11 Let me show you what I have learned of God’s power.
I assure you I will not cover over the true nature of the Highest One’s ways.
12 Look, you have all seen it—seen the same things I have seen here.
Why then all this vain nonsense?
13 Indeed, Zophar, listen closely, for what the wicked of humanity will inherit from God.
This is the heritage the Highest One bequeaths to those who oppress:
14 If the children of the wicked multiply,
they meet their end at the blade of the sword.
And even if they are fat with surplus,
the descendants of the wicked will be starved for bread.
15 Those who survive will fall to disease and be buried;
many of their widows will not mourn their deaths.
16 Though he pile up money as if it were common dirt
and clothing in heaps like mounds of clay,
17 What he may prepare, the righteous will wear;
the silver he sets aside, the innocent will divide.
18 He builds his house doomed to impermanence—
like the moth’s cocoon,
like the field watchman’s lean-to that is dismantled after the harvest.
19 He lies down to sleep a wealthy man,
but never again,
For when he opens his eyes to morning,
all is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him as if they were floodwaters;
the tempest snatches him away in the dead of night.
21 Indeed, the sultry east wind lifts him up and away.
He is gone, swept off the place he knew as his own.
22 It will have blown against him pitilessly,
and he tries to flee from its fast-closing hand.
23 As a final humiliation, it claps its hands against him as a man would—
sneering, hissing at him as he leaves.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

It would have been easy for Job to satisfy his friends by just lying to them and making up some wrong he had done. He could have gotten rid of their incessant nagging and they would have left him alone if he just owned up to something, anything. But Job wouldn’t lie and their wasn’t anything in his past he had not given to Me that needed forgiveness. His relationship with Me was pure. Job refused to admit to something he had not done. His integrity was too important to him to give it away to these so called friends.

Job also knew what happens to those who did not live with integrity. Those who practiced deceit in little or big things cannot be trusted with My sacred things. And all the material things that might seem so important now will disappear. No one takes anything with them to the grave. But all will receive their reward from Me at the judgment. Those that lived a life of integrity with Me will gain much. Those who lived without Me and without integrity will lose everything.

Job talks about that as he shares this discourse with Zophar. In this materialistic age in which most think the person with the most toys wins, you should take a lesson from Job’s wisdom. Life is short, I determine the rewards and punishments when this life is over. The things you have now will not go with you to the next. Think about what is important. You’ll find it has nothing to do with material things, but with relationships, character, integrity. Job had it right. Live a life of integrity. You won’t go wrong doing so. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

David teaches about rewards (2 Samuel 19:24-40), May 11, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 19:24-40
Set – 2 Samuel 19; Matthew 28
Go! – 2 Samuel 19-20; Psalms 55; Matthew 28

2 Samuel 19:24-40
24 Mephibosheth, the lame grandson of Saul and son of David’s dear friend Jonathan, also made his way to meet the king. His feet had not been cared for—no, and his beard had grown long, and he had not had his clothes washed—since the king went into exile and returned in peace. 25 When he met the king in Jerusalem, the king received him.

David: Why didn’t you go into exile with me, Mephibosheth?

Mephibosheth: 26 My lord, my servant Ziba tricked me. I asked him to saddle a donkey so that I could go with you—for you know I cannot walk. 27 He has told you lies about me, but my lord is like a heavenly messenger of God. So do what seems right to you, and I will accept it. 28 You had the right to kill everyone in my family when you became king, yet you took me to sit at your table. So it would be wrong for me to bicker over anything with you.

David: 29 Let’s not talk any more about this. I have decided that you and Ziba will share the land.

Mephibosheth: 30 My king, let him take it all. I’m just grateful you are back safely in your own palace and kingdom.

31 Barzillai from Gilead, who had fed the king’s forces, had come down from Rogelim to escort the king across the Jordan. 32 He was 80 years old and very wealthy, which is how he had been able to provide for the king while he was at Mahanaim.

David (to Barzillai): 33 Cross over with me, and come to Jerusalem. I’ll take care of you and give you a place of honor at my side.

Barzillai: 34 My king, how many years do I have left, that I should leave my home and relocate with the king to Jerusalem? I am too old for court life. 35 I am 80 years old today. My judgment is not as good as it used to be. I can’t taste my food, enjoy my drink, or even hear the pleasant singing of men and women. So why should you burden yourself with me, my lord and king? 36 I will travel a little farther with you across the Jordan, but you don’t owe me anything more for my hospitality. Why should you, my king, offer me such a handsome reward? 37 Please grant me your favor to return home, to die among my own people near the resting places of my parents. But do consider your servant Chimham. Let him come with you, and may you honor Chimham as you see fit.

David: 38 Chimham will cross the river with me, and I will treat him as seems good to you. Anything you want from me, I will do for you.

39 Then the king and all the people crossed over the Jordan. David kissed Barzillai and wished him well, and Barzillai returned home. 40 The king, along with Chimham, went on to Gilgal, accompanied by all the people of Judah and half the people of Israel.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

David reaped the harvest of his sins. Two of his sons are dead. He returns to the throne from exile with questions from half the people of Israel as to whether he is fit to rule. Absalom won them over and they reluctantly put David back on the throne because their champion, Absalom, has been killed in battle. David almost loses his army because of his grief over his son. Had it not been for Joab’s advice, he would have lost his army and his throne.

But now, David makes his journey back toward Jerusalem. Mixed emotions flooded his mind. Much of what happened over the last several years he could see as a direct result of his actions. He served Me, but he made some significant blunders that cost him dearly. He came back repentantly, but he failed to relay to his children the importance of keeping My commands and the costs of not doing so.

David saw the dominoes falling in his family where he strayed from My commands. Don’t take foreign wives, they will lead you and your children astray. David stayed loyal to Me, but not his children. Remember, David ran the kingdom, but didn’t run his household. He married many women, had many children and let his wives and servants raise them.

What David does as he returns to Jerusalem, though, is worth noting. He remembers his friends. All those who helped him in his time of need, he rewards their kindness. They risked their lives for him and he didn’t forget. Some of the help was minor. Some major and dangerous. David remembered it all, however, and rewarded each one appropriately.

What am I trying to tell you through David’s difficulties and this glimpse into his life? First, don’t get yourself into his predicament. Live in line with My Spirit’s guidance and you won’t have the problem. Second, remember those who help you along the way. Third, and of utmost importance, don’t forget your children as you move through life. Teach them My ways. There’s a lot to learn from My word. Pick it up a read it. It’s good.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.