2016.02.28_Be Ready

Work for the reward
God is He who rewards. A reward is not given as grace, because while grace is a gift that one receives apart from his works, a reward is a compensation for one’s efforts. We must believe that God gives not only grace but rewards also. It is impossible to please God without such faith (He 11:6). Jesus was able to please God because He looked to the reward (Mt 3:17).
A great number of Christians today claim they are living a life of faith but are actually focused on following morals and ethics. This is no different to religious people. Man’s own righteousness might receive the approval of people but it is not accepted by God. In God’s eyes, there is no one righteous in this world. For this reason, God sent the righteous One to the world, namely Jesus Christ. He came to the earth and died for us, and we have been saved by His meritorious works. Salvation is not the result of our own efforts; it is a gift from God which He has given us freely. Thus it is called grace. The reason we can go to church every Lord’s Day and worship God is not because we are sinless but because we have been empowered by His grace.
On the other hand, a reward is given when we obey the word of God. Many Christians pray to God out of habit, asking for His blessings. They believe they can receive blessings if they only pray. However, God’s blessing is a form of a reward. Before we ask God to bless us, we need to first examine ourselves whether we have done anything to deserve to be rewarded by God.
If someone won a medal in the Olympics, it demonstrates that the athlete endured through enormous amounts of training and sacrifices more than anybody else. Even though some children appear to be talented in certain areas like sports from a young age, they cannot be the best in that field with talents alone. Among the many talented children that train together every day, only the best gets chosen to represent their school. If they train harder, they may even represent their city. Yet they still have to work harder in order to represent their country and even win a medal in the world arena. The same applies when it comes to being used by God. It is not with our competency or potential that we can be used by God; rather, we have to prepare ourselves through many efforts and sacrifices, to be worthy for God to use.
Even the people of this world strive so hard to receive a reward that does not last. How much more should we exert and ourselves in order to receive a reward from God? it says in 1 Timothy 4:7-8, “Exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come”. Nevertheless, some people fall away again even after they have received the Holy Spirit and tasted the powers of God’s word. This is like as a sprout that withers as soon as it shoots above the ground.

Sacrifice for the reward
God commanded His blessing upon us. His word about keeping the Lord’s Day is also one of the blessings He commanded us. God remembers those who observe the holy day (Num 10:10). Hence anyone who wishes to draw God’s attention will keep the Lord’s Day. However some people neglect the Lord’s Day in order to profit in worldly matters. So how can they ever draw God’s attention? If they cry out to God for His blessings, will God accept them?
Abraham obeyed God in order to be a source of blessing. God said to Abraham, “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house. You shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you (Ge 12:1-3). He obeyed the word of God and left his country to become a stranger. Ultimately, Jesus Christ came to the household of Abraham who became a source of blessing, and just as God had said to Abraham, anyone that receives Jesus Christ today is blessed, while anyone that rejects him will be thrown into hell.
In order to become a source of blessing, Abraham obeyed God’s command and offered the son whom he received at the age of a hundred as a sacrifice to God. Isaac also obeyed God and gave tithes. Then Jacob, through his earnest prayer and struggle at Peniel, received God’s blessing. When God introduced Himself, He did not describe Himself as “the God of everyone” but as “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”. This is because only those who obey God like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, can be blessed by God. Before anyone blames God for not blessing him, he first ought to examine himself, whether he deserves to receives God’s blessing or not. We must realize that God’s blessing is not given as grace but as a reward.
It is important that our families are used by God. We must ensure our children and descendants to come have a deep longing to be used by God. For some Christians, if their child is bright and clever, they encourage them to pursue worldly dreams. But if their child is not so bright, they think of offering them to be used for God’s work. However, this is surely not the right attitude. We must offer our best to God.
God desires to entrust His blessing and do His work through that person. However, very few people are willing to accept God’s blessings. Hebrews 11:24-26 says, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward”. At that time, Egypt was the most powerful country in the world. So how great would have been the treasures of Egypt? Nevertheless, Moses gave up his status as the prince of Egypt, and chose to bear sufferings for Christ. Even now, God is seeking those who are able to handle God’s blessings like Moses.
When God comes to our families and knocks on our doors, we should not hesitate but open the door (Rev 3:20). When an angel appeared to Mary and told her of the news that she was going to conceive and give birth to the Son of God, she replied, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word. (Lk 1:30-38). For a virgin to become pregnant at that time meant risking her life, and yet Mary willingly offered her family to God. In the same way, we need to offer our families to God.

Be ready in order to receive a reward
Though some say they want their children to be used by God, they do not make any preparations for this at all. This is the same as people desiring to be rewarded but making no efforts to achieve that. There are many things to be learned in order for us to do the work of God. Nobody knows when God will call those He wants to use. Therefore we must guide and help our children to always prepare themselves and be ready in advance.
Asking God for His blessings is equivalent to asking for a reward. Thus it is necessary for us to examine whether we are worthy to be rewarded or not. We need to ensure we are prepared and ready to be used by God. We should not be found unworthy when God desires to use us. We must look upon ourselves, our families and children with the eyes of God and be ready in advance.
Nowadays, people’s life expectancy is said to be a hundred years. Preparing ourselves to be used by God is not only for the young people. It is possible for God to call and use someone in their old age all of a sudden. So whether we are young or old, we all need to be ready. Whether or not we are financially comfortable, we need to prepare ourselves.
God desires to entrust us with His blessings. The question is whether we are worthy and able to handle His blessings. If we truly love God, then with all of our heart, all of our soul and all of our mind, we must prepare ourselves to be worthy to be used by God. Not only should we be prepared, but our families and children all ought to become the servants that please God.