10
God is not unjust; he will not forget
your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people
and continue to help them.
Hebrews 6:10 NIV
In His grace, God freely gives salvation to those who believe in Jesus.
We cannot earn this gift, nor do we deserve it. Our Father does notice
our good works, though. And He promises to reward us according to what
we have done for Him.
True service occurs when we allow the Lord to work through us for His
glory and honor. True ministry occurs when divine resources meet human
need through loving channels.
Revelation 22:12 encourages
us, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render
to every man according to what he has done." Whether large or small, all
service done in Jesus' name will be blessed. We must be careful,
though, that our actions are for Christ's glory. If motives are
self-serving, the only benefit we receive is the praise (if any) that we
hear from people in this life. And we know that men's approval is not
satisfying or lasting.
While some rewards will be given in heaven, other blessings can be
experienced now. For example, we know great joy when we allow God to
bless others through us. And there is deep satisfaction in realizing
that we are pleasing Christ. In addition, there's a profound sense of
fulfillment when we lead a person to Jesus and teach him how to walk by
faith.
Serving others is both a great benefit and a responsibility for Christians. We should prayerfully consider our motives to make sure that our goal is to glorify Christ. Only then will we receive God's full blessings--rewards given not only in eternity but on earth as well.
From Dr. Charles Stanley & www.intouch.org.
Today's Bible Verse...
"Stand up and praise the LORD your
God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious
name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise." —Nehemiah 9:5
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
"Stand
up and shout it if you love my Jesus..." That's a song our children
love to sing! But what happens to that youthful exuberance and joy at
worshiping the Lord? Scripture seems to show us that God doesn't want us
to lose it. Read through the Bible and highlight all the physical acts
used to reverence and praise our awesome and eternal God. In a world
which regularly uses God's name in vain, isn't it time we stood up and
praised him — not only in church (our private worship) and our daily
devotionals (our personal worship), but also in our lives every day (our
public worship)?!
My Prayer...
Heavenly Father, I find it incomprehensible that an eternal and mighty God would choose to listen to my prayers. Yet I know you do hear them and respond to them. Thank you! Please be praised in my worship, whether I offer it in private with other Christians at church, in my daily personal worship, or in my public worship as I live as an example before my coworkers. You alone are God and worthy of all praise; please be praised in my life. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.
Today's Verse Illustrated...
One Church for All? by Mary Chambers
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