July 29 - Where Is Your Reward?

Matthew 6:1-4
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
 
Have you ever thought about where your reward is? When we earn rewards, we receive them one of two places…here or there.
 
We can do good things seeking the applause of those around us here on earth in order to be seen of them. We can also do good things with only the motive of pleasing God, and receive eternal rewards as well as God’s favor on our life.
 
What eternal rewards have we lost because we received our reward here? When we seek to be seen or receive applause, we forfeit any eternal reward that could have been earned in order to cast back at the feet of Jesus. Are we willing to sacrifice the gifts that we could bestow upon our Lord and Saviour by wanting a pat on the back or public acknowledgement of our good works?
 
Matthew 6:1
“to be seen of them”
These types of people are easy to spot.
The ones who only pick up a broom or mop when someone is watching.
The ones that only come to a service or event because the Pastor might notice them. The ones that give me-imonies instead of testimonies.
 
Matthew 6:2
“do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do”
 
Matthew 6:5
“that they may be seen of men”
 
Matthew 6:16
“that they may appear unto men”
 
They have their reward.
 
What do you desire more…the glory of men or the Glory of God?
“that they may have the glory of men”
The glory always goes to either us or God…but it cannot go to both!
 
“thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly”
If we desire to receive rewards from the Father, we must seek only to please Him and leave the rewarding up to Him. We can earn eternal rewards that we will be able to cast at His feet, and yet He still will reward us here by His infinite blessings and grace.
 
Where do you want to receive your reward? Here or there?
Make the choice today to forfeit earthly rewards for eternal gain.
 
 
Bible Reading:
Ezra 7-8  |  Hebrews 6  |  Proverbs 30