AUGUST 20, 2012
Unrewarded
Read: Matthew 6:1-4,19-21
Your
Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. —Matthew
6:18
Most of us look to
friends and colleagues for rewards: a slap on the back,
a hero’s medal,
applause, a sincere compliment. But according to Jesus,
the more important
rewards await us after death. It’s possible that the
most significant human
acts of all are carried out in secret, seen by no
one but God. In a nutshell,
the message of the kingdom is this: Live for
God and not other people.
As Jesus explained it,
we are accumulating a kind of savings account,
storing up “treasures in heaven”
(Matt. 6:20) rather than on earth—
treasures so great that they will compensate
for any amount of suffering.
The Old Testament has dropped a few scant hints
about an afterlife, but
Jesus spoke plainly about a place where “the righteous
will shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43).
In their quest for a
kingdom, the Jews of Jesus’ day had been looking for
signs of God’s approval in
this life, primarily through prosperity and political
power. Beginning with
this speech, Jesus changed the focus to the life to
come (ch.6). He discounted
success in this visible world. Invest in the future
life, He cautioned. After
all, rust, a thief, or a lowly insect can destroy all
else that we accumulate
(v.20).
Lord, help us not to seek the applause of our friends
and colleagues, but rather to look to You for approval.
Teach us to put into practice the principles of the
Sermon on the Mount. Amen.
Reward in eternity does not depend upon
recognition in life.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2012
