Rewards

God is good, all the time, He is God. What a wonderful refrain. It is the reality of a entering into a relationship with the gracious and merciful Heavenly Father, which ultimately make the troubles of this world grow strangely dim. Jesus Christ spoke of the hardships that would follow His disciples as they preached the good news of the kingdom. They would be arrested, scourged, and tried, so they would need to rely upon the Spirit as they gave a reason for their faith. Their own family relationships might be strained on account of following the Christ, and they would need to escape persecution by moving from place to place.

Is it worth it? The radical abandonment of the new life in Christ does have its rewards. The Lord said, “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward” (Matt. 10:40-42)

Jesus’ point is that God is good to all, and every deed great or small shall not escape His notice. In these verses, the Lord distinguishes three groups of people the prophet, the righteous man, and the “little ones.” Those who receive their message are rewarded. Those who receive a prophet and a righteous man get a prophet and righteous man’s reward. Those who give gives “little ones” a cup of water, will also get rewarded. The “little ones” in this context is not children; rather, it is the disciples in general. It can also be pointed out that giving a cup of cold water was a common hospitality in the Ancient Near East, an act none would expect reciprocated a reward; yet, even doing tiniest and insignificant are rewarded. It is God’s unmerited favor that is being lavished upon the one who offers service in the name of Christ.

The way of Christ is narrow, and those who walk its path do face many perils, but God is good. The first Christians believed that Jesus was God incarnate and Israel’s long awaited Messiah, who died upon the cross and rose again on the third day so that those who believed would have eternal life. It was this message that led them to forsake all for the sake of Christ. Paul wrote,

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead (Phil. 3:8-11).

There are many others in history and even today who suffer greatly for the sake of the cross, and all Christ’s martyrs have their reward. I cannot say that I faced the full extent of persecution an unparalleled tribulation; yet, from the testimonies of those who endured through fiery trials, I gain more confidence in continuing to struggle well with my own faith, king that God is good—all the time.