Category: Thoughts

Many times in the gospels, Jesus lifts up the hope of future rewards as a legitimate motivation for good works.  And the reward theme continues in the rest of the New Testament.  Let’s see what Jesus and the apostles had to say about keeping our eye on the prize.

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Mt 5:11-12).  Persecuted for your faith = REWARD.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven…when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you…when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Mt 6:1,3,4,6).  Practice your righteousness with humility = REWARD.

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great” (Lk 6:35).  Love, good works, generosity = REWARD.

“Now he who plants and he who waters are on one mission; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor” (I Cor 3:8).  Planting and watering = REWARD.

“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.  For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward” (I Cor 9:16-17).  Preaching the gospel = REWARD.

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance” (Col 3:23-24).  Diligence in your work = REWARD.

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.  This is the deceiver and the antichrist.  Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you will receive a full reward” (II Jn 1:7-8).  Staying true to the gospel message = REWARD.

And finally, “Behold, I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me to render to every man according to what he has done…Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gate into the city” (Rev 22:12,14).  Heaven is our ultimate reward!

In I Timothy 2:15 we read, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.”  When God views our “work” – our lifestyle, our choices, and our actions – will we be approved or ashamed?

I can’t help but view this verse through my own vocational experience.  A significant part of my job as a geophysicist involves presenting my ideas to management.  When my work has been thorough and thoughtful and complete, my work (and to some degree myself) have been “approved”.  But I have also felt the “ashamed” of a thrown-together, poorly-thought-out presentation.  If our earthly bosses can engender these feelings of accomplishment or shame, how much more important is it that our work is approved by God?

The point of the parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25 is that the servant who is approved by being “faithful in the small things, will be put in charge of many things” (Mt 25:21); will be given greater responsibility.  If you want to see your ministry move in a certain direction, focus less on increasing your influence and more on being faithful to serve your family, practice honesty in your business dealings, seek the good of others, and the larger influence will come in God’s timing.

The apostle Paul was entrusted with the greatest responsibility possible – sharing the Gospel message – because he was approved by God.  “Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts” (I Thess 2:4).

God’s approval is something we should seek after and it should motivate us to righteous living.  To the loyal servant He says. “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt 25:21).

One of the functions of the body of Christ is the opportunity to encourage and build up each other.  And one of the best ways to do this is through our righteous living and the example it sets.  The theme of being an example and following an example is a prominent one in the New Testament.

“Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us” (Phil 3:17).

“You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation and with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia” (I Thess 1:6-7).

“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you; not because we did not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example” (I Thess 3:7-9).

“Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example to those who believe” (I Tim 4:12)

“In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, and sound in speech which is beyond reproach” (Titus 2:7-8).

We often sell ourselves short in the area of setting an example with a false humility that says, “I am not worthy to be an example.”  If you really feel that way, then you have some work to do.  First, knock off the bad stuff!  Does that sound blunt and insensitive?  The New Testament writers use this kind of language over and over.  “Stop… Abstain… Quit… Put off… Lay aside… the sin that trips us up.  It does not fit our new identity.”

Second, you have the power to do it.  Sin is no longer your master.  So if you feel unworthy to be an example, do something about it.  Live into your new identity and all that goes with it.  Then find someone to encourage and lift up by your example.  You will be glad you did.

Another motivation to do the right thing is our desire to enhance God’s reputation.  At first glance we may to ask ourselves, “Is it really possible that the Creator of the world, the Sustainer of the world, and the Author of our salvation needs any help from us on the reputation front?”  The answer is yes.  Just as the children in a family contribute to the family’s reputation, so also, our actions either impugn or enhance God’s reputation on the earth.

The church is the body of Christ.  The church is the physical representation of Jesus to a watching world.  And when they look at us, the community of believers, what do they see?  One of our motivations for righteous living is to accurately reflect the character of our Father and His Son.

“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.  Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (I Pet 2:11-12).

As an aside, based on my writings on Romans 7 and the end of sin’s power, I may have implied there is no longer a war within.  But fleshly lusts are waging war against our souls.  Where I depart from the traditional teaching about a civil war inside is that I believe the war has already been won by the finished work of Jesus Christ upon the cross.  The primary war is over.  We have taken the high ground.  We are dwelling in our new fortress.

Yes, fleshly lusts are still attacking the fort.  Yes, fleshly lusts are still shooting arrows over the walls.  Yes, fleshly lusts are trying to ram open the front gate.  But by the power of the new nature, we can turn back these attacks.  Victory has already come our way by virtue of the new nature, the new self, the new identity, the new heart, the new power, the new disposition, and the new Spirit within.  Rather than a civil war between sides of equal power – the old and new nature, the Bible teaches that the war has already been won.  If fact, the apostle Paul says to celebrate our victory by putting on the victory wardrobe.  “Put on the new self…and clothe yourselves with a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…and beyond all these things put on love which is the perfect bond of unity” (Col 3:10,12,14).

Now, returning to our I Peter passage, these new clothes of righteousness (“abstaining from fleshly lusts…and keeping our behavior excellent”) is what the watching world should see when they look at us.  And when they see us in our new clothes (“our good deeds”), they should glorify the One who clothed us, God our Father.  If we are quiet about the One who clothed us, they may glorify us, not knowing that we are a product of God’s transforming power.  We must live close enough to our observing friends to redirect their compliments to God, the author of our transformation.

One of my work partners said to me, “Jay, you are the most patient and easy going person I know.  You never let our unreasonable bosses or changing expectations or not being recognized for an accomplishment upset you.”

I replied, “Cecil, that is not the whole story.  What you see as just my personality goes much deeper.  I am actually one of the most competitive people you know.  But God changed me.  He gave me a new outlook and a new direction in my life that has allowed me to put, for the most part, the mean side of my competitiveness aside.”  Please understand, reader, that I have no interest in tooting my own horn.  This is just an example of turning my good deeds to point someone to the author of those deeds.  I am embarrassed to say that on the whole, this conversation has been way too rare in my life.

There is also a negative side to how our actions affect God’s reputation.  If we continue in sin, we are basically saying to the world, “God’s promises are not true.  He cannot be trusted.”  Because God has promised us not only eternal life, but victory over sin in this life, this victory becomes a referendum on God’s trustworthiness.  When the church looks like the world – an all too common accusation – God’s reputation is harmed.  But we won’t look like the world as we learn how to live into the victory God has secured.

Let’s summarize with Jesus’ words in Matthew chapter 5, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:16).  Brothers and sisters, doing the right thing lifts up the reputation of our Father who is in heaven.

Serving God out of loyalty is very similar to serving God out of duty.  Our allegiance to Christ is a great motivator for doing the right thing.  In II Timothy, the apostle Paul develops the idea of a “worthy soldier” who serves the Lord out of loyalty.  “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful (or loyal) men, who will be able to teach others also.  Suffer hardship with me, as a worthy soldier of Christ Jesus.  No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier” (II Tim 2:2-4).

Now Paul is not forbidding us from cooking our meals, paying our bills, going to school, or other activities we may consider everyday life.  He is painting a picture, an analogy.  Just as a soldier, once enlisted, leaves behind his everyday activities to singularly focus on serving his country; so the believer, once saved, leaves behind the “sin which so easily entangles us” (Heb 12:1) and singularly serves the Lord Jesus Christ.  That singular allegiance is so strong that Jesus used the most jolting language available to Him – hating one’s parents and loved ones – to illustrate its necessity.  (See our post on Hating One’s Parents and Love in the Big Circle).

It is also important to teach our children about sticking to the things they have been asked to do out of a sense of loyalty.  I don’t know how many times I have awaken to an early alarm clock and set out on the long commute downtown out of a sense of loyalty to my employer and duty to provide for my family.  Teaching our children about loyalty in a family setting will prepare them not only for their adult responsibilities but for loyalty to God when life’s challenges come.

When our children were still at home, we had a phrase we would use, “This is what the Lehmans do.”  It was not a statement of pride or self-promotion; it was a statement of family identity.  I remember one occasion when our high-schooler asked, “Do I really have to go along with you and spend the weekend visiting my sister in college again?”  I said, “Yes, because spending this kind of time together is what the Lehmans do.”  He replied, “That’s what you always say.”  (We also practiced flexibility and this child spent plenty of weekends with friends when it was appropriate.)  But you get the idea, when the time is right, we lean on our family loyalty.

And it applied to we parents as well.  There were many evenings when I thought I was just too tired to start a time of family Bible reading before we sent the kids off to bed.  But I would tell myself the same thing that I told the kids, “This is what the Lehmans do,” and we would launch into our time together.  The result, by God’s grace, is a family that enjoys being together and is loyal to each other.

Serving God out of loyalty is similar to serving God out of duty.  It is the “right thing to do.”