Why You Should Not Feel Bad About Pursuing Eternal Rewards
Deep down inside of every person exists an intrinsic desire to be rewarded. This motivation is evidenced in even the youngest children. When asked to do something beyond their typical responsibilities, my kids often respond with the question, “Am I getting paid for this?” It is human nature to expect rewards for our labor, and this intrinsic desire has been placed in us by God.
I used to think that serving others with the motivation of getting something in return was wrong. In one sense, it is wrong if I am focused solely on getting something physical in return on this earth. Luke 6:34-35 says,
If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great.
It was this final statement in verse 35 that left me wondering, “How will my reward be great if I expect (and probably get) nothing in return for those I am lending to?” The reward spoken about here is the reward that we will receive from God, not from man.
This reward is far superior to anything we could gain from another person. There are expressions of God’s reward we experience on earth, but the ultimate fulfillment of this promise is our heavenly inheritance.
The Motivation Myth
Many Christians believe that it is wrong to be motivated by our eternal prize. They assume their only motivation should be to obey God in fulfilling their earthly duty with no thought of their future reward. This notion seems right and humble at face value, the only problem is … it is not what the Bible teaches.
I was shocked by how many times Jesus Himself tells us to do things for the reward we will inherit in heaven. In fact, in the most important act of all human history, Christ endured the cross “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2). Even Jesus was motivated by His eternal reward as He accomplished His earthly assignment.
Being inspired to obey God by looking forward to our eternal reward is splashed all over the pages of Scripture. From the Old Testament to the New, we are told how our obedience in following the Lord will surely be rewarded. This truth has been underemphasized in the church for fear of appearing self-serving in our works for the kingdom.
I hope that this false humility will soon be overtaken by the revelation of what God’s word reveals about this topic. The truth is, God is actually glorified as He shares His glory with His beloved children. Once you believe this concept, you will be far more inclined to:
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” so that “when Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Colossians 3:2,4).
The Revelation of Eternal Rewards in The Old Testament Patriarchs
A brief look at Hebrews 11 will give us great insight into the motivation behind many of the most extraordinary acts of faith displayed in the Old Testament. The testimonies of these saints of old is built off a foundational statement given to us in verse 6, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). These great men of old walked not only in the faith that God exists but that He also bountifully rewards those who pursue Him.
Abraham was given a mighty promise that he would be “the father of a multitude of nations” (Genesis 17:5). This was an earthly promise that came with an earthly fulfillment. But this was not ultimately the promise that motivated Abraham to leave his homeland in search of the promised land.
So why was it that Abraham “lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land” (Hebrews 11:9)? We see the answer in the very next verse; it was because “he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10).
Abraham fixed his hope on an eternal city, using that image as one of his primary motives for obeying the Lord. He knew that he was guaranteed an impressive earthly inheritance (being the father of many nations is kind of a big deal), but this is not what ultimately drove him. Abraham was ultimately stirred by his desire for “a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16).
Receiving Your Eternal Weight of Glory
Now let’s consider the man who led the Jewish people’s exodus out of Egyptian captivity. Many of us know the miraculous story of how Pharos’ daughter adopted Moses after finding him in a basket on the Nile river. This took place during the period of the horrific edict given by the king of Egypt to immediately kill every newborn Jewish male (Exodus 1-2).
Though Moses grew up in the Pharos household, enjoying royalty’s comforts, he did not accept this position as his destiny. He knew that God had a different plan.
When he [Moses] had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt … (Hebrews 11:24-26).
Let’s pause and consider a moment before finishing verse 26. Why did Moses forsake this position of royalty in the King’s household to endure ill-treatment and experience the reproach of Christ? It was because “he was looking to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26).
Moses understood what would be so eloquently written by the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth when he declared that “momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Moses removed his gaze from earthly pleasure and instead chose to,
Look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Storing Up Treasures in Heaven
After observing how two Old Testament saints used heaven’s reward as an inspiration for completing their earthly assignment, let’s now look at how Christ and the early church viewed eternal rewards. Beginning with Christ’s words in Matthew 6:19-21, we see how we are to view earthly riches while considering endless treasures:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Christ removes the focus from earthly treasures and shows the superiority of heavenly rewards. This is a lesson my wife and I are attempting to teach our three children. Anyone with kids understands that it is a minor miracle to keep a toy in good working condition for more than a year.
At the dinner table the other night, Sarah and I were sharing with our children the concepts of spending, saving, and giving (thank you Dave Ramsey). When we asked them about what happened to most of the toys they had purchased, my youngest boy responded with something to the effect that “they became broken.”
His answer opened the door to share with our kids that eventually all earthly possessions end up in this condition. Whether they wear out, become outdated, or get lost, we can be sure that all our material belongings have a shelf life. 2 Peter 3:10 confirms that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”
If this is true, what are we to put our hope in when considering the final destruction of everything the earth contains? The answer is found if we continue reading:
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:11-13)
Don’t Fix Your Hope on a Gallon of Milk
Our hope is not in this world! Scripture reveals time and again that we must look beyond our natural existence and prepare ourselves for the new heavens and new earth where we will dwell for eternity. By living a life focused on storing up treasures in heaven, we can accomplish much both now and for all eternity.
All earthy riches come with an expiration date. To fix your hope on money is like fixing your hope on the gallon of milk in your fridge. It is for this reason Paul gives his beloved child in the faith Timothy the following directive,
Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Through our earthly generosity, we are storing up treasures of a good foundation for the future. Partial fulfillment of that reward will happen in this lifetime (although not always in material riches), but the ultimate future foundation that we are sowing into is our heavenly reward.
This allows us to move beyond investing in the temporal to investing in the eternal, which is life indeed! Let me finish with a quote from Randy Alcorn, the author of The Treasure Principle, who conveys this truth in a simple but clever way,
Ever seen that bumper sticker “He who dies with the most toys wins”? Millions of people act as if it were true. The more accurate saying is “He who dies with the most toys still dies—and never takes his toys with him.” When we die after devoting our lives to acquiring things, we don’t win—we lose. We move into eternity, but our toys stay behind, filling junkyards. The bumper sticker couldn’t be more wrong. [1]
[1] Alcorn, Randy. “The Treasure Principle.” New York: Multnomah, 2017.