Rewards. Points. Bonuses. If you have a smart phone, or iPhone, you have probably seen the apps that offer rewards for eating at their restaurants. McDonalds has an app. Quiznos has an app. I believe every eating establishment has an app to reward customers who eat with them and use the app. We like rewards because we can get them instantly. Press a button on the phone, scan a code, get points and get the reward. It sounds great. I actually have some of these apps on my phone so I can get rewards when eating out.

The Bible promises that we can have rewards for living the Christian life as well. Listen to what it says in Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Unlike the instant rewards we can get from the stores, rewards for living the Christian life takes work. It takes doing what we do in a way that is pleasing to God. The reward is an inheritance from God. It is a great reward, though we will not receive it until we are no longer on earth. However, while the reward is great, there is something we need to do. We need to work in a way that pleases God. It doesn’t matter what we are doing, we have to do it as if we are doing it for God, which we are.

When we work, we all work for one thing and that is payment. That is our reward. We all want to get paid for doing what we do. A day’s work for a day’s pay. But when it comes to our heavenly reward, God is the judge. He knows if we do our jobs with a good heart. He knows if we treat people in a way that pleases Him when we serve them or take care of them.

I can remember my first job when I was 16. I worked at a Burger King. It was good to get paid, but it was hard to serve my fellow classmates and those who looked down on me for working fast food. I didn’t think much about the fact that I was working with fast food because I wanted and needed money. To me, it was about getting people the food they wanted. In school, I worked to get paid. While I do that now, I look at it differently. I look at working as pleasing God. It truly changes the view of the job.

I look forward to the day when I get to receive my heavenly reward. I enjoy life, but the reward is what Christians should look forward to. Until then, we are to work hard and work to please God. He is our ultimate boss and He is the one we should please. Until next week…

Peace and Blessings…

Johnny