60 Seconds – Eternal Rewards

The first was a woman who died in London. She was famous for being “the best dressed woman in Europe.” She left an abundance of expensive apparel and jewelry, but with each piece of wealth, she also had the same empty eyes, spiritually deaf ears, and famished soul. The second was a man who died in the same city, with but one suit, blue with a red collar on the coat. He was William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army. He had but one costume, but he lived in thousands of lives.

We are promised that when we stand before God, “If anyone’s work which he has built on endures, he will receive a reward” (1 Corinthians 3:14). “Reward” is translated from the word misthos, an old Greek word that denotes pay, salary, or reward. We are assured that Christ will make sure we are well compensated and rewarded for all eternity. It has been stated, “No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.”

There was an old saint who used to say that he would wish to quench all the fires of hell with water, and to burn up all the joys of heaven with fire, in order that men seek for goodness for nothing but goodness sake, and in order that the idea of reward and punishment might be totally eliminated from life. However, William Barclary, commenting on Matthew 6:1–18, wrote, “On the face of it, that point of view is very fine and noble, but it is not the point of view which Jesus held. We have already seen that three times in this passage Jesus speaks about reward. The right kind of almsgiving, the right kind of prayer, and the right kind of fasting will all have their reward.”

“Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve, And press with vigor on;
A heavenly race demands thy zeal, And an immortal crown.
“It is important to remember that one’s harvest is not always reaped in this life” (Paul Powell).