August 12, 2016

God Rewards your Sacrifice

“Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)

Sacrifice isn’t convenient. It never is. But God still calls us to it.

How does Jesus influence us to sacrifice? What’s the appeal? How does He persuade us?

The answer is clear: Reward. Real, eternal, abundant reward.

In the Scripture I cited, Jesus is specifically talking about people who are traditionally referred to as “missionaries” – those who leave what is comfortable and familiar to proclaim the hope of Jesus. But there is a spiritual principle here that applies to all people.

This is the principle: When you sacrifice, for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel, you will be richly rewarded, and your reward will be real, eternal, and abundant.

Do you believe that? You don’t need to answer that question with your mouth. Your life says it all.

In what ways are you sacrificing for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel?

One of the key functions of the local church is to provide a place for Christians to practically serve Jesus and the Gospel by sacrificing their time, talents, and treasure.

An error that our culture spreads is the idea that serving others is good because it makes us feel good. Our culture is largely secular, so people don’t commonly talk about serving God and receiving a real, eternal, abundant reward. Instead, they talk about how being a “good” person makes us feel good.

Sometimes Christians believe this error, and they lose perspective on why they are sacrificing and what they are sacrificing for. Inevitably, this leads to apathy, going through the motions, and eventually, burnout.

Nonetheless, Jesus expects that some Christians will leave all they know to proclaim the hope of Jesus. How can Jesus expect that? How can He call someone to so much painful sacrifice?

The answer is clear: Reward. Jesus doesn’t offer some lame promise about feeling good about yourself when you do good things. He promises a real, eternal, abundant reward. But not everyone is called to be a missionary, in the traditional sense. So what does that mean for the rest of us?

I’m thinking of the demon-possessed man who Jesus healed in Mark chapter 5. After being healed, the man requested to travel with Jesus. What an awesome opportunity! How exotic! How thrilling! Jesus said no. Instead, Jesus told him to stay where he was and to serve God in his hometown.

Ordinary. Usual. Same. Day in, day out. Routine. Sun up, sun down. On mission by serving those right in front of him, sharing the hope of Christ, and living a life worthy of imitation.

Sometimes we have our own ideas about how we want to serve God. And yet, in our local church, we meet real people and see real ministries. It’s not hypothetical. Not some bright and cheery dream. It’s real.

And so we have to decide: Do we wait to sacrifice and serve until the ideal becomes real? (Does that really ever happen?) Or do we serve the real people and the real ministries in our local church?

If I wasn’t a Christian, I’d have to settle for some lame promise. I hear the world talk about the reward of knowing you’re a good person. What a joke. Show me how “good” you are. I can find a crack. You can find them in me too. Get over yourself.

But I know Jesus, and He doesn’t make lame promises. He promises a real, eternal, abundant reward when I sacrifice and serve to honor Him. What I sacrifice is nothing compared to what He promises to give me. That’s true for every person. Remember what the Scripture said? Jesus promises to give “a hundredfold” of whatever you sacrifice. The reward is based on the sacrifice.

I’m not preaching the demonic gospel of Joel Osteen and his corrupt cronies. I said real, eternal, abundant reward. Not temporary health and wealth.

Are you a Christian? If yes, then where is your local church? In what ways are you serving and sacrificing? Are you waiting for the ideal? Waiting for the church to grow, for things to be easier, for people to accommodate you more? Or are you engaging with the real people and the real ministries right in front of you?

Our sacrifice – if it’s done to honor Jesus – is never wasted. God honors our faithfulness, and Jesus promises a real, eternal, abundant reward. Do you believe that? Let your life answer that question.