Suffering unto Rewards

Since my last post, I have been reminded of some truths that are important to keep hold of if we are to understand suffering and sacrifice in a healthy way.

Last night, Mike Bickle preached a message dealing with the Millennial Kingdom, and in it he made the observation that Jesus more often than not used rewards as motivation to his followers. Take the Beatitudes as an example. The demands made in those verses are some of the most repulsive ideas in scripture. Jesus wants a people who are poor in spirit, who mourn, are hungry and thirsty, and are insulted and persecuted for righteousness' sake. No one naturally gravitates towards these things. No one listens to that job description and says "sign me up!" But thankfully, Jesus doesn't end there. For each area of self-contradiction and suffering, a heavenly reward is promised. Why am I blessed to mourn? Because I will be comforted by the hand of the Father that wipes away every tear and seats me in a house where sorrow will be no more. Why am I blessed to be beaten for the gospel or ostracized by my friends and coworkers? Because Jesus says great is my reward in heaven. The question is not so much "do I want to loose my life," but "do I want to gain it?"

For a long time, the Lord has had my heart meditating on the "loss" side of the coin and not the "gain" side. And make no mistake - meditating on the "losses" has been absolutely amazing, and has done nothing but lead me to love Him more. Gazing at meekness and voluntary abuse has been one of the most profound lessons I have ever learned. I pray that I can continue to gaze at the beauty of sacrificial love for years to come. But it's important not to forget the other side. When it comes down to it, all these sacrifices are about temporary denial for eternal gain. Even Jesus endured the cross "for the joy set before him" and for "the rewards of His suffering." How much more should I take rewards in to account in my suffering?

The thing is, it's kind of hard to admit that I actually want rewards. One thing that Mike said was that many Christians (myself included at times) have this idea that we should love and sacrifice only for love and sacrifice's sake. We act as if loving Jesus is enough simply because it's "the right thing to do" and because it pleases God. It's a romantic thought, but if you've ever tried it out for any length of time, you know that it comes up short. And what's more, shouldn't we take a hint from Jesus when he continually offers us rewards in heaven? Maybe - just maybe - he knows what I need more than I do. If He thinks I need rewards as motivation, I probably do.

Over the past year, The Lord has been stirring up a desire in me to walk in sacrifice and to love those who cannot love me back. But I cannot begin to do so unless I am satisfied. It does not work. It is a deception to believe that I can walk in love just because I am "supposed to." Love is indeed the right thing to do, but it is essential that I am satisfied in the midst of sacrifice. As the favor of man and the affirmation of others lessens in my life, I must experience the smile of the Father in order to go on in love. I am wired to seek my own good, and this is not a bad thing when we take it to Jesus. Like I say, this takes some getting used to, and it's downright offensive to my false humility, which opts to politely decline rewards and continue trudging along in noble denial.

So, yes - choose humility. Choose meekness. Choose suffering. But remember that those choices are bringing you an eternal weight of Glory which you will unashamedly enjoy forever. That alone gives you power to embrace the "downward mobility" of the Kingdom.