Heavenly Reward is not Beneath You

My son and one daughter (the other daughter is rather nonplussed with sports) are both in competitive sports. With all fatherly humility–they rock.

Our house is filling with awards. It’s cool. It’s fun. It proves once and for all that my family is way better than yours.

There have been times where my kids have not won. It’s true, I will admit it. But what is cool is that losing bothers them! They want to do better. They want the award. They want to know they won.

There are some in our world who think this is bad. Now, certainly it is something to be careful with. Winning at all costs is bad. Striving to win, however, is good.

Not keeping score in Little League is ridiculous. Giving ribbons to everyone who participated is nonsensical. Strive to win.

The Bible speaks of heaven as a reward. It even hints at degrees of reward in eternity and degrees of punishment in hell based on earthly performance. There are many who piously claim they are above this.

“I serve Jesus because I love Him. I do not stoop to compete for some crown.”

Well, hey, get over yourself. Actually, don’t, cuz then you’ll be one more person I totally defeat.

God promises us rewards for service rendered. He does this as a Father encourages His children. It’s not some sort of law principle. It isn’t something that eliminates love, or grace, or whatever.

When you do good you get good. You reap what you sow.

One reason why our world is so sports obsessed is because we inherently love the idea of competition. Even my non-sportsy daughter is very competitive in playing piano. She wants to do well and she wants reward for it.

If you are a father who never rewards good from your kids, or punishes bad from your kid, you are a messed up individual.

My Father in heaven rewards good and punishes bad. It’s one reason I love Him. There is a score. Are ya winning?

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.