God Will Reward Your Faithfulness

On a shelf in my home office, there is a brass clock engraved with the words “Volunteer of the Year, 1998.” I received the clock for serving as a hospice chaplain with the Visiting Nurse Association of Wisconsin. I attended to patients and their families because the Holy Spirit placed the ministry of comfort on my heart. The pastor in me longed for people in their final days to know that Jesus will save any sinner who, like the repentant thief on the cross, looks to him with humble, childlike faith (see Luke 23:43). I would have kept serving as the Lord called me, with or without a reward. Nevertheless, it was meaningful to me to be appreciated. I’m guessing the same may be true of you.

Heavenly Rewards

Scripture mentions various heavenly rewards promised to faithful Christians: an imperishable prize to those who finish the race (see 1 Cor. 9:24–25), a heavenly inheritance to those who work “heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Col. 3:23; see also v. 24), the crown of righteousness to those who look to Jesus’s coming (see 2 Tim. 4:8), an unnamed reward for all those who build their ministry on the foundation of Christ (see 1 Cor. 3:14), and a crown of glory to faithful church shepherds (see 1 Peter 5:4). Earthly rewards may be a powerful incentive for some to exhibit faithfulness, but how much more should believers be motivated by everlasting rewards!

James 1:12 names another reward you may find encouraging when your endurance wanes: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” The crown of life is God’s promise to you for remaining “steadfast under trial.” James says that when your faith has “stood the test” of trials and persecution, God will not forget you. You will be remembered by the One who matters most.

Don’t Live for Earthly Rewards

The person who lives for earthly riches and rewards will glory only “in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away” (James 1:10). He will “fade away in the midst of his pursuits” (v. 11). But those who persevere in faith prove the genuineness of their faith, for which they will receive a reward “which God has promised to those who love him.”

Promised rewards are a way God encourages us. As we remain steadfast through whatever trials come our way, the Spirit authenticates our faith—he confirms it to the end. Having this eternal perspective helps us to “consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed” (Rom. 8:18) and to count it joy “when [we] meet trials of various kinds, for [we] know that the testing of [our] faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2).

Practical Tips

• Talk to Yourself. Have you ever thought about any of God’s promised rewards? If so, how has it affected your walk with him and your service in His name?
• Talk to God. Read Matthew 7:7–11. Write a prayer of appreciation for God’s generosity toward his children.
• Talk to Others. Are any of your brothers or sisters in the Lord or fellow pastors going through a time of severe testing? Send them a note or text reminding them of the goodness of the heavenly Father.

©2024 Paul Tautges. Used with permission.