Dec 11

Colossians 3:24
Memorise Colossians 3:24
“…for ye serve the Lord Christ…”

Paul continues in Colossians 3:24 “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” The reason why Christians do not have to be men-pleasers is because he is confident that the Lord is the one who rewards, not man. Christ is our Lord, and if we do all things for the Lord’s sake, then the Lord knows and He will surely reward. Both the sureness and eternal value of this reward is described by the word inheritance: one will surely receive this compensation because it comes from God our Father to us His adopted sons. This reward is received in heaven where such rewards will never wilt. The Christian therefore does not worry if his boss is ungrateful or does not keep his promises, or if his boss is displeased with him and is unlikely ever to reward him, for he has faith that His Lord knows what  he has done. The Christian does not worry about whether he will get promoted or whether he will keep his job, because he knows God will provide for those who serve Him heartily and with singleness of mind. It is not a difficult concept to understand: think of Christ as the righteous and just ‘chairman’ who has ultimate authority over everyone. The chairman can and will override this boss under Him to ensure we will get our just reward for serving Him. Consider that He has already given us the gift of eternal life in heaven; what other reward can ever compare with that?

Do you treat high academic scores as reward? Often I see in prayer lists teens praying for good results. When I ask teens why they desire good results, often their answer is that this will get parents off their back. Surely this is men-pleasing? If high scores are always a reward, then those Christian students not gifted academically who try their best and yet cannot obtain good grades would wonder why they are not getting this reward. Dear teen, please understand that studies are a means for us to glorify God in heaven. The process is far more important than the final result. If we study to the best of our abilities, this is our service to the Lord. Whatever results we receive is His gracious gift to us, and we know that is always the best. We must not see these results the way the world sees it, but instead to look at them with our spiritual eyes. Strive to serve the Lord in your studies, but don’t treat only high scores as your reward; for doing all things unto the Lord, your reward is reserved for you in heaven.

Thought: If high scores should not be a reward, should I then not bother with scores?
Prayer: May I never strive to have good grades just for personal selfish reasons.