Our Eternal Rewards

Our Eternal Rewards

By Dr. Charles Stanley

Revelation 4:9-11

Throughout Scripture, we find references to "crowns." Let's take a look at these eternal rewards for a victorious Christian life and a strong relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Crown of Victory. To finish life well, believers need Olympic endurance. Athletes in those ancient games received a perishable circlet of laurel leaves. But when we are effective in our God-given ministry and triumph over sin, we'll be given an imperishable crown (1 Cor. 9:25-27).

The Crown of Exultation. The believers that we had a hand in bringing to Christ will be "our glory and joy" before the Lord (1 Thess. 2:18-20). Just imagine how you will rejoice in heaven upon seeing and talking with the people who recognize your contribution to their spiritual development.

The Crown of Righteousness. The Christian life is not easy, but there is great reward for living righteously when facing temptation or hardship. Believers who pursue godliness are always thinking about the life to come and striving to meet God with a pure conscience (2 Tim. 4:5-8).

The Crown of Life. Heartache and pain are unavoidable in this life, but we can take heart because much spiritual growth happens in adversity. Hang in there to receive the crown of life that the Lord promised to those who love Him (James 1:12).

In heaven, what will we do with the crowns we have earned? We will cast them before Jesus' feet (Rev. 4:10), laying them down as a tribute to the One who saved us, gifted us, equipped us, and lived in us. Everything good and right came to us through the Lord, so He deserves our crowns.

How Do We Say Yes to God

How Do We Say Yes to God
By Amaris Beecher

How do we say yes to God?

First, determine to say no in your mind.

“A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out.” – Proverbs 25:28 MSG

I like how the New King James Version put it as well: “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.”That word “spirit” can also mean mind. And isn’t that the truth. If we can’t rule our minds, then we are defenseless against the enemy’s schemes. We are like a home with its doors and windows knocked in. Anyone can come in and steal and kill whatever they want. A person without the ability to control their thoughts is the exact person that the enemy will go after.

Telling yourself no means confronting the thoughts that are not from God. Thoughts of rejection, insecurity, doubt, self-doubt… these things are not from God. And if those thoughts are running rampant in our minds, we are actually telling God no! We cannot believe lies and truth at the same time. If we are accepting the lies, then we are rejecting the Truth.

Where in your thought-life do you believe lies?

Second, have faith in God’s promises.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.“ - Hebrews 11:1

Saying yes to God means stepping out into the unknown; moving forward in something that you believe God is asking you to do (it’s confirmed in His Word). When that young man and I broke up, I had no idea where God was going to lead me. I remember one time confessing to my pastor that I was planning to be a nun because I didn’t see any men in my future. He just laughed and told me no.

If you read Hebrews 11, you’ll see all those who have gone before us with faith to see things that were unseen at the time. Take Abraham for example; God asked him to leave his country and go somewhere else to establish a new covenant with Him. BY FAITH Abraham obeyed and went out even though he did not know where he was going (Hebrew 11:8-9)

Here are more verses for mediation. Do you believe God when he says these things? Do you trust that He is working all things for YOUR GOOD? That He does have a purpose in your life?

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”- Romans 8:28

 “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”  - Isaiah 40:31

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”-Isaiah 43:2

Even our lack of faith cannot thwart God’s purposes. All of the saints spoken of in Hebrews 11 were flawed humans just like us, and God still used them. Why? Because they continued to say yes to Him! They rejected the lies of the enemy and continued to trust despite their shortcomings.

This word is for us too.

This day, if God is asking you to move forward on something – say YES! How will you know if God is asking you to say yes to something? He will confirm it through His word. Do not be shy to ask for confirmation, either! Ask God to confirm what He is asking. He will do it.

On the Lack of Lightning Bolts

On the Lack of Lightning Bolts 
by Katherine Britton

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

I memorized these verses years and years ago, along with John 3:16 and other verses that good little children in Sunday School learn. In my five-year-old mind, I associated the proverb with a mental picture of a road stretching out for miles until it merged with the horizon. That was the “straight road” that I could so easily understand – clearly marked, unswerving, and, most importantly, unchanging. All I had to do was trust God and keep following that path. Little did I know, right?

At times the journey has felt more like an anecdote that Abraham Lincoln told of a man traveling through a thunderstorm. Through the mud and the sheets of rain, the poor traveler felt that he would lose his way entirely. The thunderclaps seemed right overhead, jolting his senses every few moments. Only the flashes of lightning helped him keep to the road. Finally, after a particularly loud crash, the man fell to his knees and cried, “O, Lord God, if it’s all the same to you, I would like a little more light and little less noise!”

The major and minor uncertainties I’ve encountered – and will encounter in the future – often leave me with that sentiment. I think back to the promise of paths made straight and grumble that the signposts would be a lot easier to follow if they were in neon. We all ask, is this the career path you want me to take, God? Is this the man you want me to marry? Should I buy this house? Are we supposed to settle at this church? In what kind of school should we enroll the kids? God, I could really use a lightning bolt to clarify things!

It’s easy to forget that the proverb reserves the promise until the last quarter of the verse, not the first. Review the wording of verse 6 with me. “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

I memorized this verse years ago, but I’m still learning it by heart. Task-oriented person that I am, it’s easier to visualize myself making “progress” towards a goal than it is to stop and refocus on inner attitudes. It doesn't occur to me that part the plan is simply standing still, waiting, and listening. I demand lightning bolts to see God’s working rather than taking responsibility for the part assigned to me. My part lies in the trusting, the repudiating of self, and a settled confidence that he will work all things for his purpose. Then… the path is straightened. We may not even realize it this side of heaven, but the promise is that he guides our feet when our eyes are on him.

I fully believe that the Lord guides us in specific ways – through the Word, through the counsel of godly mentors, through nudges of the Holy Spirit – and yet we get caught up in the road metaphor a little too much. We’re so distracted looking for the path that we forget a lifestyle of worship. To an extent, it matters less what we’re doing than how we’re doing it. As Paul wrote, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

The wonder of God’s plan for us lies in this – in taking our eyes off the road at our feet and looking to him, God finds our way for us.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Step one: trust in the Lord with all your heart. Step tw do not lean on your own understanding. Step three: in all your ways acknowledge him. Result: whatever your path, he will direct your steps and make your path straight.