Our Soul's Reward

As has happened several times before, I was recently struck in a new way by a familiar lyric in a song we often sing on Sunday mornings.

We will stand as children of the promise

We will fix our eyes on Him our soul’s reward

Till the race is finished and the work is done

We’ll walk by faith and not by sight

(https://store.gettymusic.com/us/song/by-faith/)

It was the idea of the Lord Himself being our soul's reward that kind of took me aback. I think it's probably because, like many of you, I have been feeling very discouraged about what constitutes "reward" from a worldly point of view.

Reward in the verb tense means to receive what one deserves. This can be in the positive sense or the negative and depending on which side of the social spectrum you fall, opinions vary widely.

What do we rightly deserve?

Well, in one view, it seems to be true that any amount of distress in one's life deserves to be rewarded with whatever will eradicate it in the quickest way possible no matter the tactics. Any learning, growing, stretching or edifying that could come as a result of pressing through the difficulty is eliminated before it has the chance of life.

So where does this leave those that don't necessarily hold to that view? What are we to do about the distress we see playing out in our loved ones lives and in our own? What is our reward?

If you are a follower of Jesus, it turns out our real reward is more than we could have ever hoped for and better than even our wildest dreams. Read on.

"After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”"

Genesis 15:1

Believers, it's time to put our honesty hats on.

When was the last time you faced a difficult trial and found yourself on your knees thanking the Lord for the exceedingly great reward of Himself despite the junky circumstances around you?

I'm going out on a limb and answering never. Never was the last time you did that. I don't know, maybe that's just me.

Can we just say it out loud? Most times we are all still on the struggle bus when it comes to trusting in the Lord's unfailing goodness in our lives when our lives are hitting the fan.

Facing hardships as believers is often the time when these trust issues are revealed. Deep down we think we are being punished, don't we? At the same time, we irrationally attribute some sort of reward to those around us who are currently in the blessed state of status quo.

This is definitely not to say that the Lord doesn't administer blessings and consequences onto his children, because he certainly does. I am addressing our inaccurate perspective of reward vs. punishment which stems from our lack of understanding, as believers, of what constitutes true reward in the first place.

How many times have you heard something along the lines of "Why would God allow this? He could stop this at any point!" I fully admit, this question strikes fear into my own heart because I absolutely know without a shadow of a doubt I would ask the very same under highly stressful circumstances. And, likely, I would not be satisfied with the non-answer I would receive in return.

The non-answer, of course, goes something like this, "Our world is broken because of sin and because all of creation is under sin's curse, excruciating pain is possible this side of heaven. It doesn't mean God likes it. He draws near to the brokenhearted."

On the surface, there is nothing bad about this answer at all. Seriously, there's not a thing wrong with any of it and we have all said it in some form or fashion to our friends who are really up against it.

What I want to point out, though, is why the question itself and this popular answer (or non-answer) are ultimately short sighted by referring back to Genesis 15:1 above.

When someone asks that question, what they are essentially communicating (maybe not all the time, but definitely some of the time) is, "Why is God punishing me? I have tried everything I know to live a good, Christian life. Yet here we are anyway. Why??" The problem is we have faulty thinking when it comes to reward which in turn creates faulty thinking when it comes to what we consider punishment. 

Look again at who, not what, is our reward.

IT IS GOD HIMSELF.

Not the clean bill of health.

Not the promotion.

Not the end of the year bonus.

Not the healthy delivery of the baby.

Not the perfect grades.

Not the winning sports trophy.

Not the college scholarship.

Not the new house.

Not the perfect spouse.

Not the well adjusted children.

These are extremely good results. They are not exceedingly great rewards.

Look again. "I am... your exceedingly great reward."

Okay, wow. How can we even begin to comprehend this? How can we begin to identify so closely with our invisible God that we literally consider Him to be a daily prize so great that no matter what gut punches life is throwing at us moment to moment, we are fully at rest in Him?

Beats me, but I will list for you now what a few great writers have to say about it and then we can see where we land.

"As Christians, the God of the universe has looked upon us and given Himself for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is our reward as well. He has blessed us with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3), given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3), forgiven us, provided for us, instructed us, brought us into His family (1 John 3:1) and promised us a home in heaven one day! Yet, what do we still do? We are still asking for lesser things—our own “heir.” It may be stuff, money, health, a spouse, children, fame or a host of other things. Mind you, some of these things are wonderful, and rightly to be desired (such as a spouse, children, health, etc.), but compared to having God as our reward and all that goes along with it, they are still lesser. Our greatest joy comes when we see Him and He alone as enough to satisfy us in our lives. And the test of that is when we, like Abram, are willing to live without our “heirs” as long as we have God."

(http://douglasshillschurch.org/resources/articles/2017/01/25/genesis-15-god-our-reward)

"Question. But how does God give Himself to His people? Is not His essence incommunicable?"

"Answer. True, the saints cannot partake of God's very essence; the riches of the Deity are too great to be received in essence. But the saints shall have all in God, which may be for their comfort. They shall partake so much of God's likeness, His love, His influence, and the irradiations of His glory (1 John 3:2; John 17:26) as astonishes and fills the vessels of mercy, that they run over with joy."

(https://www.gracegems.org/Watson/god_is_his_people.htm)

"Often, today, the primary spiritual rewards we seek are: more anointing for ministry, increased favor with people, or economic prosperity. Yes, these are the blessing of God, but they are intended to be secondary. Our spiritual life is weakened when secondary blessings take first place in our lives. However, as the Holy Spirit reveals the bridal paradigm to us, the primary reward of the kingdom comes to the forefront. The anointing to experience and receive God’s love and then to love Him in return is the primary anointing to glorify God."

(https://www.ihopkc.org/resources/blog/jesus-our-primary-reward/)

"You, beloved, have probably seen others suffering the loss of all things, and brought to deep despair as the result, but do not be alarmed at whatever happens to you. You have made God to be your refuge, and you shall find a most secure abode in Him. You may have losses and afflictions, these are a part of your lot, but they shall not overwhelm you. You shall be no real losers in the end, but you shall be kept by the power of God, and shall be delivered out of every trial and affliction. He shall be to you also your shield, and your exceeding great reward."

(https://www.spurgeongems.org/sermon/chs2814.pdf)

It seems as though spiritual training to recognize primary vs. secondary rewards is in order here. Let's review just a few of the things listed above that we are to consider secondary:

More stuff, money, health, a spouse, children, fame, more anointing for ministry, increased favor with people and economic prosperity. This is just from the excerpts, not the full articles!

Let's also review a few things from these excepts that are to be praised as our primary rewards:

The God of the universe looked upon us and sent us Himself in the form of Jesus Christ, forgiveness, provision, instruction, adoption, partaking in God's likeness/love/influence/glory, the anointing to receive God's love and to love Him in return.

Whew. That's quite a list. I can not lie and say that I fully understand how to make this my go-to flowchart when things turn really sour. But, in truth, could this be the answer to all of life's bewildering questions, namely, "Why is this happening to me?"

Could the real answer simply be, "Because this NOT happening was never actually promised to me as my exceedingly great reward. Only God was." In addition, sad happenings should not always be looked upon as divine punishments. We are sojourners in a broken land that is not our home. Although we are allowed glimpses of heaven here, our real reward will come in the form of greeting our Savior face to face after a little while (and quite possibly a lot of pain). Just hang on a while longer friend.

I know what you are thinking because I was thinking it too.

Are you, Leslie, trying to tell us that in the face of the hardest circumstances one could ever face (your child has cancer, your spouse was killed instantly in a car wreck, your adult child has lost their way and is ruining their life before your very eyes, etc.), we can actually train ourselves to take hold of a supernatural victory so complete that we can view ourselves as winners even on the days of our greatest defeats?

If God is always and forevermore before our eyes as our primary and exceedingly great reward, then the answer is yes.

"Just so, what has God more to give than Himself? What greater dowry is there than the Deity? God is not only the saints' rewarder—but He is their reward. Job 22:25, "The Almighty shall be your gold," for so does the Hebrew word import. The sum of all is this, The saints' portion lies in God. Psalm 16:5, "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup.""

(https://www.gracegems.org/Watson/god_is_his_people.htm)

With the Lord as our portion, we lack nothing. No person. No place. No time. No circumstance. Nothing. He is our ultimate compensation, and friends, He waits to wipe all your tears away for good. 

What are we willing to live without so long as we have God in our lives? Are we able to truly say that our greatest joy comes when we see Him and Him alone? Is He enough to completely satisfy us in our lives?

Make it a point with me to meditate on these truths until they become second nature. That way we may finally and rightly be able to re-order our thoughts on what is, and what is not, our exceedingly great reward.