A REWARD is more valued than a present—at least, by most people. I dare say you would rather take home a prize from school than receive a present from a friend: such a preference is only natural. The prize, you see, would be an acknowledgment of something that you have done, while the present would only reflect honor upon the giver. When God in His great love gave Jesus to die for your sins, that was God's present to you: it showed His wonderful kindness, and, at the same time, it showed your own sinfulness, so that all the merit of the transaction was on God's side. But now that you are a Christian, if you are doing something for God, that may bring you a reward, although (and you must never forget this) it will still be only the fruit of His grace; "for it is God which worketh in you both TO WILL and TO DO of his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:1313For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13).) Every Christlike thought you think, every Christlike wish that you indulge, every Christlike act which you Perform, is simply the fruit of God's gracious work in you, but if you allow Him to carry on that work you will not be without your reward by-and-by.
The Bible has dozens of references to rewards. There are rewards for evil as well as for good, but such rewards as those are not by any means to be envied, for they are rewards of punishment. David says that the Lord "plentifully rewardeth the proud doer" (Psa. 21:23); and again, in another place, "He shall reward evil unto mine enemies." (Psa. 54:55He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth. (Psalm 54:5).) I once heard of a wicked bishop who persuaded King Louis XI., of France, to get his workmen to construct an iron cage, in which to confine certain prisoners of note. The cape was so arranged that a man could neither stand upright nor lie down in it, and his body, therefore, was always in a bent position. Not long after the cage was made the bishop lost favor with his sovereign, and was the first to be imprisoned in it, where he suffered incredible tortures for upwards of fourteen years! This is an instance of evil rewarded, and it furnishes also an illustration of the words, "He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made." (Psa. 7:1515He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. (Psalm 7:15).)
But my purpose is not to speak of rewards for evil, but rewards for good; and these, again, are of two kinds. There are earthly rewards and there are heavenly rewards. It was a reward of an earthly kind which a Roman Emperor offered to the man who would discover a new pleasure. He had tried all the pleasures of the world and found them vain and unsatisfying, so he offered a great sum of money to the man who would introduce him to a new object of delight. History does not inform us whether that reward was over earned. It was a reward of a heavenly kind which the aged Polycarp earned when he yielded up his life in the cause of his Lord and Savior. They wanted him to blaspheme the name of that blessed One, but he said, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He has never done me wrong; How can I now blaspheme my King and Savior?" Shortly afterward he was burned at the stake. It was a reward of a heavenly kind, too, which the devoted Paul spoke about when he said, "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (2 Tim. 4:6, 7, 86For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6‑8).)
And Paul and Polycarp are not the only Christians who will be rewarded in that day—do not run away with that idea. "Not to me only," says Paul, "but unto all them also that love his appearing." A young man lay dying, not many years ago. He had clung close to Christ while he was in health and strength, and now that his health was ruined and his strength almost gone, Christ was clinging close to him. He was so happy as he lay there. His poor broken-hearted mother was standing beside his bed, looking, with all a mother's tenderness, upon his thin, pale face. "Oh, John!" at last she cried, catching his attenuated hand in hers, "I wish I were as happy as you, and that I could go with you." The dying youth replied, "Press forward, mother! press forward! there is a CROWN for you as well as for me.”
Ah! that is it. There is a reward—a crown—a prize for all who run with patience the race that is set before them; not heaven merely, but some special acknowledgment for the specially faithful. Paul was a champion runner in the race that was set before him, and he tells us some interesting facts with regard to it. At the time he wrote his letter to the Christians at Philippi he was still running; he had not yet reached the goal; he was not yet perfect. But he tells us that he was forgetting those things which were behind, and reaching forward to those things which were before, and was pressing toward the mark for the prize...(Phil. 3) This is just what a person would do who was running a race in good earnest. If you were running a race, for example, you would forget the things which are behind, would you not? I know some boys have a great habit of looking back, either to see how much ground they have passed, or how far the other racers are behind; but they lose ground that way, and never seem to win. People in the Bible who "looked back" do not make a very creditable show when you come to think of them. Lot's wife looked back and became a pillar of salt; the Israelites looked back to the garlic and onions, and flesh-pots of Egypt, and began to murmur; and Jesus said that "No man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:6262And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62).) How could the man drive a straight furrow when he was looking behind him?
Then Paul was "reaching forward" to those things which were before. That is simple; for you must have often noticed with what eagerness the racer stretches out his head and hand in his anxiety to reach the goal; and how, as the goal gets nearer, his body leans more forward, and he seems pressing toward the mark. But is that what YOU are doing, dear reader? Are YOU forgetting the things which are behind—the sins and follies of the past, and even the possible good things that you have done; and reaching forward—earnestly, anxiously reaching forward—to the things that are before: the bright future of glory which will soon be yours? Yes, are YOU pressing forward toward the mark—that bright Object at the end of the course: that Object of present and unclouded delight to every earnest runner in the race, "even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." (1 Thess. 1:1010And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10).) Ah! this is a question which you ought to think about.
But do not think too much upon the reward—think of CHRIST. Do not make it a labor for pay, but a labor of love. Even the runner in the race has his whole attention fixed upon the mark; and though the prize may come into his thoughts from time to time, and he may be cheered by the prospect of winning it, it is never the absorbing object of his mind. Paul did not say that he was pressing toward the prize: no, he was pressing toward the mark FOR the prize. And you remember what he said in another place. It was not, "for me to live is reward, or hope of reward." But "for me to live is Christ." The language of your heart should be the language of a little verse, with which, perhaps, you are familiar:-
"O fix my earnest gaze
So wholly, Lord, on Thee,
That with Thy beauty occupied
I elsewhere none may see”
And if you are seeking to live for Christ, though in ever so simple a way, depend upon it you will not be without your crown by-and-by.
In the days of ancient Greece, it was customary at certain seasons, for the people to celebrate the festivals of their false gods by athletic displays or sacred games, which were called the Isthmian, the Olympic, the Pythian, and the Nemæan games. The victors in these games were crowned with garlands of leaves by some person of distinction (oftentimes an emperor), who presided in the great circus; the garlands in the Isthmian games being made of pine leaves; in the Olympic games, of wild olive; in the Pythian, of laurel; and in the Nemæan, of parsley. There were other and more substantial rewards given afterward, but these leafy crowns were given on the spot, and were an earnest of what was to follow. The sports consisted of racing, wrestling, leaping, boxing, and quoiting; and there were also prizes awarded for poetry, music, and sculpture, which, of course, can scarcely be placed under the heading of games. The foot-race was called the stadium, and the length of the course was 300 cubits. Now I have given you all this information, because I want to show you some interesting facts, in connection with a letter which a very distinguished person wrote to some people at Corinth, at a time when these sports were very much in vogue. The original letter was written in Greek, and there have been many translations of it. I shall make my extract from one which is not in very cornmon use, but which, perhaps, is more easily understood than a good many. The words that I want you to notice are these:"Know ye not that they who run in the race-course run all, but one receives the prize? Thus run in order that ye may obtain. But every one that contends for a prize is temperate in all things: they, then, indeed that may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore thus run, as not uncertainly; so I combat, as not beating the air. But I buffet my body, and lead it captive, lest after having preached to others I should be myself rejected.”
Now it is pretty clear that the person who wrote the letter from which this extract has been made, had in his mind the Isthmian games, which were celebrated on the isthmus which separated Corinth from the main-land. Every one at Corinth would know all about the games, and he was, therefore, quite safe in alluding to them in this way. "Know ye not," he says, "that they who run in the race-course run all, but one receives the prize?" Of course they knew it. Well then, he says, "thus run in order that YE may obtain." There were different ways of running, you know—right ways and wrong ways. The right way was marked out by white lines or posts, and any one who wandered over the line or beyond the posts, lost the prize, although he might be the first at the goal.
Then the writer goes on to say that "every one that contends for a prize is temperate in all things." This also is plain enough. A schoolboy in the present day would understand it. When the season for his athletic sports is coming on, he goes “into training,” as they say; he tries to develop his muscle and reduce his fat, and, to effect this, must be temperate in all things. A man who was going into training for the Isthmian games, would commence twelve months before the sports carne on, and would place himself under an experienced teacher, who would regulate for him his eating, drinking, walking, sleeping, and so forth. A celebrated writer of the first century, with the alarmingly long name of Epictetus, gives us some idea of what that training would involve. "Would you be a victor in the Olympic games?" he asks, "so, in good truth, would I; for it is a glorious thing. But pray consider what must go before, and what must follow, and so proceed in the attempt. You must then live by rule, eat what will be disagreeable, and refrain from delicacies; you must oblige yourself to constant exercise, at the appointed hour, in heat and cold; you must abstain from wine and cold liquors; in a word, you must be as submissive to all the directions of your master as to those of a physician.”
And for what were the runners in the Isthmian games competing? Only for a corruptible crown after all! A crown of pine leaves, which the heat of the victor's head, when the race was over, would quickly cause to die. What an object to waste a twelve months' training upon-a garland of dead leaves! How many of us, alas! who profess to be living for the Lord, are really striving after nothing but leaves! But it should not be so, and there is really no necessity for such a state of things. The runners in the Isthmian games, truly, were contending for a corruptible crown, but we should be contending for something higher and better than that. "They, indeed, that they may receive a corruptible crown, but WE an incorruptible." Ah! there is the difference; and a whole life-time would not be ill-spent if it brought us a reward like that.
The writer then goes on to tell what he, personally, was doing, at the time when his letter was written. "I therefore thus run, as not uncertainly." How many in the present day could say the same thing? There was no uncertainty in Paul's actions (for he was the writer whose letter we have been looking over), the OBJECT which he kept continually in view saved him from a host of awkward dilemmas. He was no half and half sort of man: there was no big bit of self and little bit of Christ, nor even a little bit of self and the rest Christ. Christ was ALL to him. He knew that he was a citizen of heaven; and all his affections were centered there, because Christ was there; and that was what made his race steady and his victory sure.
When he goes on to say, "so I combat, as not beating the air," he leaves the race-course and enters the ring. It is the tyro in the art of boxing who beats the air; but Paul was no tyro in the things of God. There was no beating the air with him; but like the runner, he had to keep his body in a fit state for the encounters of the ring. "I buffet my body," he says, "and lead it captive; lest, after having preached to others, I should be myself rejected." You see, Paul not only took part in the games himself, but he instructed others; and it would have been a sore disgrace to him, if, after taking this twofold position, he had been rejected through failure and incompetence. To prevent this he kept his own body under, and strove to live out what he preached to others.
But perhaps you say, "All this fine talk about Isthmian games and pine-leaf garlands can have nothing to do with me. I am running in none of these grand races for the Lord, neither am I standing up to fight for Him." Never mind; there is still a reward for you. Yes, there is a special reward for the young, and the weak, and the simple; for those who do not know much, and cannot say much, and, perhaps, never feel very deeply the little they do know. Yes, I say, for the simple and the silent ones, for the young and the weak ones, the tender, loving Master has a special reward. Men might pass them by, but He could never do that. There is a WHITE STONE for them, "and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." Think of that now! "In primitive times, when traveling was rendered difficult by the want of places of public entertainment, hospitality was exercised by private individuals to a very great extent. Persons who had partaken of this hospitality, and those who practiced it, frequently contracted habits of regard and friendship for each other; and it became a well established custom, both among the Greeks and Romans, to provide their guest with some particular mark, which was handed down from father to son, and ensured hospitality and kind treatment wherever it was presented. This mark was usually a small stone or pebble, cut in half, upon the halves of which the host and the guest mutually inscribed their names, and then interchanged them with each other. The production of this stone was quite sufficient to ensure friendship for themselves or their descendants, whenever they traveled again in the same direction; while it is evident that these stones required to be privately kept, and the name written upon them carefully concealed, lest others should obtain the privileges, instead of him for whom they were intended." Thus, you see, what a value was set upon such rewards as white stones, even when the giver was only a fellow mortal like ourselves. How, then, can we estimate the value of those white stones which Jesus will give as an expression of His own secret satisfaction, in the way which we have loved, and lived, and suffered for Him here? Every believer in Jesus has his cross to carry, and YOU have yours. It may be a very small one, but if you have taken it up and are carrying it cheerfully, knowing that Jesus has sent it for your good, then you are suffering for Him, and will not be without your white stone by-and-by. Perhaps you have companions who tease you because you are a Christian. Well, if you bear their teasing patiently and do not resent it, you are suffering for Christ. Perhaps you have an un-Christian parent, who even beats you because you belong to Christ; who will not let you go to Sunday-school—nay, perhaps will not even suffer you to read your Bible. Well, that is a very heavy cross—far heavier than most grown people have to carry—but do not faint under it. Remember you are bearing that cross for Christ, and He will richly reward you by-and-by. Cyril of Alexandria was a lad who lived during the early days of Christianity. When he became and would have nothing to say to him; and at last he was arrested, and cruelly put to death. Did he faint beneath his burden, do you think? Ah, no! Child though he was, he reckoned "that the sufferings of this present time [were] not worthy to be compared with the glory" which would shortly be revealed; and when he noticed that the people who had come to see him burnt were in tears, he said, "You ought to be glad; and so you would be if you knew of the city to which I am going." Oh that we all had the faith and faithfulness of little Cyril!
But let me again remind you that Christ and not the hope of reward must be the ruling Object in all your deeds, and words, and thoughts, if you want to be a useful Christian now, and to receive your loving Master's "Well done" hereafter. Everything should be tested by Christ. Before attempting any little act of service, you should ask yourself, "Am I doing this for Christ?" Before you open your mouth to speak upon any subject—"Am I speaking for Christ?" Nay, even when your hands are idle; and your tongue is silent, and your thoughts alone are active—even then the question would not be out of place, "Am I thinking for Christ?" By observing this rule you will grow like Christ; and you may be sure, also, that your crown will be studded with many jewels in "that day" when the rewards are distributed.
And even then it strikes me that you will think but little of the reward; for the beauty, and the glory, and the love of Christ will eclipse everything else. I think you will be like the four and twenty elders of whom we read, "who fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and CAST THEIR CROWNS BEFORE THE THRONE, saying, "THOU art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." (Rev. 4:10, 1110The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:10‑11).)
"Oh, Christ! He is the fountain,
The deep, sweet well of love!
The streams on earth I've tasted,
More deep I’ll drink above:
There to an ocean fullness,
His mercy doth expand,
And glory-glory dwelleth
In Immanuel's land.
“The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear Bridegroom's face;
I will not gaze at glory,
But on my King of Grace
Not at the CROWN He giveth
But on His piercèd hand:
THE LAMB IS ALL THE GLORY Of
Immanuel's land.”
THE END.
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