Rewards: February 2007
Table of Contents
Motives of Service and Rewards
The exemplary way the Apostle Paul wrote the Corinthians is helpful regarding motives of service and rewards (1 Cor. 4). As a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God, he was not affected by the carnal judgment of the Corinthians. Having received his ministry from the Lord, serving in view of the judgment seat of Christ was all that mattered to him. Man’s evaluation was of small importance.
This did not set aside the importance of the issue, for faithfulness is required of stewards (vs. 2), nor are any of us autonomous, having no one to whom we must give an account. Everyone must give an account of what has been entrusted to them.
The great apostle did not set aside the Corinthian’s judgment because he considered himself as having a superior or better judgment. On the contrary, he said, “I am conscious of nothing in myself; but I am not justified by this: but He that examines me is the Lord” (vs. 4 JND). He did not make any attempt to appraise his own life and conduct. Even though he was not aware of anything wrong, he did not take a superior place toward others, nor did he defend a position of righteousness with words like Job said to his three friends. Later Job had to be humbled in the presence of the Lord.
In saying these things, we are not discouraging the need to heed godly counsel from brethren. We all should have an open ear for help and advice. God has given some better discernment than others. But we are speaking of the motive of service and its reward. We must have a single eye concerning this, looking only to Him.
The Counsels of the Heart
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts” (vs. 5). Did not the Lord reveal His ability to do this when the disciples criticized the woman for wasting the ointment! He told them, “Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her” (Matt. 26:13). He manifested the counsels of her heart, and He brought to light the hidden things of darkness from their hearts. Perhaps even she herself did not realize all that the Lord brought out, for we do not know our own hearts.
The counsels of the heart go beyond the service done to include the motives behind the action. The Lord alone is able to discern this. The secret springs of the inmost heart and the motives in others we cannot see. Service for the Lord, on the one hand, can be done with a good outward appearance, but for reasons of self-aggrandizement and pride. This the Lord in His time will bring to light. On the other hand, there are often attempts to serve the Lord that appear as failure, but the heart was right, and the Lord will make this known with His approval. This is a great encouragement. The Lord’s reward is worth waiting for and keeps our eye single. May He give us to serve faithfully, doing the right thing for the right motive — His glory and honor. Then it can be told for a memorial of us. “Then shall every man have [his] praise [from] God.”
D. C. Buchanan
The Service of Love
The service of love is never influenced by recompense. Reward is not set before the soul as the motive for doing anything, but when we find difficulties in treading the path of service, then the crown is set before us to encourage us to go on. So, even Christ, for the joy that was set before Him, “endured the cross, despising the shame.”
J. N. Darby, Collected Writings 25:137
The Lord Glorified in the Saints
“The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven . . . when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:7-12).
Rewards and Grace
As given in the parable of the talents — Matthew 25:14-30 — the Lord called His own servants, gave to each of them according to their several ability, and took His journey. Grace, we shall see, made all the difference in character and acceptance, though gift might give, according to His divine appointment, its appropriate reward, being exercised through grace. There are three things in the parable. First, the talents conferred by Christ on His own servants, which shows that they are not natural faculties or worldly opportunities, but such as are peculiar to the servants of Christ. Next, these are conferred according to the competency or fitness of the vessel, a man is a “chosen vessel” who receives the gifts, and there is the capacity of the vessel, as well as the extent and character of the gift. Third, the use of it was a different matter, the one talent was given according to ability as well as the five. The Lord giving according to ability proved the fitness of God’s appointment and the responsibility to be in him to whom it was given, but the just use of the talent did not depend upon this. The possession of the talent constituted the responsibility for its use.
That which led to its right use is not the recognition of man or appointment through man. The grace which used it is personal confidence in the character and acceptance of God. The grace is proved by and rests for its exhibition on confidence in the Lord; it uses the talent by virtue of its personal acquaintance with and trust in His character. This is what characterizes the difference between the good and evil servants. He was a good servant who acted on his personal confidence in the Lord’s character, and a bad servant who did not.
There are two points marked as the consequence on the Lord’s return. First, there is a large reward given in government: He is made ruler over many things. Second, there is actual personal association with Christ in blessing, not being blessed under Him as one who is ruled over, but, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” It does not seem that the energy and power of the Holy Spirit is taken away, though the scene of its exercise may be different (rule and joy instead of trading as a servant), save from the unprofitable servant, who is cast outside the light and glory of the kingdom.
Let us remember that faithfulness consists in the use of a gift upon the ground of personal, individual confidence in the character of the Lord as our master. This is the evidence of grace — not waiting for anything else or the want of it. The servant not using the talent when he had it flowed from positively false notions of God, thoughts of evil, the absence of grace, and a principle entirely condemned by the Lord as the proof of evil.
J. N. Darby, excerpted from
Collected Writings 24:229-230
His “Well Done”
Oh, grieve not o’er the weary way,
Nor let its roughness make thee stay!
Press on with still unflinching zeal;
Thy living Lord with thee doth feel;
For Him, for Him the race be run;
What matters ought but His “Well done”?
For Christ thy Lord, for His dear name,
Above man’s praise, below man’s blame,
By love unbiased, hate unswerved,
Thy heart by His own power so nerved,
That for His sake — that peerless One —
Thou’lt all things dare for His “Well done.”
Let no man rob thee of thy crown,
Nor close thy mouth, nor bring thee down,
Nor chill thy heart with Christ aflame,
To wait upon his praise or blame;
Soon, soon the battle will be won;
What matters ought but Christ’s “Well done”?
Aye, run the race; the promised crown
Upon thy head shall yet come down;
Aye, fight the fight; it is thy Lord’s;
His lips shall speak the rallying words,
His smile proclaim the victory won,
His voice accord His own “Well done.”
J. Leake
A Reward for Faithful Service
It is essential to observe that this parable in Matthew 20:1-16 relates to service, for the laborers are sent into the vineyard. There is also no doubt that it sprang out of Peter’s question: “Behold, we have left all things and have followed Thee; what then shall happen to us?” (ch. 19:27 JND). In reply, the Lord graciously told His disciples that they should have a special place in the kingdom and should sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. He also told them that everyone who had forsaken anything for His name’s sake should be abundantly recompensed. He then added the significant warning that many who were first should be last, and the last first, and this He proceeded to explain in the parable. “For,” He says, “the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard” (ch. 20:1).
We have, in the next place, a description of the several laborers, with the different hours at which they were hired. But, in fact, there are but two classes, those who agreed upon the amount they were to receive, and those who left themselves in the hands of the Master to give what He deemed right.
Those who agreed for their penny were, in a word, legal servants, whereas those who left themselves to the One who had called them were under the power of grace. To the first, the labor was a means of recompense; to the last, it was a privilege, and hence they prize it in and for itself, knowing something of the grace that had bestowed it. All this is brought out when the steward settles with the laborers. In obedience to his lord, he begins with the last, and everyone received a penny. This excited the anger of the first, for if the last had a penny, surely they were entitled to more. The answer was that they had received what they bargained for, that the master had the right to do what he would with his own, and that their eye was not to be evil because he was good.
The exhibition of grace, with all its sovereign rights, only excited the envy of the natural heart —hence the enmity of the Jew when the gospel was proclaimed to the Gentile, and thus, though the “first,” he became the “last.” So it was with these laborers. Those who went to labor last in the vineyard left the master’s presence satisfied with his goodness, and so became “first,” while those who were first in their labors left his presence with murmurs in their hearts and on their lips, strangers still to grace. So the last shall be first (referring to Matt. 19:30), and the first last, for many are called (as all these laborers had been), but few chosen.
E. Dennett, adapted from
The Christian Friend, 1887
Rewards
Rewards for the Christian are spoken of frequently in the New Testament. They are open to all. A cup of cold water, given to a little one because he belongs to Christ, shall not lose its reward (Mark 9:41). The Lord Jesus said, “Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Rev. 22:12). He who labors in the Lord’s service, if his work abides, will receive his reward (1 Cor. 3:8,14). At the same time, the Lord will reward the doer of evil with its fitting recompense (2 Sam. 3:39).
Rewards are not held out as a motive before the soul; each should be able to say, The love of Christ constrains me (2 Cor. 5:14). But they are added, in the abundance of love and grace, as an encouragement amid the dangers and difficulties of the way. Believers are warned that they be not beguiled of their reward (Col. 2:18; Rev. 3:11).
There’s one eternal reward we should all be looking forward to: “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matt. 25:21).
Adapted from The Concise Bible Dictionary
A Reward for Devotedness
“David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” (2 Sam. 23:15). Such was the breathing of David’s heart, a desire which met with a speedy and hearty response from three members of that devoted and heroic band which flocked around him in the cave of Adullam. “The three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David” (2 Sam. 23:16). There was no command issued. No one in particular was singled out and commissioned to go. There was the simple utterance of the desire, and this afforded the opportunity for genuine affection and true devotedness. Had there been a specific command given to anyone, it would merely have afforded an occasion for ready obedience, but the utterance of a desire developed that ardent attachment to the person of David which is so lovely to behold.
Notice the way David acted in this most touching scene: “Nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord. And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink of it” (2 Sam. 23:1617). It was a sacrifice too costly for any except Jehovah Himself. Hence David would not permit the sweet odor of it to be interrupted in its ascent to the throne of God.
Their hearts were set on David, and they did not count their lives dear unto them so that they might gratify him and refresh his spirit. Had they acted to get a name or place for themselves, it would have robbed their act of all its charm and consigned it to its merited contempt and oblivion. But they loved David, and this was the spring of their activity. They proved that he was more precious to their hearts than life itself. They forgot all in the one absorbing object of serving David, and the odor of their sacrifice ascended to the throne of God.
Oh! how we long for something like this in reference to the true David in this the day of His rejection. We do greatly covet a more intense and self-sacrificing devotedness as the fruit of the constraining love of Christ. It is not a question of working for rewards, for a crown or for a place, though we fully believe in the doctrine of rewards. No! the very moment we make rewards our object, we are below the mark. We believe that service rendered with the eye upon the reward would be defective. But then we believe also that every act of true service will be rewarded in the day of Christ’s glory. Each servant will get his place in the record and his place in the kingdom according to the measure of His personal devotedness down here.
C. H. Mackintosh, adapted from
Things New and Old, 6:216-218
Rewards for Good Builders
Every Christian is building, and in 1 Corinthians 3 he is exhorted to “take heed how he buildeth.” The Spirit of God here uses the figure of building to express the testimony of Christianity in this world. The workmen do not all do good building; some of them evidently build with enthusiasm and zeal, but they put very poor materials into the building. We can easily see that this is not the building that our Lord spoke of in Matthew 16 when He said that upon the rock of Peter’s confession — “Christ the Son of the living God” — He would build His church. Christ will never place any bad materials in His building, and nothing shall ever destroy what He builds. He is building His church, and that work is entirely in His hands. It is composed of every true believer in Himself, in this age.
Now, there is that other building which men build in the world — Christianity as entrusted to the hands of men. There is no other foundation but Jesus Christ (vs. 11). To depart from that foundation would be to leave Christianity itself. Each believer is within the scope of Christianity in this world, and each is building something into that testimony. We may not have seriously weighed it before, but we are adding something to that building. Now the scripture before us is, “Let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (vs. 10). Why should there be any need for such an exhortation? Verse 12 supplies the answer by listing some of the materials being put into the building; these fall into two classes — “gold, silver, precious stones” and “wood, hay, stubble.”
The Test of Fire
The standard by which to test the building materials is a divine standard — that which will stand the test of fire. Every bit of material that goes into that building is going to pass through the fire, for we read, “The fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is” (vs. 13). So then, only fireproof materials will be of any account.
It is a solemn thought that each of us is day by day building something that is going to be tested by fire — God’s fire that will consume everything that is not according to His mind and His Word. Such being the case, we may well inquire how we can build things that will withstand the heat of His discerning judgment in that day. We may ask, Just what are the “gold, silver, precious stones” with which we should build? And what are the very combustible materials which we should avoid placing in this building of Christianity on earth?
In order to answer this, we may notice first that the things that will stand the fire test are—comparatively speaking — very small in bulk. A bale of hay would make a sizeable contribution to any wall. Hay is very good in its place, and some hay is much better and higher priced than other hay, but none of it is suitable fireproof building material. Wood also builds quickly and soon makes an appearance before the eyes of man, but it is no good in this building. Gold, silver and precious stones make little bulk, but after the fire has passed, they will be left, and their builder will receive a reward.
According to His Word
O fellow-Christian, whose approval do we want? Do we want to make a show and impress men, or simply to please God and leave the results with Him? Let us not seek popular appeal or that which has human approval. Let us seek to communicate “spiritual things by spiritual means” (1 Cor. 2:13 JND). Men may act on the principle that the results justify any means used, but God’s Word says, “A man . . . is not crowned, except he strive lawfully,” or in other words, “wood, hay, stubble” will be burned up and only “gold, silver, precious stones” survive the fire. The one who built with the latter will receive a reward, or be “crowned,” as in the illustration of an athlete (see 2 Timothy 2:5).
May the Lord grant us each grace to seek more and more to witness for Him in this world, and in everything to do all according to His Word and in devotedness to His name. Then it will not be a matter of seeking to do great things before men, even ostensibly for His sake, but doing all in view of the day which shall soon declare of what “sort” the work was — not how “much.” Each of us can seek to encourage others and to speak often of Him.
P. Wilson, adapted from
Christian Truth 1:134-139
Reward for Serving a Rejected Man
2 Samuel 15-19
When king David is firmly settled on the throne and no rebel rises up to dispute his right to fill it, it is easy enough to appear loyal and to cry with the multitude, “God save the king!” But where rebellion has made progress among the masses giving some aspirant regal power and honor, then the sovereign king discovers who are his real friends and discriminates between the flattering courtier and the loyal subject. The day of the king’s rejection is the day for the subject to declare himself. Thus it was with the aged Barzillai and those who were with him at Mahanaim.
The warrior and benefactor of his country, who had raised Israel to a height of glory, prosperity and influence never before enjoyed, was rejected for the king’s son, remarkable for nothing but his personal appearance, unbridled will and immense powers of dissimulation. Absalom had stolen the fickle hearts of the men of Israel.
The Lord’s Anointed
The king fled from Jerusalem, and so passed out of the true limits of the land of promise. At this juncture, when the fortunes of David were at the lowest ebb, Shobi, Machir and Barzillai declared themselves on his side as they met him and his company at Mahanaim and brought with them what they felt must be needed. David had not summoned them to entertain him; no superior force compelled them to yield up to the king what they possessed. They brought of their own accord such things as were suited for the occasion. Barzillai apparently surpassed them all as he “provided the king of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim.” Very marked then was their attitude at this time, most acceptable to David, and, we may surely add, pleasing to the Spirit of God, who has seen fit so fully to record it.
They did not calculate the chances of success, nor wait to learn which side appearances favored. Had they looked at the matter in this light, would they have befriended David? Would not the hosts which followed Absalom have determined their place in Israel? With them, however, surely, the question was a most simple one: Should they side with the Lord’s anointed or not? Such an alternative admitted of only one answer.
Now or Never
Worldly caution might have counseled delay before they committed themselves so irrecoverably as they did, but had they delayed, all opportunity of manifesting their loyalty and devotion would have passed away. It was with them now or never. They “brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse, and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him” (2 Sam. 17:2829). Nothing that the people could want seems to have been forgotten; nothing that they brought, it would appear, has been overlooked in the account.
Events rolled on. Absalom crossed the Jordan with the hosts of Israel under his command. The issue of the battle is well-known. David was to be chastised, but not deposed. He had been chastised, and now Absalom’s turn came. That on which he had especially prided himself became the means of his capture. Suspended by his hair between heaven and earth, the murderer and rebel met with the due reward of his deeds. Thus ended the rebellion and David’s temporary exile.
Return With Me
Preparations were now made for his return. “All the people of Judah conducted the king, and also half the people of Israel.” Now again owned by all as king in Israel, David acted as such by disposing of the lives and possessions of his subjects. He offered to reward Barzillai. “Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.” Barzillai had served David when beyond Jordan; David would have Barzillai beside him ever after, beholding his royal estate, blessed with the favor of the Lord’s anointed. “With me” was what he desired for Barzillai. Most fitting was this reward.
Barzillai had not worked with any view of reward, richly though he deserved it. He had thought of the king in his rejection and had done what he could to succor him; he had come, too, to do honor to David now returning to his capital, but to be at the court was unsuited to such a one, for his age forbade his enjoyment of the pleasures of the king’s house. As to the proffered reward, Chimham his son might accompany David; he desired to stay and die among his own kindred. “Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.”
Do As It Seems Good Unto Thee
Who could refuse such a touching request? The king answered, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee: and whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee.” “Do to him what shall seem good unto thee” had been Barzillai’s prayer. “I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee” was David’s promise, reaching beyond the modest request of his servant. And more than this, he told him he had gained the king’s ear. What a place was this to occupy! Honor, wealth and rank are nothing compared with this. To be with the king was David’s wish for him; to have the king’s ear was that of which David now assured him. Thus they parted, but not before David had kissed him and blessed him, and that on the right side of Jordan.
The King Never Forgot
In time Barzillai died, and perhaps this scene and all connected with it was blotted out before long from the remembrance of many in Israel. There was, however, one heart from which the remembrance of Barzillai’s service was never effaced; the king never forgot it, and Solomon his son was ever to remember it. Occupied after his return, as David was, with many important concerns, he, with his latest breath, yet spoke of this service at Mahanaim and commended Barzillai’s sons to Solomon’s special care (1 Kings 2:7). Before David and Solomon, types of the Lord on His throne, the sons of Barzillai had a place, not of distance but of distinguished nearness, for they ate bread at the king’s table and feasted in the king’s presence. Never while David lived was this service forgotten, nor while Solomon reigned was it to sink into oblivion. David as king had portioned it out; Solomon who ascended the throne without David’s death intervening, was charged to continue it. Faithfulness to the Lord’s anointed in a time of general defection was never to be forgotten; such devotion was never to be unrequited.
As Long As the Kingdom
For how long did the remembrance of all this last, attested by the reward bestowed on Chimham the son? As long as the kingdom lasted in Judah, so long was there a witness of the king’s approval of such conduct, for not only did David give Chimham a place before him, but he assigned him a portion in the city of the king’s birth. (See Jeremiah 41:17.) Barzillai was of the tribe of Gad, but Chimham had henceforth a portion in Judah. And, till the kingdom of Judah was terminated by the Babylonish captivity, Chimham’s portion by Bethlehem was an abiding witness of Barzillai’s faithfulness and of David’s acknowledgment of it.
The application of all this history is plain, and we understand the reason that it has been preserved. Nothing can hinder the Lord Jesus’ rewarding, as He will, all who have followed Him in His rejection, and none will suffer injustice in that day. He will confess them before His Father and before His angels, and the company of heavenly saints who have served Him while absent shall be with Him on high, as those of earth shall be before Him when He reigns over the house of Jacob forever. It will be found that He has been in their thoughts; they shall be before His face when He takes to Himself the power and reigns.
Adapted from The Bible Treasury,
Vol. 8, pp. 50-52
Rewards and Crowns
It is a wonderful thought that God is pleased to give rewards to us, His servants. He has already reached out in love, to us who were His enemies, and has sent His Son to redeem us. Then He has given us the privilege of serving Him and has even given us all the resources and strength to do so. How gracious of God, in addition to all this, to offer rewards for faithfulness in service! It enlarges our hearts to think of it and encourages us in service for Christ!
It is important to understand that rewards are never presented as the motive for service for the Lord. If reward becomes the motive, then we are off the wonderful ground of grace and sliding back under law. The motive given in Scripture for service is love to Christ, for “the love of Christ constraineth us” (2 Cor. 5:14). This is illustrated in the parable in Matthew 20:1-16. The laborers who were hired first made a bargain with the owner of the vineyard, and at the end they received the wages for which they had agreed. Others who came later made no bargain, but, having confidence in the Master, simply went to work and depended on His goodness. So our hearts, if properly constrained by the love of Christ, will want to serve Him and will not look for rewards. However, God is pleased to encourage His servants with the promise of rewards, and He has told us something about them in His Word.
Private Rewards
There are rewards given which will not be public, but rather a private and personal matter between ourselves and the Lord. This is brought out in Revelation 2:17, where we read, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” This will be personal communion and enjoyment with the Lord — that which is the Lord’s own approval of what we have done. Every Christian will receive a white stone, but each will be different, as the Lord gives His own assessment of our life and what we have done for Him. The new name brings before us individual fellowship with the Lord, as each enjoys that personal communion with Him.
Public Rewards
There will also be public rewards, and these are connected with the millennial kingdom and the display of Christ’s glory during that time. The Lord Jesus is now rejected and God’s holy character is not displayed in this world, but during the millennium righteousness will reign. God’s holy character will be publicly vindicated, and His beloved Son, whom this world cast out and crucified, will be given His rightful place. It is fitting that God chooses at the same time to give public recognition to those who have served faithfully and have suffered with Christ during the time of His rejection.
Public reward is clearly shown to us in the parable of the pounds in Luke 19:12-27. Here we find the Master, pictured as a nobleman, going away for a time, but giving His servants each a pound to use in His absence. Responsibility is brought in here, and thus there is a difference in the reward given to each. The one who is the more diligent in the use of His gift (illustrated by the pound) is given a greater reward, and reward here takes the form of administrative authority, under Christ, in the coming kingdom. We see the one who gains ten pounds being given authority over ten cities, while the one with five pounds is correspondingly given authority over five cities. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:12). “Thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matt. 6:6). If we have served God faithfully when the Lord Jesus is rejected, God will reward openly those who have been true to Him during this time. In the same way the twelve apostles will “sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:30).
Such rewards will be wonderful! The kingdom will last for one thousand years — longer than any human empire has lasted in the history of this world. However, these public rewards will be only for the duration of the millennium, for when the Lord Jesus “shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father,” the kingdom as such will cease. There will no longer be a need for administration in this world, for during the eternal state righteousness dwells.
Crowns
God has also told us about various crowns that He will give as rewards. These are, no doubt, public rewards as well, but they are distinct from administrative positions in the kingdom. Crowns are connected more with the energy of faith in overcoming adversity in the Christian life and persevering in spite of difficulties. As believers in Christ we will all be in the Father’s house, but it is as overcomers that we will be on the throne with Christ. Crowns are associated with that place which we will have with Him on His throne. There are at least three distinct crowns mentioned in the Word of God.
Crown of Glory
“When the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:4). This crown is connected with shepherding the flock of God and seeking to be a help to God’s people. God’s people are precious to Him, and He values those who will undertake to shepherd them, under the direction of the Chief Shepherd. Peter had witnessed the sufferings of Christ and was sharing them, but he looked forward to being “a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed” (1 Peter 5:1). Down here there is often not much glory connected with serving the people of God, and frequently the work is done out of the public eye. However, in that day those who have labored as shepherds of God’s flock will receive that crown of glory from the Chief Shepherd.
Crown of Righteousness
Paul mentions the crown of righteousness at the end of his life, in the second epistle to Timothy. There he says, “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. 4:8). Paul had been faithful during his life, and the Lord had shown him that his hour of departure was at hand. The Lord’s coming should be the proper hope of every believer, but beyond this is the appearing, when the Lord Jesus will have His rightful place. It is right for us to expect the Lord to come for us at any moment, but occasionally selfish motives may enter into this. Perhaps we want to be taken out of this world because of all its sorrow, conflict and opposition to the believer. However, when we think of the appearing, it is Himself that is before us, for our blessed Master will then be exalted and glorified publicly. More than this, the reward of this crown will be righteous, for the Lord is the righteous judge. What we do and our motives in doing it may be judged wrongly now, but in that day all will be righteous, and the crown will be a reward for those who love His appearing.
Crown of Life
The crown of life is connected with death in this world, and it is a crown that can be won in two distinct ways. When the Lord addresses the assembly in Smyrna in Revelation 2, they were going through a period of terrible persecution. His word of encouragement to them was, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). If the world’s hatred results in the believer’s making the supreme sacrifice of giving his life for Christ, God rewards him with a crown of life. Man can kill only the body, but cannot touch what is real and vital. The knowledge of salvation and of the possession of eternal life in Christ gives the believer courage to give up his natural life, for eternal life is his, and the crown of life.
However, not every believer is called upon to give up his natural life and die for Christ. Some, like the Apostle John, died a natural death, as have many of the Lord’s servants. May they not win that crown of life?
We find the same crown mentioned in James 1:12. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.” It is one thing to give up one’s life by going through the death of the body, but the believer can also give up his life by living for Christ, by resisting temptation day after day, week after week, month after month, and perhaps year after year. In that sense he is like the one of whom the Lord said, “He that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal” (John 12:25). The one who gives up his own ambitions and desires in this world in order to follow Christ wholeheartedly will find that he too is given that crown of life. It takes courage from the Lord to stand firm in the face of death, but it also takes courage on a continual basis to resist the efforts of the world and Satan to drag us down. Every believer can win the crown of life!
Every redeemed one will have a crown in that coming day. What a privilege it will be to have it, and to sit on the throne with Christ! However, what will we do with those crowns? In Revelation 4, an overwhelming sense of the grace of God, whether in salvation or in service, causes the twenty-four elders to “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” (Rev. 4:10-11). A realization of His worthiness makes us feel our own unworthiness, and then we will seek only His glory, not our own.
Eternity
Finally, we want to draw attention to one reward that seems to transcend the others, in one sense, although it certainly embraces the character of the “white stone.” In the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30), God’s sovereignty is emphasized, while man’s responsibility is brought before us more in the parable of the pounds in Luke 19. Here in the parable of the talents, it is the prerogative of the Master to give to each servant as He wished, and thus some received more talents than others. The reward then given is not proportional to the number of talents, but rather for faithfulness in using them. Here the reward is simply, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matt. 25:21,23). Who can measure or limit such a thing? There is no real sense of distinction between believers, but rather the enjoyment of that which is infinite and eternal — the joy of the Lord. How marvelous that this will abide for all eternity, when the kingdom has come to an end, and when for all eternity God will be “all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28). God would have us to work to this end, appreciating and being encouraged by the promise of rewards, but realizing that even reward will be swallowed up in the “joy of thy Lord” which will be eternal and infinite.
W. J. Prost
Diligence Rewarded
This is an age of increased facilities and reduced costs. We run where our fathers walked, and fly where they drove. The aim of modern invention is to make everything easy and to give the largest returns for the smallest outlay. All this unfits us for the deep spiritual exercises still met with in the path of faith. Modern thought has yet to discover a shortcut to piety. Some people may read a chapter of the Bible in five minutes and think there is little in it, since they get nothing out. Not so, my friend; God does not make Himself cheap like that. “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat” (Prov. 13:4).
From Christian Truth, Vol. 17, p. 84