Right Rewards!

Right Rewards!

The reward of humility [that is, having a realistic view of one’s importance] and the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the Lord is riches, honor, and life. PROVERBS 22:4 AMP

The world has rewards, and the Word of God also promises rewards. Each has its demands, priorities and channels towards the rewards it promises, and there are also eternal consequences to each position. If I will make the right choice, I need to know the daily requirements of each position, what each requires for consolidation, as well as the eternal consequences. Then can I safely make and live with my choice.

If I must talk about humility, I must mention its opposite, which is pride. The reason why both are important in this discourse is that both flow from different sources. Both pride and humility cannot exist in the same vessel, just as it is impossible for a man to fully serve God and mammon at the same time. At all times, I am required to make a choice of who to submit to, and only a honest look and appraisal of myself, in the light of God's Word, can I see myself for who I am. The same sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden still lives with us today, where we are deceived into thinking we run our lives and answer to nobody.

You also cannot speak about humility without speaking about the fear of God. It appears both are from the same pod, and when you examine the lives of men of old, you find both strands irretrievably linked together. It was not about what others saw first of all, but about the state of their hearts. When a man fears God, he cannot help being humble, and when both are settled, impact is non -negotiable. This tells me that the rewards we speak about are not tied to the things men see, but to what God honours. Men may applaud your oration and outward piety, and men may reward you for these. However, it is more important to pursue the things God counts as very fundamental, and these are things which though the physical eyes do not see, the fruits are so visible that they cannot be ignored.

Check out the rewards listed above: riches, honour and life. The world may lay claim to riches, but it only has the limited edition; the Word of God is the only one that guarantees the complete package: true and lasting riches, honour among men, not because of what you own but who you know, and the crowning glory, which is eternal life. Would you pursue the world's rewards at the expense of the Word's rewards? Remember, both have eternal consequences. His time of favour is here.