Rich rewards are for those who do what they are doing to the glory of God. Work hard in the kingdom today because serving the most high is worth it!
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada to tell you what God is worth.
Okay, wait, wait, don’t think I’m being presumptuous; let me explain with this story. You see, my friend Judy Butler served as my executive assistant for decades. She is – how can I put it – quite British. Judy has a dry sense of humor and a little bit of an edge. But bless her heart, Judy loves serving the Lord. She not only invested long hours at Joni and Friends but helped me get up for church on Sunday mornings for years. Although Judy is now retired from Joni and Friends, she still helps me, even occasionally cooking dinner for Ken and me. Sometimes people say to her, "Judy, it is so wonderful the way you help Joni," and you would expect that she might say, “Well, thank you,” or “You know, it’s just my pleasure to help.” But remember Judy’s got an edge, she’s British. So when people comment on the incredible amount of help she has been to me, she always replies, "Well, God is worth it!"
And he is. For all the many hours Judy has sacrificed, for all the times she has helped me get up in the morning in my wheelchair, or helped me lay down at night; for all the many times she has gotten up in the middle of the night to reposition me in bed, Judy will simply say, “God is worth it!” My friend is keenly aware that when she helps me, she is working for the Lord, not for the praise of others. She also knows that when she used to booked my travel tickets, answered the phone, made my appointments, travel with me near and far, she was making an eternal investment, advancing the kingdom of Christ, fulfilling God's purpose for her life, and setting the stage for others to hear the gospel. Also, when Judy picks up things for me at the market even now, or helps me with my personal routines, and whips up her famous lamb curry for me and my husband, she is serving the least of the brethren [that's how I think of myself]. So, is Judy simply helping a disabled lady? No, she is serving the most high God. And he's worth it!
Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Now, I don’t know what kind of service God has you doing, but if you are a follower of Jesus, you are serving. In the kingdom there is no such thing as Christian service and secular service. As far as God is concerned, all service is ministry – pure and simple. Remember, Colossians says, “Whatever you do.” And that “whatever” could be bussing tables, punching numbers at an accountant’s office, it could be coaching football, working in medical records in a hospital. Whatever you do, God wants you to work at it with all your heart as though you were working for the Lord. So, all service is spirit-blessed. Oh and not to worry; when we do our work with an eye to God's glory, we are promised an inheritance as a reward." But there’s a catch; there’s a condition. We can’t have a ho-hum, “punch the time clock and get this over with” attitude about our labor. Rich rewards are for those who do what they are doing to the glory of God.
Judy would not like me to say this, but I think she really is an amazing woman. But, what is most amazing is the grace of God in her life. 1 Corinthians 15:10 says, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." Friend, work hard in the kingdom today, because you know what? God is worth it.
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