My unexpected reward

I have been “guest preaching” for my church for a couple of years now.  Usually four or five times a year, just enough to give our pastor an occasional break.  However, this summer I did something new – I wrote and delivered an entire message series.

The three-week series was titled, “Don’t be a Cretan”.  Each week, we walked through Paul’s letter to his protégé, Titus, and the directions he gave for the churches on the island of Crete.  Cretan society was more than a little rough, so Titus had his hands full as he taught these new believers what it means to follow Jesus in a difficult culture.  If you are interested in hearing these messages, you can find them on YouTube: Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3.

Handling an entire series was a new experience for me, and I now have even more empathy for pastors who shepherd a church while also holding down a full-time job to pay the bills.  As I concluded the series, I was very happy to not have to be planning out, writing, and getting ready to deliver the next sermon series.  Preaching is both a blessing and a burden, and I was ready for a break.

I received several heartfelt “thank yous” and had many great conversations based on the messages I delivered.  However, I was not expecting the shout-out our pastor gave me this past week at the beginning of his message.  He publicly said “Thank you” from the stage and led the church in a round of applause.  That in itself was more than I would have expected, but he continued – telling our church how me teaching the series gave him the largest speaking break he’s had in 6 years and how he was freed up to be fully present for some significant moments within both his family and God’s family.

He didn’t have to do that.  He had already expressed his gratitude to me privately several times, so I knew where his heart was.  However, he still wanted to publicly reward my efforts. 

I think a lot of Christians live their lives that way, too.  We know the tasks God has given us to do, and we know His heart towards us when we make the wise choice or do the thing He has asked us to do.  What we don’t expect is that God plans to publicly reward us for our efforts.

Does that sound odd to you?  Then let me remind you of something Jesus said during His Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:19-21
Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If we are told to store up…treasures in heaven, then that must mean (logically) that there are actual treasures in heaven.  Jesus’ words make it clear that being in heaven isn’t “the treasure” we’re to be aiming for.  Getting into heaven is guaranteed when we believe in Jesus for eternal life.  These treasures in heaven must be something more…and if they can be stored up or not, then we all will have different amounts.

The topic of “Eternal rewards” is not talked about much in our modern-day churches.  But Jesus talked about them quite a bit and so did the other New Testament writers. 

You might have heard someone say, “I don’t need any rewards.  I’ll just be happy to be in heaven”.  While a statement like that sounds quite humble and spiritual…it’s actually pretty arrogant and selfish to think that way.  Jesus wasn’t giving a suggestion or an optional side-quest in His Sermon on the Mount.  He told us to store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.  That’s a pretty clear direction.

Imagine getting to heaven, standing before Jesus, and realizing that all your treasures were stored on earth.  I don’t think the “I’m just happy to be here” defense is going to feel all that comforting.

So what are the treasures in heaven and how do we store them up?  We’ll take a look at those in the coming weeks.  But for now, stop and ask Jesus to reveal where your heart is at, what do you find valuable?  It’s just like He said: for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Is your heart focused on earthly things or heavenly things?  Being honest with that question is the best place to start.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

It was just a simple wave

We don’t have a fenced-in yard, so for our dog to get his energy out, we need to walk him twice a day.  We don’t mind doing so, because it gets us out of the house and moving, too.  Our neighborhood doesn’t have any sidewalks, but it’s safe enough to walk along the outer edge of the street.  Generally speaking, when cars approach us, they slow down and give us space…but there have been times when people are going too fast and not paying close attention, and I get a little nervous about potentially jumping up into someone’s yard to avoid being hit.

So about a year ago, I came up with a simple step to help the drivers notice us as we walk along the road – as they got close, I’d raise my hand and give a little wave.  Honestly, my initial thought was that the movement would help them see us and give a little extra room, as if my wave was saying “hey…we’re walking here…please don’t hit us!” I typically mouth the words “Thank you” as they pass by, because, well…I appreciate not being hit.

But after a while, something unexpected happened – people started waving back.  And now it’s kinda become a thing.  We smile and wave at the cars that pass by…and I can see a lot of people smiling and waving back, especially kids and passengers.  There’s a pond near our home with a short walking path around it, and there have been times when people in cars would spot us on the pond path and still wave at us, even though we weren’t on the road.  Which means…if you think about it…they’re actively looking for us, and they’re happy to see us.

I don’t think I’m over-stating or embellishing to say that our waving has made an impact for some people.  I can see the look on their faces when they wave at us – maybe we’re the only friendly face they saw today, maybe they find it comforting to know that they always get a smile and wave from us, or maybe they haven’t heard someone tell them “Thank you” in a while. 

While the vast majority of the New Testament was written to believers, telling them how to live in light of their new identity in Christ, many of the authors also addressed how we should act toward those who are not Christians.  Here are just two examples from the Apostle Paul’s writings:

Galatians 6:10
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

Colossians 4:5-6
Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time.  Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

Whatever good our neighbors are receiving from us while we walk, we’re happy to keep giving it.  We have met a number of people in our neighborhood simply because of our dog.  He’s super friendly and an easy connection point to help bridge the conversation gap between strangers. 

As we go about the busyness of our day – gotta go to work, gotta run the errands, gotta walk the dog – let’s not get so hyper-focused on our own agenda that we forget to do work for the good of all around us and make the most of our time.  Doing good work doesn’t have to be some massive community project, it can be a simple “Thank you” and a smile.  People are desperate for warmth in this cold world, so let’s be the ones to show them the warmth that comes from the Light of the World that lives inside us.

Keep Pressing,
Ken