KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Chapters: Matthew 6-7
Message: They Have Their Reward
Hello My Friend,
Yesterday God wanted me to talk about the reward we receive for believing and trusting Christ as our Saviour. Today, He wants me to talk about the reward that the unbelievers and those who are trusting in their religion to save them will receive. You know, the more you discover how immoral and corrupt the world is the more you realize that the Christian life is not so bad. Even with all the stuff we deal with simply for being a Christian, it is the best life to live. We may not have everything the world has to offer, but we do have Christ and as long as we have Him, we can do anything. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” – I Corinthians 3:11,14-15.
Daily life can become so daunting that we take on the characteristics of a robot, we automatically do things at will because it becomes routine. The same thing happens in our Christian life, Bible, pray, church, it becomes so routine that we do not take heart in it. As Christians, we have to make sure that we do not get caught up in the religion of the church, it is not about works, it is about showing our love and gratitude to God in the things we do every day. The Christian life is not about giving the largest amounts of money, saying mile long prayers, or twenty hour fasts, it is about a relationship with God, one that reflects Christ. The scribes and Pharisees were proud of what they were doing to show their dedication to God and their law, as Jesus continues to speak to the people, He warns them about the dangers of getting caught up in the works of their religion.
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” – Matthew 6:1-2,5,16-18.
“but unto thy Father which is in secret:” You have seen them and you know them, the ones who flash their money all around the church, who say the elaborate prayers, and let it be known that they are fasting for days or months. These are not the ones who live the humble and meek Christian life, they are the ones who want man to glorify them, who brag about all the are doing for God in public, and yet in secret are just the opposite. They have their reward right now, and if they continue their works will be leading them straight to hell. This is why salvation is not based on our works, it never has been, our works are a reflection of Christ that lives in us, not a reflection of man made religion. God will accept the penny that we give Him with all our heart over the million dollars to win over the heart of man. If you look closely you really can tell who the true Christians are. “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” – Titus 1:15-16.
The Christian life is not about letting the world see us as being the “model Christian”, in public then doing what we please in secret. We must understand that while our behavior has nothing to do with our salvation, it everything to do with showing Christ in us. Religious people think that their works is what is getting them to heaven, be it giving tithe, charity, feeding the poor, and they are not shy about showing the world that they helped the helpless. Do you see the abundance of celebrities giving thousands and millions of dollars to help “victims”? I quote “victims” because it is just a photo op for many of them, they want recognition as being the ones to help the helpless. Look at the way many of them are acting right now, they are showing their true colors by the way they disrespect Jesus, authority of any kind, and themselves, and they have their reward. As Jesus continues speaking concerning religion, He stresses the importance of seeking the things of God, not the world.
“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” – Matthew 6:25-26,30-34.
“Take no thought for your life,” It is fitting that I am reading this today, I struggle every day with wondering what I am supposed to do so that I can pay the bills, and rent, and everything else that life needs with these dead end jobs I have. We have nothing to worry about, God has it all under control, and if we give it all over to Him, He will lead us. We do not have to work three jobs just to survive, it we trust God, He will feed, clothe, and yes, even provide us with the funds to get out of debt if we got elaborate with our spending when yesterday we better. We need not worry about tomorrow because God is already there, live for today, trusting that He will give us everything we need when the time is right, and we will have our reward.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” – Matthew 7:7-14.
“knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” Part of living the Christian life is having faith that in whatever we ask, according to God’s will that we will receive it. Every single time God closes the door on something in our lives He opens another one to something that we have been asking Him for. Do not like that job? Ask God for a new one, and He will lead you there in His time. Do not like that house? Ask God for a new one and He will lead you there. Whatever we ask in His will He will give it to us, in His time. It is necessary, if we want God’s provisions, that we first be saved, not everyone who says they are a Christian are saved. Jesus stresses the importance of knowing that not everyone who calls Him Lord are saved.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” – Matthew 7:21-27.
“but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” This topic comes up so much it the church, it means that religion does not get us into heaven, only those that do the will of the Father get into heaven. What is the will of the Father? Believing in and accepting the simple Gospel of Christ as the only way to be saved. This does not mean that we will never sin again, that we will lose our salvation if we do, or that we will not face the consequences for sin, but it does mean that we belong to Jesus and there is nothing that we can do once we are saved to lose that. Praise God! Living the Christian life does not mean we are going to be perfect, but it does mean that we have Jesus backing us up, and nothing can change that, and that is our greatest reward. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” – Revelation 22:12-13.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” – Matthew 7:23.
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, I know that You reward those who diligently seek You. As I diligently seek You, by faith, I know I will endure all my hardships. You have gone before me and cleared the way so that I might follow in Your footsteps. I am comforted in knowing that I walk hand in hand with You as my Guide. Through eyes of faith I see a great cloud of witnesses, those spoken of in the Bible and those I have known in my life who have already finished the race cheering me on as I walk this path You gave me. May I endure every hardship with You by my side as I live the Christian life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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