Have you ever thought of God as a rewarder? Genesis 15:1 describes him this way, “After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” This was just prior to Abraham questioning God. He wanted to know how this could be as he did not even have a descendent. God had promised Abraham countless descendants in Genesis 12. Here God reiterates his promises to Abraham in verses 5-6, “And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Abraham believed God totally. His faith had been counted to him as right ness before God.
Hebrews 11:6, one of my verses for the year, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Here we see that without faith in who He is, we cannot please God and that faith in Him we will be rewarded.
What kind of reward is implied here? God was promising Abraham a line of descendants when he physically did not have children. Amazingly, Abraham believed God! His faith was rewarded as he continued to seek God and walk with him. He did indeed have Isaac the child of promise in his old age. How else was Abraham rewarded by God? He was provided righteousness through his faith. We too can experience this righteousness when we believe in Jesus. Through faith, believing in Jesus, God provides us with eternal life, hope in the future and salvation. God desires to shower us with blessings both material and spiritual as we walk with Him each day. How often do we only look at what God provides or does not provide in the big things? How about the sunset, sunrise, growth of plants in our yard, a smile from a neighbor all of these can be counted as God’s provision too. God is in the details of life. Looking for Him in the ordinary will show you extraordinary things about God and His provision.
Here are a few more verses about God’s rewards:
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” Being steadfast during those everyday trials will bring rewards now and assuredly in the future. Luke 6:23 “Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.”
Paul’s idea of God’s reward to him, 1 Corinthians 9:18 “What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.” Being able to tell others about Jesus Paul considered a privilege and a reward! Do we?
Colossians 3:22-23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Knowing that God is watching over us and seeing what we do for Him reminds us that He deems it important enough to reward us for it.
Acts 4:12– salvation given by Christ is definitely a great reward. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
John 17:3, eternal life, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.“
Having the fruits of the Holy Spirit indwelling us, Galatians 5:23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
As you can see, scriptures is rich in descriptions of the benefits and rewards provided through faith in Jesus. I will leave you with one of my favorites Romans 6:23 “ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God is indeed generous with His reward towards those who believe! Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can be the recipient of the many blessings and rewards my Father God has provided though faith in His son. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice for me.
Linda
God’s attributes gave me a glimpse into the magnificence and depth of our God. I saw God’s accessibility, grace, omniscience, as a person, His incomprehensibility, invisibility, holiness, as a preserver, merciful, a promise-keeper, righteous, sovereign, perfect, omnipotent, provider, merciful again, glorious, Savior, faithful, just, wise, Father, guide, love and eternal.
No pagan god is like you, O Lord.
Thank you for joining me this Advent. May you be blessed as you endeavor to live for Jesus and grow more and more life Him each day.
God refers to himself in the Old Testament as Your Savior in Isaiah 49:26 and 60:16. In both cases His name is linked to prophesy in regard to the destruction of Jerusalem when the Babylonians came and destroyed it and took the people off to Babylon. The city was held under siege and the people suffered greatly, at one point even resorting to cannibalism. Isaiah’s words were to be ones of encouragement that God will be evident in the dealings of His people. Isaiah 49:26
The people of Israel were to know that in both hard and good times God will be with them, He will be their Savior, Redeemer and Mighty One. We can be encouraged like they were that God alone is God, He is our Redeemer and has plans for our redemption through Christ His Son, and He alone is the Mighty One from generation to generation. The prophet pointed out specifically that God is your Savior and your Redeemer. He is a personal God who loves each one of us and wants to have a relationship with us. He desires that we accept His Son as Savior and open our hearts to His redemptive plan.
Multiple times in scripture God refers to himself as LORD. When the name Lord is written all in capital letters, it refers to the name ‘Yahweh’, YHWH which was so revered that it did not even say it aloud or write it completely as they left out the vowels. Another translation of this is Jehovah. In Exodus 3:14-15, Moses is called by God to return to Egypt, confront Pharaoh and lead the people. Moses voices several concerns to God and asks, What do I say when the people ask who sent me? “
Today meditate on the completeness of your LORD and how HE reaches down and touches you.
This name of God is referred to in Psalm 3:3. “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” The name O Lord is YHWH and my glory is Jehovah-Kabodhi in Hebrew. David describes God as Lord, the one of glory and the lifter of his head. Have you ever thought about what God’s glory is? The Old Testament describes the glory cloud that led them in the wilderness and the ‘Sheikinah’ glory that filled the tabernacle and later the temple as the presence of God on earth. Moses asked to see God’s glory while on Mt Sinai but God told him he could not see His face and live. But, God said hide in the cleft of the rock and I will pass by. Exodus 33:20-22 
catch a glimpse of His glory. Ezekiel, the prophet, saw a vision of the throne room of God in heaven. Ezekiel 1:28 “
of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Here is the first part of this verse in the Amplified, “
Fearless Living 