“Reward”
“Be careful not
to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you
do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So when
you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do
in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell
you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your
left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward
you.
Matthew 6:1-4
“Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in
and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do
not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21
It is possible that the most significant human acts of all are carried out in secret, seen by no one but God. We are to live for the blessing of God and not the blessing of humans.
Jesus has spoken about that place we call heaven. We are told the righteous will shine as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.
Jesus changed the focus of people away from themselves and onto the glory of Our Father. He discounted success in this visible world. Invest in the future life is the message.
Reward in eternity does not depend upon recognition in life.
Our
Daily Bread –