The Greatest Reward

Being Rewarded

Isn't it a great thing to receive rewards? Winning from contests, games or any competition is worth being rewarded for. When I was an elementary student, I had always joined co-curricular activities where I had been one with the placers who won. I was an active participant mostly during Grade 6, where I gained academic awards in both class and in competing with other schools. Having been the First Honorable Mention, my parents were proud of me. In high school, it had been more challenging, but I still got high grades. I'm not much to be called a grade conscious, but I thrived to achieve success.


Pleasing People

I once thought that if I please people with what I do, I would gain reward from them. In my mind was, if only I had become what they want me to be– the thing that was 'in'– then I must have been loved by many. They must see me work hard and be proud of what I have. I wasn't boastful about myself, but I just wanted to see people notice my skills and abilities. But there is one thing that I've realized: material things, or even the praises of people towards us are not the reward we must look forward to. They are just there as the earth exists. They might even be lost before you are gone. Money, fame, and personal pleasure cannot satisfy us for a lifetime. People cannot be contented with what they have, because when there is something 'good' to them, they might seek it for more. But to what extent that reward would be?

Pursuing the Great Reward

There is a reward that is more than what we can perceive. These might be the blessings, yet it is the Blesser Himself who is our reward. God is the GREATEST REWARD that one must boast about. How wonderful it is knowing that the One who has all authority on heaven and on earth is the One we must pursue and look forward to.

Hebrews 11:1 ESV
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction if things not seen."

Hebrews 11:6 ESV
"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."

To receive the reward is to SEEK GOD, and to seek Him is by FAITH. Faith says, "To Believe is to See". We cannot see God physically, but we can perceive His beautiful creation and His masterpiece. We believe that He is THERE, because life is evident. Even the whole universe cannot be measured by humans. It is too great for our little brain. No one could even explain how complex life is. Our knowledge is not superior enough to understand the movement of all things. God is REAL. He is not dead but alive, watching our every step, and waiting for people to seek His love and grace. When we seek God, it He Himself that we experience. Then why He is our GREAT REWARD?

Rewarded in Full

The reward is LOVE.
God is Love. He loves us all, that's why He sent His One and Only Son to die for us. It is not because of our love but HIS. He first loved us before we have loved Him.

The reward is SALVATION.
He became sin to save us from our sins; His death and resurrection made a way for us to receive His forgiveness, and the promise of eternity.

The reward is JOY and HOPE.
He is our Joy, because only He can satisfy us. When we humbly turn to Him, He is the One who makes our faces radiant with gladness. We have the JOY because of HOPE for Him. We become happy to seek our hope, knowing that He is faithful in His promises.

The reward is PROSPERITY.
God is RICH! And if He has all the riches on heaven and on earth, how much is He able to give you? He is our Provider, and He can increase our assets more than what we could have imagined. His blessings overflow, for His grace is abundant. We become rich not just in material things, but also in our relationship with Him. We become more BLESSED when we seek our great PROSPERITY.

The reward is PEACE.
He is our Comfort and Rest. In the midst of the storms of life, He is ready to calm the waves; He takes away all our fears, and we don't have to worry because He carries all the burden for us.

The reward is LIFE.
He is the air we breathe. He is the reason why our hearts beat. He is the blood flowing through our veins, and without Him, we are nothing but dirt. He promised us everlasting life, not by the physical body–which is temporal–but by the spirit. He is the one who makes us WHOLE.