{"id":90900,"date":"2022-02-26T07:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-26T12:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/rewards-in-heaven\/"},"modified":"2024-01-21T00:12:09","modified_gmt":"2024-01-21T05:12:09","slug":"rewards-in-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/rewards-in-heaven\/","title":{"rendered":"Rewards in Heaven"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The Bible mentions rewards in heaven multiple times (<strong>Matthew 5:12<\/strong>;\n<strong>Luke 6:23, 35<\/strong>;\n<strong>1 Corinthians\n3:14<\/strong>;<strong>\n9:18<\/strong>). But why are rewards necessary? Won\u2019t being in heaven with God\nbe enough? Experiencing Him, His glory, and the joys of heaven will be so\nwonderful, it\u2019s hard to understand why extra rewards would be needed. Also,\nsince our faith rests in Christ\u2019s righteousness instead of our own (<strong>Romans 3:21\u201326<\/strong>),\nit seems strange that our works would merit reward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">God will give rewards in heaven at the bema, or the judgment\nseat of Christ, based on our faithfulness in service to Him (<strong>2 Corinthians 5:10<\/strong>).\nThe rewards will show the reality of our sonship (<strong>Galatians 4:7<\/strong>) and the justice of\nGod (<strong>Hebrews\n6:10<\/strong>). God will give rewards in heaven in order to fulfill the law\nof sowing and reaping (<strong>Galatians 6:7\u20139<\/strong>) and make good on His promise that\nour labor in the Lord is not in vain (<strong>1 Corinthians 15:58<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">One reason for the rewards in heaven is the fact that Jesus\nshares His reward with us. Paul said, \u201c<strong>I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live\nin the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself\nfor me<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>Galatians 2:20<\/strong>). Our lives are \u201chidden\u201d with\nChrist, who is seated at the right hand of God (<strong>Colossians 3:1\u20134<\/strong>). We die with Him\nand we live with Him and we share in His joy (Romans 6:8; Matthew 25:21). In\nheaven we will dwell with Him (<strong>John 14:1\u20133<\/strong>). Our lives are inextricably linked\nwith Christ\u2019s. The reward He receives is shared with all of us: \u201c<strong>If we are children,\nthen we are heirs\u2014heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in\nhis sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>Romans 8:17<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Our rewards in heaven depend on the goodness and power of\nGod. Through Christ\u2019s resurrection we gain an inheritance in heaven; on earth\nour faith is tested and results in praise and glory and honor when Christ is\nrevealed (<strong>1\nPeter 1:3\u20139<\/strong>). The things we do in this life are only permanent (that\nis, carried with us into heaven) if they are built on the foundation, which is\nChrist (<strong>1\nCorinthians 3:11\u201315<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The rewards we gain in heaven are not like the rewards we\nearn here on earth. We tend to think in material terms\u2014mansions, jewels, etc.\nBut these things are only representations of the true rewards we will gain in\nheaven. A child who wins a spelling bee treasures the trophy he receives not\nfor the sake of the trophy itself but for what that trophy means. Likewise, any\nrewards or honor we gain in heaven will be precious to us because they carry\nthe weight and meaning of our relationship with God\u2014and because they remind us\nof what He did through us on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In this way, rewards in heaven glorify God and provide us\nwith joy, peace, and wonder as we consider God\u2019s work in us and through us. The\ncloser we were to God during this life, the more centered on Him and aware of\nHim, the more dependent on Him, the more desperate for His mercy, the more\nthere will be to celebrate. We are like characters in a story who suffer doubt,\nloss, and fear, wondering if we will ever really have our heart\u2019s desire. When\nthe happy ending comes and desire is fulfilled, there comes a completion. The\nstory would not be satisfying without that completion. Rewards in heaven are\nthe completion of our earthly story, and those rewards will be eternally\nsatisfying (<strong>Psalm\n16:11<\/strong>) and include five Crown Rewards:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes has-medium-font-size\"><table class=\"has-subtle-pale-green-background-color has-background\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Victor\u2019s Crown: 1 Corinthians 9:25-27<\/strong>     \u00a0                    <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Self-discipline requires the ability to say \u201cNo\u201d when necessary \u2013 and not just to things that are sinful.\u00a0 Often, something \u2018good\u2019 keeps us from God\u2019s \u2018best\u2019.\u00a0 Serving God involves narrowing our focus to those things with the highest everlasting value.\u00a0 Life is full of \u2018good\u2019 things which may take our eyes of the best Christ has to offer.\u00a0 It is up to us to identify and choose accordingly.\u00a0 Those who exercise such discipline will receive the Victor\u2019s Crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">(Think about how you spend your time, money and\ntalents.&nbsp; Do your habits reflect service\nto God or do they indicate other priorities in your life?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes has-medium-font-size\"><table class=\"has-subtle-pale-green-background-color has-background\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Crown of Rejoicing: 1 Thessalonians 2:19<\/strong>                    <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">This crown is awarded to those who bring others to Christ, often called the Soul-Winner\u2019s Crown, given to those who reach out beyond themselves to lead others to salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">(When was the last time you talked about Jesus to someone\nwho wasn\u2019t a Christian?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes has-medium-font-size\"><table class=\"has-subtle-pale-green-background-color has-background\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Crown of Righteousness: 2 Timothy 4:8<\/strong>                    <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Many Christians become so caught up with earthly activities that they forget heaven is their true destination.\u00a0 This crown is for those who long for Jesus\u2019 return and conduct themselves accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">(Take inventory of thoughts and actions: do they reflect\nrighteousness to those around you?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes has-medium-font-size\"><table class=\"has-subtle-pale-green-background-color has-background\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Crown of Life: James 1:12: Revelation 2:10<\/strong>     \u00a0                    <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Believers who maintain their love for Christ in the midst of persecution, temptation and even martyrdom receive this crown.\u00a0 Any believer who has kept the faith when it was costly to do so \u2013 anyone who has suffered, endured, persevered and encouraged others receives this crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">(Are both my testimony and lifestyle devoted to\nacknowledging the reality of Jesus in my life regardless of the cost to my\nreputation, stigmatization or worse?&nbsp; Am\nI supportive of others called out in this way?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes has-medium-font-size\"><table class=\"has-subtle-pale-green-background-color has-background\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Crown of Glory: 1 Peter 5:4<\/strong>     \u00a0     \u00a0     \u00a0                    \u00a0<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">This crown is given to faithful shepherds of God\u2019s people:\npastors, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, etc.&nbsp; It rewards those answering God\u2019s call of\nministry and leadership.\n\n(Have you answered\nGod\u2019s call?)\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Bible mentions rewards in heaven multiple times (Matthew 5:12; Luke 6:23, 35; 1 Corinthians 3:14; 9:18). But why are rewards necessary? Won\u2019t being in heaven with God be enough? Experiencing Him, His glory, and the joys of heaven will be so wonderful, it\u2019s hard to understand why extra rewards would be needed. Also, since [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[526,534],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Rewards in Heaven - Grace Evangelical Free Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how rewards at the judgment seat of Christ reflect the reality of our sonship, showcase God&#039;s justice, and fulfill the law of sowing and reaping.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rewards in Heaven - Grace Evangelical Free Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover how rewards at the judgment seat of Christ reflect the reality of our sonship, showcase God&#039;s justice, and fulfill the law of sowing and reaping.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/rewards-in-heaven\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grace Evangelical Free Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-26T12:32:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-21T05:12:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tony Raker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tony Raker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/rewards-in-heaven\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/rewards-in-heaven\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tony Raker\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/#\/schema\/person\/6785bcea471ae92fb3660d811c5c74ef\"},\"headline\":\"Rewards in Heaven\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-26T12:32:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-21T05:12:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/rewards-in-heaven\/\"},\"wordCount\":944,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Issues &amp; 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