UNREWARDED

UNREWARDED

READ:
Matthew 6:1-4, 19-21

Your Father who sees in
secret will reward you
openly. -Matthew 6:18

Most of us look to friends and colleagues for rewards:  a slap on the back, a hero's medal, applause, a sincere compliment.  But according to Jesus, the more important rewards await us after death.  It's possible that the most significant human acts of all are carried out in secret, seen by no one but God.  In a nutshell, the message of the kingdom is this:  Live for God and not other people.

As Jesus explained it, we are accumulating a kind of savings account, storing up "treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20) rather than on earth-treasures so great that they will compensate for any amount of suffering.  The Old Testament has dropped a few scant hints about an afterlife, but Jesus spoke plainly about a place where "the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:43).

In their quest for a kingdom, the Jews of Jesus' day had been looking for signs of God's approval in this life, primarily through prosperity and political power.  Beginning with this speech, Jesus changed the focus to the life to come (ch.6).  He discounted success in this visible world.  Invest in the future life, He cautioned.  After all, rust, a thief, or a lowly insect can destroy all else that we accumulate (v.20).  -Philip Yancey

Lord, help us not to seek the applause of our friends
and colleagues, but rather to look to You for approval.
Teach us to put into practice the principles of the
Sermon on the Mount.  Amen.
*********************************************
Reward in eternity does not depend
upon recognition in life.

INSIGHT
Imagine for a moment what it must have been like for a working-class Jewish person to hear today's portion of the Sermon on the Mount.  Many in the audience would have been familiar with the self-congratulating religious performance of the scribes and Pharisees.  Jesus emphasized that devotional life and good works should be done privately.  And God, who sees what is done in private, will reward such actions generously.  The lesson for us is not to neglect a private life of devotion that God alone can see.

Have a blessed day.
God Our Creator's Love Always
Unity & Peace