Your Reward Is Coming

God wants us to continually make good choices for our lives, so He’s given us the Bible, His Word, as an instruction book to live by. However, in order to get great results, we have to do what it says to do.

Wouldn’t you love it if your children always did what you tell them to do just based on your word…just because you “say so?” I bet it would really make your day! But, as loving parents, there are times when we need to discipline our children and allow them to experience the consequences in order to help them get back on track.

In the same way, God, our Father, has to do the same thing with us at times—not because He’s mad at us, but because He loves us. We need to understand that if we follow His instructions, then we’re going to have a life that’s full of peace, joy, and emotional stability.

God cares about every area of our lives and He wants to be involved in everything we do. He wants to help us make good choices in what we eat, who we hang out with, what we say, how we spend our money, and about every area of our lives.

Where the rubber meets the road…

Let’s face it, there are going to be times when we feel like doing the wrong thing. We’ll want to say something we shouldn’t say; we will feel like acting out of anger or frustration; or sometimes, we’ll simply desire to do something because we want to do it.

God never said it would be easy, but He does promise that we will reap rewards if we continue to do what His Word says…if we do what’s right because it’s right.

For example, years ago I once worked for a man who owned a company. I was in charge of his financial books—I payed the bills and balanced everything at the end of the month. Well, one day, I realized that one of our clients had payed us twice for the same service. When I asked my boss, he said, “Go ahead and deposit both checks.”

I had a problem! I was already a Christian, so I knew it was wrong to steal this man’s money. But I also knew I would likely get fired if I disobeyed my boss. Well, I finally got my courage up and walked into my boss’s office. I said, “I’m sorry, but I’m a Christian and I just can’t be a part of stealing this man’s money. If you want to do it, you’re going to have to do it yourself.”

My boss was furious and, as a result, I was fully prepared for him to let me go. Instead, he must have respected me for what I did because he later put me in charge of everything. I was second only to him!

It isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it.

Not every decision will be easy. There are even times when “doing the right thing” will cause us to lose friends or maybe miss out on doing something fun. But we need to remember that God always sees what we do and why we do it, and He is big enough to reward us at the right time.

Maybe you’re in school and your friends want you to do some things you know are wrong. Or maybe you’re a business man or woman, and your company and fellow workers are pressuring you to “cross the line” just a little bit. If so, I encourage to stand your ground. Do what’s right even if it hurts for the time being. Because even if no one else sees, God always sees.

Remember, making good choices always pays off. Every wise choice you make is a seed you sow. Now, that seed may not sprout up tomorrow or the next day, but I can guarantee you that it will bring a harvest eventually. And the more wise decisions you make, the greater your harvest will be!

Believe me, it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one doing what’s right. You look around and see everyone else doing what they want, and it seems like things are going just great for them. In those times, it’s important to remind yourself that you don’t know what’s happening behind the scenes, and you have no way of knowing what kind of harvest they are planting for their future.

I’ve been there. There have been more times than I can count when I’ve said to God, “Why does everyone else get to do this and I can’t? It’s not fair!” I’ll never forget what the Lord replied to me one day. He said, “Joyce, you’ve asked Me for a lot—do you want it or not?”

That got my attention! And it helped me to realize that I may not always do what everyone else is doing, but in the end He will reward me. Today, I am enjoying a harvest from a lifetime of good choices made one day at a time. And God will do the same for you.

Over the years, I’ve held on to this spiritual principle, and I believe it will also help you: When you do the right thing because it’s right—even when the right thing isn’t happening to you—you are setting yourself up for tremendous blessings. Because your actions honor God. And the Bible says when you honor God, He will honor you (1 Samuel 2:30).