UNREWARDED

Most of us look to our best friends and our family for encouragement. We want to know we’re doing alright, that there is someone there for us when things are hard, that our good marks at school will be noticed, that our new hairstyle suits us. All these things are important. We all need
encouragement. But the best reward for what we do isn’t that we’re noticed by our friends. The best thing is knowing that God is right here with us, giving us His full attention. We could be kind to someone or work hard on a school project without anyone really seeing what we are doing, but God sees. And His rewards are the best ever! That’s why Jesus said we should live for God first, rather than what other people think.

As Jesus explained, we have something like a heavenly ‘savings account’, where we store up “treasures in heaven” (MATTHEW 6:20, NKJV) rather than on earth—treasures so great that they will more than make up for any rejection we go through now. Jesus talked about a place where “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (13:43).

The people of Jesus’ day had been looking for signs that God was pleased with them through being rich and powerful. Jesus challenged them to change their focus to the life to come (6:19-21). It’s not about how much we get now. It’s not about how noticed we are either. After all, everything we enjoy today can be lost or get broken really easily (V.20). It’s much better to live with our eyes on what God thinks of us, and the unbreakable future He has in store!

To pray about . . .

God, help us not to just live by what our friends and family think of us, but help us to enjoy Your love for us in Jesus. Teach us to live for an audience of one: You! Amen.

WE’RE ALWAYS AT THE CENTRE OF GOD’S
ATTENTION. SO LET’S LIVE BY WHAT HE THINKS!

YouTh Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries