Good evening brethren and happy Sabbath! Just a reminder we will have the Ladies Tea after services in Columbia tomorrow.  Also, Teen Bible Study and Sabbath School will be after services tomorrow.

Getting rewarded

I’m willing to bet the majority of us belong to a rewards program of some sort.  A loyalty program perhaps with a store, or maybe earning cash back on a credit card.  While you have to be careful that you don’t get suckered in to spending more money than you need to, many of these programs can be very beneficial, if we’re wise in how we use them.

Of course, the downside to that is many of those programs have expiration dates.  Use it or lose it, as they say.  I have a painful story about that I’ll be sharing tomorrow…

Different types of rewards

There are many types of rewards we can earn - and some we can’t. Most notably among those is the gift of eternal life.  Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

While we can’t earn our salvation, the Bible also teaches us we are being evaluated on the works we do today. To whom much is given, much is required, and thus we must do ‘works’ with what we have been given.

Looking forward to our rewards

The reward of eternal life in the Kingdom of God is like no other.  We can’t earn it, but it is a reward our loving Father desires to give us through the life of His son, Jesus Christ.

As we live of physical lives now, let us be mindful not only of this fact, but of the fact that God does judge and reward our deeds here and now.  We can be grateful of His great mercies, as we work to honor and glorify Him through our deeds!