Our Reward
What is the reward for the Christian?
This may sound like an odd question, or at least an odd way to phrase it. But there is a very real and present reward for all who are in Christ. So, what is it? Heaven? Salvation? An eternity with God? Yes, to all of those. But did you know that your reward starts now and will not be withheld by God till some date in the future?
You heard that right. Your reward starts now and will continue into and through eternity. How amazing, right?
Here is how Paul talks about it.
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
– Phil. 3:7-11
To really understand the depth of what Paul is saying here, we have to understand Paul’s background. He came from a wealthy and influential family in Tarsus. We know that because he was a Roman citizen. Something that only around 35% of the population had at the time. His family made tents, and as devout Jews, they would likely not have made common tents from pig’s hide. Instead, they likely made the higher quality tents from sheep’s hide for Roman officers. Think Department of Defense contracts. Paul was educated under the most prestigious rabbis of his day and would have enjoyed the social benefits that position offered him. This is simply to say that Paul had much to lose from a worldly standpoint in following Jesus. And yet, he said that nothing was better than knowing Jesus!
That is the real substance of our reward, knowing Christ and being known by him. Yes, an eternity with God where there will be no sin, sorrow, or pain will be wonderful! However, we get to taste that eternal communion with God here and now. We’re not waiting for it to begin. We’re waiting for it to be fulfilled. Paul is just like you and me in that waiting process; we all go through the ups and downs of life on this side of heaven. The joy in knowing that we’re not going through them on our own strength. Instead, we are connected to the Lord. That is why one of our key life questions is, “Did God make my day?” We were created to know and enjoy God’s presence on a regular basis. And nothing offered by this world can replace or fulfill that connection with God. Or, as Paul says it, everything else in this life falls short of the joy of knowing Christ.
So, our reward is not some ethereal place out in the future that we can’t experience now. Instead, it is restored relationship with God, where we enjoy his presence regularly here and now and perfectly in eternity to come. And nothing of this age even compares to it, or at least, that is what Paul thought.