“resurrection” anastasei “You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” This little phrase tells us some very important things. First, Jesus says plainly that the righteous will live again. Resurrection is a physical matter; it’s not just living outside the body as a soul. No, you will live in your body again after you die! Of course, that assumes that you’re righteous. But God has called us righteous, he has declared us righteous, he has given us Jesus’s own righteousness! You need not fear – there is a resurrection for you! But then notice when your repayment for your good works will come: After the resurrection Jesus has earned for you. So often, we want our repayment to be now. We get so impatient! We like that concept of “karma” – what goes around, comes around. You do something bad to me, you’ll get repaid. I do something good for you, I’ll get repaid! And while yesterday we saw that Jesus tells us that he will reward our faithful efforts to be humble and share with those who can’t repay us, today we see when we’ll be repaid. We’re not going to be repaid here. If you do something good – say, you donate to a homeless shelter – that doesn’t guarantee you won’t lose your own home after you lose your job. Jesus does promise that you’ll have what you need, but he doesn’t promise to reward faithful actions in this life. That will come in the next life as he recognizes you as his good and faithful servant. That’s frustrating, isn’t it? We want to be recognized! But then we go right back to where we started this week… if we want to be recognized, if we desire some sort of reward, it’s because we think someone owes us. And in this case, we think God owes us. But he owes us nothing! We’re the ones who are the guests at his dinner table! The fact that he’s going to commend us for our good works is just another gift he gives! When you’re not recognized for your good work, don’t get frustrated. When your life goes badly even after you try to serve others, don’t fret. God has seen your work. You will be rewarded – in the resurrection of the righteous. Go Deeper: • Read Matthew 25, and especially note the last parable – that of the sheep and the goats. Note that the righteous, those Jesus rewards, don’t even know what he’s talking about. That’s the nature of good works: we don’t notice when we’re doing them if they’re from a humble heart. Pray that God will line up your heart with his will to do such good works! • Are you guilty of thinking God should make your life easier? Confess of exalting yourself and your actions above what is true. Pray that God teaches you humility – and be prepared for him to answer that prayer! • How did it feel to apologize to that person you were a jerk to? I pray that you’ve been released from your sin. Now think back… who else have you been a jerk to? Make an effort to apologize to all those you mistreated, approaching them humbly. Choose instead to serve them.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 13:48:20 +0000
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