Your Cause – Your Reward!

Fresh Manna 2009© by Pastor Tim Burt

1 Samuel 17:29 “And David said,…Is there not a cause?”

Over the years, I’ve seen a multitude of people involved with ‘good causes.’ I’ve seen people spend enormous amounts of time organizing, communicating, and soliciting funds for causes. I’ve seen those that work to raise money for research to fight diseases to those that work to save the whales or owls or to protest the wearing of fur to save animals. There seems to be a never-ending list of causes. I wonder how many Christians really focus on the ultimate cause God has assigned us as His children – the cause of saving people from a destiny in Hell and instead receiving Jesus’ free gift of eternal life?

The Bible speaks of two judgments of God after death. One is called the Great White Throne Judgment. It is the judgment of all those that would not receive God’s gift to mankind – Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Jesus died to take away their sins and give them eternal life. People that reject this gift of Jesus don’t realize what they are rejecting but we as Christians do. We know how desperately then need the Lord. When people reject Jesus, they reject God’s gift, thereby dying in their sins without resolution for them. Rev 20:11-12 says, Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it…And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. People get mad at the thought of God judging people but the truth is, Hell was created for Satan and fallen angels – not man. God made provision for man’s eternity through Jesus. If they choose to reject this gracious provision of God, then they have instead chosen to make their own choice following Satan to his destiny and what becomes theirs.

When Jesus is your savior, you aren’t judged for your sins –they are forgiven. Instead, by God’s grace, your name is written in the book of life. When you’ve haven’t received Jesus, your name will not be in that book and you will be judged for every sin you’ve ever committed. Hell is the judgment. No one that really understood that would fail to accept Jesus’ gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Rom 4:7-8 says, “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” Heb 8:12 says, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Psa 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us.” Consequently, it’s imperative that we reach out with the good news of this gracious gift of God! Now that is a cause!

There is also a judgment for those who have received Jesus Christ as their Savior. It isn’t a judgment about our sins since a believer’s sins have been washed away. This judgment is called the Judgment Seat of Christ. It will be about the rewards believers will receive. It will be about the rewards for the things they did to further the gospel and touch others with God’s love. We will stand before Jesus to review all of the ’causes’ or things we did to serve His purposes, not our own. Those things done from a pure heart and right motivation and not for self-glory or personal agenda will be considered like gold, or silver, or precious stones. The Apostle Paul described it like this: 1 Cor. 3:12-14 Now anyone who builds on that foundation may use gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward.

As David said when he spoke out about the need to shut Goliath’s mouth and defeat him – “Is there not a cause?” There are many good causes to fight for in this life, but do any save the life of a person for all eternity? Do any have the promised reward from God for serving His cause? I am not saying we shouldn’t be involved in good causes. I am only saying that we should put the ultimate cause – letting the world know of the gift of Jesus – at the top of our list! If we do, not only will the Lord reward us, but someone will be thanking Jesus and you for the rest of eternity. That is a perspective and cause to think about!