May 23 Eternal Payment

Luke 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
 
DO you see the results? One challenge you may  experience as you serve others for God is a lack of response to our work. For example, we can join in a ministry to serve homeless men. Diligently, you prepare a nutritious meal. Hopefully, you want to touch their hearts with Jesus’ love. But reality is they come into the dining area, eat their food or just pick it up and leave. What good have we done? After all, we wanted to talk with them, get to know them and encourage them in Christ.
    Or we can sit and pray with someone who longs for healing of soul and body. But God is silent. And both of you wonder, “What good did it do?” People, too, who teach Bible classes, help unwed moms, care for fatherless children and invite people for a meal in their home seldom see reward for their work. We become tired and discouraged. Eagerly, even desperately, we long to see some fruit of our labor.
    This is a natural human longing. The work we do should produce immediate results, right? One reason people in ministry have such hobbies as gardening and woodworking is to see immediate results from their labors.
    But God’s kingdom time and purposes are much different than our own, aren’t they? As we worship a sovereign God, we must know all things are under his authority. In our heart, we must faithfully know he is at work in his time. The Bible’s narrative pointedly takes us from creation to a new creation. Mankind does not dictate to God how and when he fulfills his will on earth. God works in his sovereign plan for his creation. A day, a decade, a century, a millennium and eternity are all the same to God. His Word never says, “You will have my response right now.”
    Be mindful that your service for the Lord is to benefit those you serve, to point people to salvation and to fulfill his commands. Servant work is about those you serve. When you keep your servant eyes are on your Servant Savior, his promise is, “You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
    Be encouraged, too, with the apostle Paul’s words to the Corinth church: 2 Corinthians 13:4 For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you.
    How great will be your reward when the Lord God acknowledges you, “My righteous one.” Rejoice in the opportunities he gives you to serve his people. Work in God’s power. Be satisfied, even joyful, your reward is Heaven’s praise. 
 
Prayer: Give me servant hands, Lord, to welcome people to your house. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.