“There is absolutely no reward on earth for being a Christian. You get it only on payday in Heaven, not while you are still working for Jesus on earth.” ~ Felix Wantang
So many people work way too hard for payday. I realize that pay is important. What would we be able to do if we did not have any income? We would not be able to care for ourselves or our loved ones. However, some people care more about their pay than they do about their actual job. The only thing that keeps them going is that magical day.
If that is our only focus, we will not be able to do our job adequately and may, instead, lose our job and, with it, the chance for a paycheck.
Some Christians have the paycheck mentality here on earth. They do the things that they do for regard, recognition, or reward. At least once a year, on Ash Wednesday, we hear the admonition about that kind of attitude in the Gospel, “I assure you, they already have their reward.” Jesus indicated that all those who do the things that they do on earth for an earthly reward are going to receive nothing but what they already received.
We all know that any earthly treasure, any earthly reward is just that: earthly. That means that it is transitory. It will not last. It will not get us anywhere in the long run. If we are looking for a reward that is eternal, we have to set our sight not on the paycheck but on the good deeds that will garner us that ultimate reward. We have to live as Christians. We have to speaks as Christians. We have to love as Christians.
If we do so, our reward — our heavenly paycheck — will be incredible. You can take that to the bank.
FAITH ACTION: Do not do things for reward or recognition today. Do things simply because they are the right thing to do.