God says He is a Rewarder.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
What God wants most of all from us is that we believe in Him, as Jesus said in John 6:29.
John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
God’s rewards are not only crowns in heavne, but come to you on earth in the form of what you need, what you’re concerned about, or what you just desire when you’re in tune with Him.
God rewards your needs
Philippians 4:19. Paul said God will supply all your needs. Not just spiritual needs.
He wants to supply all your needs: spiritual, physical, mental, financial, emotional, any need.
Your job is to determine your needs, and God says His job is to meet them.
This is what Jesus Himself told us in the Gospels. For example, He said:
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
What things? Why, your needs, of course. We see this from the passage preceding verse 33.
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Jesus said that our Heavenly Father knows that we have need of all these things.
He said it was God’s desire to free us from these worries so that we could devote time and attention and effort to the work of His Kingdom.
As we do His work, He will supply our needs.
Psalms 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
God knows that we are only human. We can’t do two things at once. If we have to provide our own needs, we will not have time for meeting the needs of others.
That’s why Matthew 6:25 starts with the word “Therefore” (which means “for that reason”). This has to do with the previous verse, which says,
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Jesus isn’t necessarily talking about greed for Mammon’s riches. He is saying that if we have to provide for our own financial needs, we will not be fully attentive to serving God and our fellowmen. Therefore, He concludes this passage with the command, Take no thought for tomorrow, for tomorrow will take thought for the things of itself. No need for too much advance planning. No need to provide for tomorrow’s needs.
Most Christians don’t really believe that Jesus meant what He said. There have been just a few Christians (George Mueller, Hudson Taylor) who embarked on large projects without any plan or attempt to raise money for the large needs of their work.
The difference between you and the people without God is (or should be) what we give our energy to. Non-Christians spend their lifetimes striving to meet their basic human needs. It’s “go to my job to earn money to pay for my house and food to give me strength to go my job to earn money to pay for my house for food to give me strength to go to my job …”
God expects His children to give their needs to Him, and to expect Him to reward their faith by giving them all that they need.
He doesn’t allow needs to come into your life to frustrate you. He brings them as opportunities for you to see Him work on your behalf if you give the needs to Him.
God will reward you for having a need and letting Him handle it.
God rewards your concerns
Psalm 138:8a.
Nehemiah is a great example of God rewarding a man for taking his burdens to Him.
Nehemiah’s parents had been captives in Babylonia and Nehemia had got the job of serving the Persian King as his cupbearer. This put him in touch with the travelers in the land, and one day he met some men who had been to Judah. He eagerly inquired about the state of affairs there. The news wasn’t good. Jerusalem was in sad shape and the people disccouraged. Nehemiah loved his native land and the news was distressing, but he knew what to do about it. He shared his burden with God, confessed his sins and asked God to work. And God rewarded him for his faith, right in the area of his concerns.
The king had noticed that Nehemiah, who usually had a cheerful outlook, was a little down, so he asked why. Nehemiah darted a prayer to God, and answered the king, explaining his concern for Jerusalem. Nehemiah says, “I was very much afraid.” (Nehemiah 2:2)
No one was more surprised than Nehemiah when the king said, “Why don’t you go do something about it? I’ll provide the materials. Go ahead and get some of your people together from here, and go over there and build those walls.”
Solomon had a big concern after he became king. He told God that he really wanted to be a wise ruler. When God rewarded Solomon for trusting Him, He didn’t just make him wise. God said, “Behold I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given yo a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among thekings like you all your days.” (1 Kings 3:12-13).
You can’t lose when God rewards you for having concerns and bring them to Him. Concerns were not meant to be carried by you. God means them to cause you to turn to Him in faith so that He can carry them and reward you.
God rewards your desires
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself i the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
God wants to give you your desires instead of you struggling to fulfill them yourself.
Psalm 84:11 No good thing does He withhold from them who walk uprightly.
Do you believe that? If you do, you’ll list your desires, make yourself an “I want” list, and give it to God, and you’ll let Him give you those things in His way and His time. And He’ll reward you richly for your faith.
Of course, as you get to know Him more intimately, expect Him to shape your desires, even to change some. Remember, He wants only to give you “good things”.
God rewards you simply for believing in Him.
We come back to Hebrews 11:6.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
The Greek conjunction translated “and” means that both sides of the conjunction are equal, are on par with each other. As much as God wants you to believe that He exists, and is pleased when you do, so and to the same extent He wants you to believe that He is a rewarder, and is pleased when you do.
If you do believe that He is a rewarder, you will diligently seek Him, wouldn’t you?
Bibloscope 