A Heavenly Perspective

‘…Great is your reward in Heaven...’ Luke 6:23 NIV

Read these three Scriptures carefully: ‘…He shall reward every man according to his works.’ (Matthew 16:27 KJV) ‘…You will have treasure in Heaven…’ (Matthew 19:21 NIV) ‘…You will be repaid at the resurrection…’ (Luke 14:14 NIV) God is keeping track of what you do for Him each day. You have more to gain by serving the Lord than you ever imagined. Yes, He will bless and reward you in this life, but nothing by comparison to what awaits you in the next one. When you know that, simple decisions such as how you spend your time, your money and your energy suddenly become opportunities with great promise. Once you understand that, you begin to live with an unshakable certainty that everything you do today—matters forever. And that truth can change your life for the better! Jesus said: ‘Blessed are you when men hate you…exclude you…and reject your name as evil…Rejoice in that day and leap for joy…’ (Luke 6:22–23 NIV) Now Jesus didn’t mean that when you’re mistreated on His behalf, you’ll be so happy you’ll want to dance an Irish jig. No, He said, ‘Great is your reward in Heaven.’ Those six words reveal why you can rejoice in the worst of circumstances. You see, there’s a direct connection between something you do for God on earth, and something ‘great’ He’s going to do for you in Heaven. Jesus isn’t asking you to enjoy misery on His behalf; that’s masochism. He’s saying that your rewards in Heaven, for certain actions on earth, will be so wonderful that simply knowing they’re coming can transform how you live now. It can actually create spontaneous outbursts of joy!