rewards from heaven

[doug]

my car was over heating and I stopped at the parking lot of the church I go to to let it cool down. I would not have done that had I not been in fellowship there. Is that a reward?

I am in charge of the coffee at may church on fridays also, and I have met a lot of people that I would not have otherwise met had I not been involved in that way. Is that a reward?

What are rerwards and are they primarily gold and silver in heaven?

[Mark C.]

Hi Doug,

  Re. "rewards from heaven":

                                        " No eye has seen,
                                           no ear has heard,
                                         no mind has conceived
                                             what God has prepared for
                                                     those who love
                                                      him----
                                              but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit."   I Cor. 2: 9-10.

  The context for the "it" that has been revealed to us by the Spirit is defined in the previous verses as "God's secret wisdom, as wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began."       

   The passage pretty clearly identifies a believer's reward as being our destiny in glory, which obviously would not include parking places at church, free coffee, etc,  .  It would seem that "the mind of the Spirit" and the "depths of God" are looking forward to eternity and that this kind of "wisdom" makes no sense to the world that is looking to get their reward here and now.

  However, free coffee is a nice perc. (as in percolation  ) and an opportunity to blow off steam is also cool , but the benefits of eternity with God in heaven are the only rewards that are lasting.

                                                            God bless,  Mark C.                                               

[doug]

i didnt mean that the big reward i got was the free coffee, but that rather through serving i have met people i otherwise would not have have met. I am becoming increasingly convicted that God is not raising up people to become better servants but rather those who are increasingly taking on the mind of Christ. Meeting those people has aided that.
also, some of these highly spiritual interpretations of rewards do not always sit well with me. not that they are entirely incorrect but that rather i would at least like to explore the idea that heavenly rewards, while not prosaic, do nevertheless have a greater resemblence to commonplace earthly events than one might imagine. especially when granted to us while on earth.
i could say more and probably will.

[Joe Sperling]

Doug---

I think you have a point there. Jesus said that he that gives a cup of cold water to the least of his disciples would not lose his "reward". You mention below that you would most likely say more regarding this---I'd like to hear more, and I do appreciate your thoughts.

[doug]

free advice: associate with christians as much as possible.
Where does it say that in the Bible?

[outdeep]

free advice: associate with christians as much as possible.
Where does it say that in the Bible?

Doug,

I think there are some obvious "proof texts" that we are familiar with.  "Not forsaking the assembling yourself together", "if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another", etc.

But I think, more than just quoting a passage, it seems to me that the model of the Bible is that the Christian life is lived in community.  George was right when he said, "we shouldn't be Lone Ranger Christians".  George was just wrong in saying that the Assembly was the only other option.

For me, I struggle for years with some issues in my life as long as I had to struggle with sin all by myself.  I have found great help in a safe community in a local Celebrate Recovery.  I am free to tell my secrets without fear of judgmental attitudes and retaliation.  I am able to find help in supporting others who struggle with the same things that I do.

I believe that the verse "confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed" is the high water mark of Christian fellowship though there tends to be few places in the church today where this may be realistically practiced.