What profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? What’s the price of a soul?
What’s the value of eternal life?
Which path shall I choose? This is not Game of Thrones where multiple kingdoms are at your disposal to selectively place your allegiance. There exists but two camps for you to dwell while on this earth and they each have their respective destinies in the life hereafter. You are either a follower of Jesus or your alliance is with the dark prince, Satan. There is no Door #3 alternative from which to select.
The gravity of that concept alone should give us somber pause. What decisions we make now affect our eternal destiny in a very dramatic way. We’re not picking out colors to paint our bathroom or choosing an outfit to wear this spring. The precepts we are discussing on this website are intentionally far weightier. So, let’s get “woke” to the process. It is EXTREMELY important to choose wisely as eternal consequences are at stake.
To this point in our discussions we have concluded that it is infinitely better to be in the camp of the Son of God and be a member of His family. This is absolutely critical. In the last blog we briefly discussed what level of commitment we should employ in following Him. Is being a member of the family the ultimate goal or merely the starting point? We reviewed the concept of ROI and now come to the question on most everyone’s mind:
What’s in it for me?
It’s not like you’re the first to ask. We can usually depend on Peter to inquire what we ourselves are thinking, “Look,” said Peter, “we have left everything we had to follow You.” (Luke 18:28)
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times more in this age—and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Luke 18:29-30)
If the Son of God assures you that it’s worth it, then it’s worth it. The cool part is that the benefits occur both in this life and the next.
In our future, there is an ultimate accounting. There is a review of the Books. We know this from Hebrews where it states (9:27) “It is appointed for man to die once, then face judgment.” You cannot calculate ROI unless you’re keeping score. So how does God’s scorecard work?
The apostle Paul describes it more fully in 2 Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” Although it is called a judgment seat, this is not for meting out punishment. It’s a Rewards banquet! It’s an opportunity for Jesus to richly award you and say, “Come on down and get your crown!”
Paul also gives us a metaphor in his first letter to the church in Corinth. In chapter 3 he describes how we are builders and you can imagine how you build your career and likewise build your character which reflects your life. First, we must start upon the right foundation which is Jesus Christ. (If you build on anything else, you are building on sand and your building will come crashing down).
Upon Christ we build with different materials that describe the value of our works. Paul chooses to describe gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and straw. Our works (efforts) will be tested (evaluated) with fire (truth) and what burns up is loss and what remains is a reward. Works of gold and silver when exposed to the fire of truth burns off dross and become more refined, while precious stones become more brilliant. Works of wood, hay and straw, well they go the path of Cheech & Chong’s “Up in Smoke”. All you get is ash.
This is how God’s rewards program works.
So, what are works of gold, silver, and precious stones? What’s the critical metric to gain reward points? Paul tells us this later in this same letter in chapter 13.
Love.
Whatever the accomplishment great or small, if there is no love, there’s no profit at all…
…it’s all wood, hay, and straw.
This was the topic of my first blog, back on Valentine’s Day. Love is the measuring stick for how God evaluates our lives. God sees not as man sees, God looks at your heart. It’s not your accomplishments, but your attitude and motivation. “Do everything in love.” (1 Cor 16:14).
The new command of Jesus was to love others as He loves us. That’s a tall order, but as we progress down that path, we become more like Christ which is our goal. He is the true Vine and we are the branches. As a branch grows, it looks more like the vine. And if we are connected to the Vine, we bear much fruit. Apart from the Vine (Christ), we can do nothing. (~John 15:1-8)
So, let’s get out there and show the love! Following Christ and being a member of God’s family is the rewarding way to live…and always remind yourself, “Membership has it privileges!”
One Response to The Divine Scorecard