November 5, 2013 Good-Behavior Rewards Anne Cetas 2 Corinthians 5:1-11 We make it our aim . . . to be well pleasing to [God]. -2 Corinthians 5:9 In a childrens ministry in my church, we hand out cards to the kids when we notice their good behavior. They collect the cards and receive prizes for the good choices theyve made. We are trying to reinforce good behavior rather than focusing on bad behavior. When one leader handed a card to 11-year-old Tyree, he responded, No, thanks. I dont need one; I want to behave well, and I dont need a reward for that. For him, doing the right thing was its own reward. He definitely has good values ingrained in him, and he wants to live them out-prize or not. As believers in Jesus, we will receive rewards one day. Second Corinthians 5:10 says that everyone will receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. But to get a reward should not be our motivation for right living. Neither is it to earn salvation. Living out of love for God and pleasing Him should be our hearts desire. When we love God, we make it our aim to please Him who first loved us (1 John 4:19) and to serve Him with pure motives (Prov. 16:2; 1 Cor. 4:5). The best reward will be to be with Him! In all I think and say and do, I long, O God, to honor You; But may my highest motive be To love the Christ who died for me. -D. DeHaan Our desire to please God is our highest motive for obeying Him. Jeremiah 34-36; Hebrews 2 © 2013 by RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 14:44:52 +0000
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