We must not be troubled by unbelievers when they say that this promise of rewards makes the Christian's life a mercenary affair. There are different kinds of reward. There is the reward which has no natural connection with things you do to earn it, and is quite foreign to the desires that ought to accompany those things. Money is not the natural reward of love; that is why we call a man mercenary if he marries a woman for the sake of her money. But marriage is the proper reward for a real lover, and he is not mercenary for desiring it… The proper rewards are not simply tacked on to the activity for which they are given, but are the activity itself in consummation.
But isn't it wrong to be motivated by reward? No, it isn't. If it were wrong, Christ wouldn't offer it to us as a motivation. Reward is His idea, not ours.
Randy Alcorn
Excerpted from The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
Hmmm....I don't know. I do want to see Jesus and that is enough for me (1 John 3:1-3)!
ReplyDelete"Well done, thou good and blogging servant!"
ReplyDelete"Well done, thou good and tweeting servant! Enter into thy Master's facebook."
Whatever the means of preaching the gospel, it must be faithfulness, and that, by grace alone.
Thought I'd post without being such a cut up as I usually am.
Blessings to you all...
Love you, Brother Eddie. I'm keeping my eye out (not literally) for the 18th!
The "WORD VERIFICATION" for this post is "wrikeye".
Using wrikeye in a sentence...
"Seeing through Mr. Warren's Purpose Driven perspective is a wrikeye.
On the other hand, playing the role of Rick Warren in the upcoming Benny Finney movie is a garyeye.
And a general Arminian perspective is a wouldeye.
We must not be troubled by unbelievers when they say that this promise of rewards makes the Christian's life a mercenary affair. There are different kinds of reward. There is the reward which has no natural connection with things you do to earn it, and is quite foreign to the desires that ought to accompany those things. Money is not the natural reward of love; that is why we call a man mercenary if he marries a woman for the sake of her money. But marriage is the proper reward for a real lover, and he is not mercenary for desiring it… The proper rewards are not simply tacked on to the activity for which they are given, but are the activity itself in consummation.
ReplyDeleteC.S. Lewis
The Weight of Glory,
But isn't it wrong to be motivated by reward? No, it isn't. If it were wrong, Christ wouldn't offer it to us as a motivation. Reward is His idea, not ours.
ReplyDeleteRandy Alcorn
Excerpted from The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
Thanks for the comments, brothers.
ReplyDelete(side note to Jon - if you had kept your eye out today, you might have noticed your avatar on the bottom row above.)
Thanks Eddie,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering why I felt so much weight upon my shoulders. Notice how my avatar is a little bit more hunkered down than usual.
You're a God-fearin' backwoods Calvinistic man, Eddie Eddings, I salute ye'
The WORD VERIFICATION for this post is...
derspess
Using "derspess" in a sentence...
"Wneh you are derspess like Elihaj in 1 Kings 19, be of good cheer, Christ has overcome teh wordl."
What about a cup of cold water?
ReplyDeleteIs that just literal or does it mean anything?