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In Mark 10:45, Jesus said that “He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. He is our example, so we are called to serve, and not to grab. While service is a self-choice, and a voluntary action, duty or labor is what we are told to do for wages, salaries and other forms of compensations. To serve simply means, to render help to others without an expectation or kickback.
In the worldly system, rewards are either in cash or in kind which is material and temporal. Whereas in Gods’ kingdom, rewards are spiritual, they are permanent, they are heavenly, and they are eternal. Earthly rewards are temporal and perishable, while God’s reward for service are His promises, His blessings, His crowns, and heavenly mansions filled with gold, diamonds, and many precious stones and minerals. Rewards for service are offered to us based on faithful services rendered with humility, and from a pure heart. So, services from a humble and a pure heart, attracts God’s reward. Apostle Paul called himself a servant of God or a bond-slave. That is a sign of humility, and humility brings promotion and honor (Proverbs 15:33).
Here are some reasons to serve –
When we serve, we are saying that God is greater than us. Secondly, when we serve, we are saying that we are part of creation. When we serve, we are sharing our God-given gifts and when we serve, it means we value other people. Our services on earth are towards God and mankind, therefore, we expect reward from both God and mankind. Man can be unappreciative, but God is never ungrateful he never fails (Heb. 6:10). He is our reward, and our rewarder. He is our righteous judge, faithful to His promises, and our exceedingly great reward. His promises are His rewards, and they are up to 8,000 of them in the Bible, including those in Deut. 28:1-13. A particular one of joy is in Rev. 22:5. No more light bills, Jesus will provide for us free light.
Eternal rewards: On top of these promises and temporal benefits are eternal rewards which are the crowns set aside for God’s servants and children. There are five crowns recorded in the New Testament. To be in heaven, to be received by God and to receive that commendation, “well done good and faithful servant” is enough to motivate us to serve. Most of the rewards are to be received in heaven when we appear at the judgment seat of God. Nothing can compare to the glory of heaven. We have an imperishable crown (1 Cor. 9: 24-27) for those who run the race to the end, the crown of exultation for soul winners (1 Thes. 2:19-20), Crown of Righteousness (2 Tim. 4:7-8), Crown of Life (James 1:12), and Crown of glory for pastors (1 Pet. 5:1-4). We shall wear these crowns if we serve well. So, let us serve remembering the fact that Jesus said that “He is coming back again, and his reward is with Him. – Pastor Chris Anyaiwe
