Rewards are sweet, very sweet. We struggle hard. We work above and beyond the call of duty. We sacrifice, often far more than we realize and every intended on giving up. Most of the time rewards are like the lottery; they come or they don’t, regardless it has little to do with how much effort I put into the game.
Being cynical about rewards is part of working for a couple of decades in multinational corporations. People make it because they are conniving. People survive because they didn’t take any risks. People receive promotions for being at the right place and time. You look around at those above you and wonder what they did in their time to earn the position they now find themselves occupying. It is far too easy to be critical, cynical, and even angry. They don’t deserve the role they now fill. They haven’t earned it! They continue to squander the respect that comes with this organizational slot. They misuse the power and position.
Once you move past the frustration and anger the questions still remain. What can I do about it? How can I ignore them or at least what they do? What does this tell me about the amount of effort that I put in day to day?
The answer lies in your motivation and purpose. Are you responding to God and the Spirit in whatever decisions, choices, and action you take during the course of the day? Are you looking for immediate gratification and payback? Is your primary driver self or others?
Embedded in the answers are the values and priorities of your soul. God is all about process. The rewards for responding to and living a God filled life are sure. The benefits come in the heart and in eternity. Victory, judgment, and justice are all God’s! Revelation records the evaluation of everyone who lives by faith, responding to the Spirit.
“Blessed rest from their hard, hard work. None of what they’ve done is wasted; God blesses them for it all in the end.” (Revelation 14.13)
