Thoughts on Christian Living Book #2 by Dr. W. A. Dillard - HTML preview

THE REWARDED PERSON IDENTIFIED

Three great Christian friends were walking down the road, enjoying fellowship with one another as they discussed different topics of the Bible. One of them said, “I am thirsty, let’s stop by my house and get a drink of cool water.” The second one said, “No, let’s stop by my house to get a drink of water.” The third one said, “You two are just vying for the reward because Jesus said that whosoever gave a cup of cold water in my name would in no wise lose his reward.” He had a point, even if it was a bit humorous.The little story underscores the fact that spiritual, heavenly reward is alive, but maybe not so well in the minds of disciples on various levels of understanding.

Let it be noted that the term in the Bible is always singular “Reward.” This is largely because reward is significantly tied to covenant relationship with Christ Jesus. He has great plans for His faithful people of the covenant, both of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The reward of Israel and the Church have to do with the faithfulness of each in their generations to fulfill the expectation of the Savior. Individual reward then will be determined by how faithful and dedicated the individual believer is during his pilgrimage on earth. This is what the Judgment Seat of Christ is all about as revealed in I Cor. 3:9-16. Works that are as gold, silver, and precious stones are those expressions of faith in the faith once delivered to the saints, while works likened to wood, hay, and stubble are fleshly religious works concocted by the carnal mind of man. In the scriptures that is called “Iniquity.”

Let everyone know then that Hebrews 11:6 forthrightly states, “. . . he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” “Believe that He is!” The reference here is not that of mental acquiescence, but of unreserved commitment of the heart. “That He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him,” is a

statement laying out the roadmap. “To seek” is to do better than the average with the information and goals of the heart in faith. “Diligently” describes both the frequency and intensity of the involved search. It is more than accepting the testimony of another. It is searching out the mind and the will of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. An occasional reading of a few verses may be good, but it is not a diligent search that yields reward neither here nor hereafter.

God has an expressed will for all men in the world in every generation, stated in terms no one needs to misunderstand. “For it is

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