Beautiful Word Devotional #234

The LORD rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness.

1 Samuel 26:23

This world doesn’t always appreciate righteousness and faithfulness. Instead, it often rewards conniving, trickery, lies, and deceit, honoring those who take shortcuts.

The world’s systems are transitory; its rewards, fleeting. Yes, people may get ahead in the short term: those who cheat and steal can seem to get away with it. White-collar criminals embezzle, predators abuse, and politicians give favors. But these people will not know God’s rewards in heaven. He sees all, and they will be held accountable when they meet him.

In light of the world’s upside-down values and cheap rewards, choose to live for an audience of One: choose to live in a way that honors and pleases Jesus Christ. Live with integrity, speak only truth, serve with humility, put other people’s needs ahead of yours, share generously what God has blessed you with, talk to people about the Lord, and love others with God’s love. Living rightly is indeed its own reward, but God also blesses his faithful ones with eternal rewards.

Lord, enable me to live a life of service characterized by humility, integrity, and love as a way of honoring you and loving you, amen.