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The Rewards of Serving

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By Pastor Chuck Swindoll

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Serving God by serving others definitely has rewards, and they are numerous. They far outweigh the consequences. When we think about them, they motivate us to keep going.

One of the great doctrines of Christianity is our firm belief in a heavenly home. Ultimately, we shall spend eternity with God in the place He has prepared for us. And part of that exciting anticipation is His promise to reward His servants for a job well done.

I don’t know many believers in Jesus Christ who never think of being with their Lord in heaven, receiving His smile of acceptance, and hearing His “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21 NIV).

We even refer to one who died in this way: “He has gone home to his reward.”

A lot of strange opinions (some weird and wild ideas) surround this subject. But the Bible is fairly clear regarding the rewards of serving. First and foremost, we need to hear what it says.

I remember as a little boy in a South Texas Baptist church, singing the words:

I am thinking today of that beautiful land
I shall reach when the sun goeth down;
When through wonderful grace by my Saviour I stand,
Will there be any stars in my crown?
Will there be any stars, any stars in my crown
When at evening the sun goeth down?
When I wake with the blest in the mansions of rest,
Will there be any stars in my crown?

                                                                             —Eliza E. Hewitt, “Will There Be Any Stars?”

I wondered about that. It seemed spooky, almost unreal. How could stars be in a crown I wore?

Many years later, I learned and loved another piece of church music. It came from an old volume of devotional verse bearing the title Immanuel’s Land and Other Pieces by A. R. C. The initials modestly represent the name of Anne R. Cousin.

When she was only 32, the author composed her best-known hymn, “The Sands of Time Are Sinking.” The original poem contains nineteen verses. The concluding stanza will always be one of my favorites:

The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear bridegroom’s face;
I will not gaze at glory,
But on my King of grace:
Not at the crown He giveth,
But on His pierced hand;
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Emmanuel’s land!¹

Both those old songs speak of heavenly crowns. They sound interesting, but what does the Bible say?

Are they literal crowns? Does Scripture support the idea of tangible rewards? Read 1 Peter 5:1–4 and you decide.

Endnote

1. Richard H. Seume, comp. and ed., Hymns of Jublilee (Dallas: Dallas Theological Seminary, n.d.), 49.

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