Bruce H. Wilkinson - A Life God Rewards: Why Everything You Do Today Matters Forever

A L IFE G OD R EWARDS
P UBLISHED BY M ULTNOMAH B OOKS
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Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Italics in scripture quotations are the authors emphasis.

Copyright 2002 by Exponential Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York.

M ULTNOMAH and its mountain colophon are trademarks of Random House Inc.

The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wilkinson, Bruce.
A life god rewards / by Bruce Wilkinson.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-1-58860-124-7
1. Future lifeChristianity. 1. Title.
BT903 .W55 2002
236.2dc21

2002009394

v3.1

For those who might be wondering
today if God notices or cares.

Im especially grateful to Don Jacobson for his
personal commitment to this project from its inception.
My thanks also to the whole Multnomah team,
especially to Jennifer Gott, Steffany Woolsey,
Bill Jensen, and Guy Coleman for their outstanding
support. And as always to my writing partner, David
Kopp, and our editor, Heather Harpham Kopp,
my deepest appreciation and respect.

Dear Reader,

Youre about to encounter the teachings of Jesus on a very surprising subjectthe direct connection between what you do today and what you will experience in eternity.

Jesus revealed that two truths determine our eternal experience. Think of them as keys. The first key is beliefwhat you believe determines your eternal destination.

But what is the second key? What treasure from God does it unlock? And why did Jesus talk so much about it?

That is the subject of this book.

Jesus is recognized around the world and in every religion as a great teacher. Yet millions of people today, including a majority of His followers, do not seem to have heard what He said about a life God rewards. Have you?

The message of this little book has the potential to transform what you expect from God and what you will deeply desire to do for Him, starting today. I hope you read it prayerfully and expectantly.

Warmly,

Bruce Wilkinson

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!
For indeed your reward is great in heaven.
J ESUS, IN L UKE 6:23

W hat if today really was the first day of the rest of your life? Today you make your tradeeverything you have accomplished and become for whatever God offers in exchange. There you are, poised on the brink, lifetime in hand, ready to step into eternity.

What a moment! And what an amazing exchange! Your blink in the sun for Gods endless day. Your spoonful of water for His Amazon River.

You take your step. You put down your little handful of time and pick up your forever life.

But what if I told you that the small choices you make todaylike how you interact with your boss, or whom you invite to dinnercould change what happens next?

Would you be surprised?

In the little book youre holding, youre going to discover that Jesus revealed that our actions now will affect our future forever. Astoundingly, millions who follow Jesus seem to have missed what He said.

Could you be one?

I was. I grew up in a family that attended church regularly, and I was taught the Bible from the time I was young. Later I spent nine years pursuing theological training. But the clear teachings of Jesus on this subject remained lost to me, like overlooked treasures in my own house. When I finally discovered them, many things started to make sense for the first time.

No one made more shocking statements about the afterlife than Jesus.

Lets admit it: Any change in how we think about our future, even if it could radically improve our prospects, takes courage. We struggle to let go of comfortable assumptions, even when theyre preventing us from seeing the whole truth. Were like toddlers peering through a keyhole at the night sky, trying to hold on to our tiny patch of stars.

But the keyhole is so small and the view is so great. Jesus wants to open the door and show us more.

Much more.

No one made more shocking statements about the afterlife than Jesus of Nazareth. His teachings often left His audiences amazed, dumbfounded, even outraged. Take His first public appearance at the age of twelve: All who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers (Luke 2:47).

When Jesus formally began His ministry, His audience was again astonished (Matthew 7:28). In His teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

Blessed are you when men hate you,

And when they exclude you,

And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,

For the Son of Mans sake.

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!

L UKE 6:2223

You might know these verses well. I have to confess that I read them dozens, if not scores, of times before I really read them. Jesus statement seems incredible, doesnt it? I used to think He was saying something like, If you are persecuted on My behalf, youll be so happy that youll jump for sheer delight.

But if you read on, its clear that thats not what Jesus meant. He continued:

For indeed your reward is great in heaven.

V . 23

In those eight words, Jesus reveals why you and I can rejoice, even in the worst circumstances. Why? Because there is a direct connection between something you do for Him on earth and something great He will do for you in heaven.

Notice that Jesus describes it as a reward for doing, which would distinguish it, for example, from a gift you receive for believing. Also, the reward is specifically and personally yours if you behave in one way, but is not yours if you behave in another (for example, if you ran away under the pressure of persecution).

You see, Jesus isnt asking you and me to enjoy misery on His behalf. Instead Hes saying that the consequences in heaven for certain actions on earth will be so wonderful that simply knowing theyre comingand knowing that they will be greatcan transform how we live now. Yes, and even create spontaneous outbursts of joy!

This promise of reward in heaven isnt an isolated example of Jesus teachings on the subject:

He will reward each according to his works (Matthew 16:27).

You will have treasure in heaven (Matthew 19:21).

You will be blessed for you shall be repaid at the resurrection (Luke 14:14).

As youre about to discover, the implications of these passages are enormous. For one thing, they suggest that God is keeping track of what you do for Him every day. For another, that you have more to gain by serving Him than you ever imagined.