A CROWN OF NEVER ENDING GLORY

Does it seem at times that working for God is in vain? In 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul the Apostle stated a profound truth and a spiritual law that God established, when he said “those who work deserve their pay.”  Did you know that God holds every employer accountable to this law? This means that each person that does work must be paid a fair wage by the one they work for.  When in the quest to enrich ourselves you and I as employers violate this principle, the Bible says that ‘the cries of those who work for such employers reach the ears of the Lord of the Heaven’s armies.’ In James 5:4 the Scriptures declare to such employers that “the wages (they) held back cry out against them.” Furthermore, James conclusion is that “this treasure you have accumulated (by robbing your employees) will stand as evidence against you on the day of judgment.”  Sadly, this category includes Christians and Christian organizations, and Churches that still pay petty wages to their employees or no wages at all for work done for those who have the means to pay for it but choose not to do so.  There are also Churches that fail to pay the ministers of the gospel that labor for them while they have the financial means to do so. Well the same fate awaits them also.  Let us look on the other side of this coin.  Suppose you work for God and you are currently getting no salary for the work that you do, and you battle like me whether your labor is in vain.  At the back of your mind and mine, the fundamental question we can pose is, does God hold himself accountable to reward those who work for Him?  Certainly! Paul in the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews states that “God is a Rewarder  ...” In Luke 14: 12 -14 the Bible states two principles that sheds light on the answer to our question.  First, when we do anything for any one because we know they will be able to repay us, we are automatically disqualified from God’s reward system for that specific act.  The payment we get from people is a just and only compensation. But when you and I do something for any one that cannot repay us for our labor of love, Jesus said “God will reward you for … those who could not repay you.”  For those of us who fall in this category, whether we be missionaries, preachers of the gospel, volunteers, working tirelessly for those who do not have the capacity to repay us, like orphans, widows, the lost, etc. the Bible in Luke 6:14 states that “… great reward awaits you.”  The Apostle Peter in I Peter 5:4 depict this reward as “a crown of never ending glory.”  Crowns are only bestowed on royalty.  Among others a crown comes with a domain, the authority to rule in that domain, the estate in the domain, etc.  In a sense it is a wise thing to use the temporal resources that we have here on earth to gain this eternal reward, a crown of never ending glory.  Indeed all our actions here on earth have eternal consequences that we will either be proud of or ashamed for.  The disciples and the followers of Christ in the early Church understood the certainty of the eternal reward of God to the extent that some gave their lives and were martyrs of faith while others shared their possessions with those in need.  Concerning the latter, Acts 4: 32 & 34 states that “All believers were united in heart and mind.  And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.  There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money to the apostles TO GIVE TO THOSE IN NEED.”  Today the opposite of these two scenarios is true.  There is insignificant difference between believers and non-believers.  On both sides life is defined by material possessions and how much money we accumulate here on earth.  It is survival of the fittest at its best.  The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.