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"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and
I will give to everyone according to what he has done."
Revelation 22:12
The more any man does or suffers for Christ here—the
more glory he shall have hereafter. It was the saying of
an old disciple upon his dying bed, "He is come, He is
come—with a great reward for a little work!"
Agrippa having suffered imprisonment for wishing Caius
emperor, the first thing Caius did when he came to the
throne, was to advance Agrippa to a kingdom; he gave
him also a chain of gold, as heavy as the chain of iron
which was upon him in prison.
And will not Christ richly reward all His suffering saints?
Surely He will! Christ will at last pay a Christian . . .
for every prayer he has made,
for every sermon he has heard,
for every tear he has shed,
for every morsel he has given,
for every burden he has borne,
for every battle he has fought,
for every enemy he has slain, and
for every temptation that he has overcome!
As there is no king compared to Christ—so there are
no rewards compared to Christ's rewards. His rewards
are the greatest rewards. He gives kingdoms,
crowns, thrones! He gives grace—and glory!
It is said of Araunab, renowned for his bounty, that
he had only a subject's purse—but a king's heart.
But Jesus Christ has a king's purse as well as a
king's heart—and accordingly He gives!
And as Christ's rewards are the greatest rewards, so
His rewards are the surest rewards: "He is faithful,
who has promised," 1 Thes. 5:24.
Antiochus promised often—but seldom gave. But Jesus
Christ never made any promise—but He has or will
perform it. Nay, He is often better than His word. He
gives many times more than we ask. The man sick of
the palsy asked but health—and Christ gave him health
and a pardon to boot! Solomon desired but wisdom,
and the Lord gave him wisdom, and honor, and riches,
and the favor of creatures, into the bargain. Jacob asked
Him but clothes to wear, and bread to eat—and the Lord
gave him these things, and riches, and other mercies
into the bargain.
Christ does not measure His gifts by our petitions—but
by His own riches and mercies. Gracious souls many times
receive many gifts and favors from God that they never
dreamt of, nor dared presume to beg!
The rewards which men give are like themselves—fickle
and inconstant, they are withering and fading. Xerxes
crowned his statesman in the morning—and beheaded
him in the evening of the same day! And Andronicus,
the Greek emperor, crowned his admiral in the morning,
and then took off his head in the afternoon!
As Christ's rewards are greater and surer than other
rewards—so they are more durable and lasting than
other rewards. The kingdom which He gives is a kingdom
that can never be shaken; the treasures which He gives
are incorruptible treasures; and the glory which He gives
is glory which never fades away! |
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