Reward

For Monday, December 10, 2007
Proverbs 27:18

Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who guards his master will be honored.

There is reward that comes with conscientious, faithful service. The farmer giving such care to his fig tree will eat of its delicious, nourishing fruit; the servant protecting his master will receive honor.

Does it not see so for you? Perhaps you have been conscientious for awhile but need to be patience with time. Perhaps you have labored long in your mind, but the quality of your service in truth has been sporatic. You have allowed disappointments impact your work. In your mind you are working hard, but others hear your complaints and observe weaknesses that you will not allow yourself to see.

Perhaps the fruit you seek is not the fruit God has prepared, which will be sweeter than you know. It may be the unexpected fruit that comes when you become content with what you have. It may be the fruit that comes from other labor that you have not given much thought to, such as befriending someone in a time of need, of being an encouragement to others, or other acts that you do by second nature and therefore do not consider the reward the comes. Perhaps the fruit will be the consequence of feeling barren and even stripped of fruit, such as our Lord experienced, and who because he did was rewarded with honor and many "offspring."

Remember what is promised to those who belong to Christ - the weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17). Every other earthly reward should pale in comparison. No matter what we receive here, it will pass and we will be forgotten. Remember where our true hope lies - in the return of our Lord and the inheritance that cannot be lost, nor we can lose because we ourselves our guarded by our Master (1 Peter 1:3-5).