One of the rewards of serving God is having a glorious family of your own. That’s just one of the blessings – there are many others. God surely rewards faithfulness. And these rewards are things that can never be bought with money.
Listen: there are things that no matter how rich you are, you can never get. Even if you have trillions of dollars at your disposal, there are things you can never buy. Some things can only be a part of your experience in response to your faithfulness to God.
For instance, something happened to me not too long ago. I’m starting to have a new thrilling experience. It started with Di, one of the teenagers in my ministry who walked up to me, and told me she wanted to join a night vigil program that we were having. I didn’t want the kids to join, because I felt that they were little children. Soon after that, Marvellous – my thirteen year old daughter – walked up to me, and said, “Daddy I want to join the vigil.” I said to them, “If you want to join the vigil, you have to fast. We’re not just doing vigil; we fast before we come.” Both of them happily agreed.
The next week, Excellence and Destiny – my eleven year old and nine year old sons – came to my study. I thought they came to tell me something important – well, it was something important! And they said, “Daddy, we want to join the vigil.” I just stared at them. I said to them, “We fast from 6am to 6pm.” They replied, “Yeah, we’re ready.” Then I said, “When you fast, come and tell me.” The following week they came to me, and said, “Daddy, we didn’t eat o! We’re fasting. Can we come for the vigil?”
When your children are now begging you to allow them to fast, so they can come for a night vigil, you’re blessed. When your children come to you, not asking for money, or asking you to buy some cakes for them, but they’re asking you to let them fast so they can come for a vigil, you are truly blessed. You don’t buy that with money; that’s a gift from God. It’s a blessing from God.
As a Christian, stop throwing away your life. Don’t throw away your life, so that in your later years you don’t have the same experiences as unbelievers. Di – the teenager I mentioned above – once read this scripture to us in a home church service:
“Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your holy temple.”
~Psalms 65:4
There are things that you only find in the house of God. There are blessings that you only see in the house of God. You don’t find them in ShopRite; you don’t find them in America; you don’t find them in shopping malls; you don’t find them in the bank; you don’t find them in human connections. They can only come out from those who are committed to God.
God’s word also says:
“…planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.”
~Psalm 92: 13
Those who are planted in the house of God flourish in the house of God. There are blessings that only come from that place. God richly rewards faithfulness to Him.
Memory Verse:
Psalms 65:4
“Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your holy temple.”Prayer:
Father, help me to stay planted in Your house. Just like Your son Jesus, may I be about my heavenly Father’s business, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.