Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. Ephesians 6:8
Do you have a good memory? All of us have memories of things that we would rather forget, but they stay in our heads to haunt us. And all of us have things that we have forgotten but desperately wish that we could remember. There are far too many of those. Wouldn’t it be great if we could control those things that we remember and forget? Sadly, that’s not the way that we are built. And it points out one of the great differences between humanity and God. His ability to remember and forget are perfect. For example, although God knows all about your sins and mine, He extends His judicial forgetfulness to us: ‘And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more’ (Hebrews 10:17). At the same time, His memory of our good deeds will never fade: ‘For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward His Name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister’ (Hebrews 6:10). Our text assures us that the Lord will make sure that we receive the appropriate reward for all the good that we do.
The Scriptures identify various crowns and commendations that are to be issued at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Most of us will not quality for most of these, and in the case of the Martyr’s Crown, most of us shrink from qualifying. But God is not just recording the great and important things that Christians do. Recall our Lord’s words: ‘For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in My Name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward’ (Mark 9:41). Just a cup of water? Just a kind word or a friendly smile? Just a few dollars at a time when somebody needs it? Just a brief visit? Just a sympathetic ear? Just a Gospel tract passed on? Doesn’t sound like much. But there is a caveat, the deed must be done as unto the Lord. ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me’ (Matthew 25:40).
A little poem I once heard long ago gives us the idea that our text would have us learn: In God’s own time, In God’s own way, Who does God’s work, Will get God’s pay’. If the Lord Jesus was visiting you today, oh how much you would shower Him with your attentions and whatever you could do for Him! Well, His representatives are all around us. Let’s get busy. – Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/yfwDok8ztDc