Reward = Heaven!

For Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Matthew 5:12 NIV: “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Jesus is wrapping up the Beatitudes, from his Sermon on the Mount, acknowledging that loving the Lord may not be the most popular position when judged by the world. Old Testament prophets were persecuted. Jesus himself was railroaded to the cross. Religious prejudice continues nowadays, affecting each of us in some way.

The human mind is surprisingly fragile. If a few people poke fun at someone, in no time at all that person can feel like the whole world is out to get them! Jesus wants to lift them out of this funk; Jesus wants to give them hope! Of course our hope, our reward, is heaven, life after this life in the presence of God the father.

When farmers used animals to plow their fields, the animal could easily be distracted and meander down the field. The solution was ‘blinders,’ flaps alongside their eyes, preventing peripheral vision distractions. In the same way, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, focusing on the prize, and not get caught up in worldly distractions. Let go of circumstances. Focus on things of substance, things of eternal significance.

Your reward awaits! Jesus said so!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Focus on the Prize

August 27, 2018 Monday Message:

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.” Colossians 1:1 NLT

Paul is counseling the Colossian church about 3 ‘lives,’ or 3 different periods in their lives. We all experience these same 3 realities.

First is our ‘Before Jesus’ story. For many of us, this was not a good time in our lives. We needed a radical transformation; we needed to live our lives a better way.

So next comes the ‘After Jesus’ story, with Jesus choosing us for His kingdom, and us asking Jesus into our hearts and into our lives. We are now beneficiaries of the New Covenant, whereby Jesus has covered our sins, making it possible for us to see heaven from the inside. And as grateful Christians, we try to live our lives as Jesus instructed, but we don’t always get it right. Shortcomings…

Paul tells us to not worry too much about life on earth. Rather, look forward to a 3^rd reality: heaven itself, eternal life in the presence of the Father.

Paul uses the analogy of running a race. Don’t worry about how long the race is – don’t worry about how tired you’re getting, how out-of-breath you are – your legs are getting sore, your feet hurt. Don’t focus on any of that. Paul says to keep your eye on the prize. In a race, it might only be a trophy – it might only be an olive branch – but in the case of running the race of life alongside Jesus, the prize is eternity in the presence of the Father.

Keep your eye on the prize!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, Sept. 2, 2018, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Guest Worship Leader David Boeltl.