#DailyDevotion Be Of Good Courage. The Lord Will Reward The Works Of Your Faith.

2 Cor. 5:6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

 

As Christians we can be of good courage no matter what. Why? Because we know nothing can take us away from Jesus Christ and the reward he has planned for us. Yes, we may lose everything in this life. Yes, we may be tortured continuously because of our faith in Jesus. But none of these things can take away our inheritance being kept safe for us in Christ Jesus.

 

We are in this life away from the Lord that is we cannot see him. But he promises he dwells in our hearts and has made then his throne. He promises where two or three gather in his name he is with us. But we walk by faith and not by sight. Everything we see and feel may make us think God hates us and is against us.  But nothing can be further from the truth. Paul said in chapter one we participate in the sufferings of Christ and so we do.

 

So we can be of good courage. God is for us and not against us. Certainly as we undergo suffering we’d rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord, more so probably as we suffer than when things are going well. We know one day we shall see the Lord Jesus in our own new bodies Paul has been talking about.

 

Because Jesus has these things planned for us and has given us such great and wonderful promises we make it our aim to please him. While as Christians who do not face the judgment of whether or not we suffer for all eternity, never the less we will give an accounting of the gifts he has given us while we walked in faith. Some of us do much with the gifts of grace the Lord has given us. Some us do very little. Some live lives of thankfulness and joy, others just want to get in by the skin of their teeth. Yet each believer will receive in his body what is due for what he did in this life whether good or bad. St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 3 that some build upon the rock (Jesus) with gold, silver and precious stones and some hay, straw and stubble, but each man’s work will be tested by fire and some will enter the kingdom of God like a man running from a burning building with just their clothes.

 

This should encourage us on to good works, to love our neighbors, to do good to those around us, to put others first and to be more selfless, to forgive others and to have mercy on those needing mercy. While it may seems such acts are worthless to us or to those around us because we don’t see the fruits of them in this life our Lord Jesus Christ will reward them in the world to come.

 

Heavenly Father, grant us good courage to walk by faith and not by sight, to live our lives to please you and to do the good you would have us to so we may be rewarded bountifully in front of the judgment seat of Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.