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Originally posted by dumbdumb!:
God wants us to
chase after these rewards. He wants to reward
us!
Will a father be pissed if his son looks forward to a reward for
performing well in school? Or would the father be even more pleased
and eager to reward his son?
Originally posted by Gauze:
Be not as servants who serve the master
on condition of receiving a reward;
Be rather as
servants who serve the master without condition of receiving a
reward;
And let the fear of heaven be upon you.
- Pirkei Avot 1:3
Dumbdumb is correct, but the point is missed. The key word is
hankering after
rewards. God is just and will reward everyone fairly according to
his actions.
Revelation 22:12 NIV
"Behold, I am
coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone
according to what he has done.
However the issue is hankering after rewards which are not
deserved in God's eyes.
Many christians believe that salvation is free and the act of
merely believing in God will enable them to enter the kingdom of
heaven. This is wrong as good deeds are essential. However even
more important that good deeds is the attitude of the person. Does
he perform his good deeds and expect immediate reward, and if no
reward or even suffering comes his way he gets discouraged? Rather
the one that does not expect any reward but trusts that God is fair
will be the most blessed as mentioned by Pirkei Avot.
i.e serve God with the condition of going to heaven = wrong
serve God without any condition but trusts that God is fair =
right
