Rewards
Every credit card boasts of rewards. Lottery players hope for rewards. TBN broadcasters claim if you give them money, you will reap rewards. What are the people of this world searching after? --Comfort for the flesh, monetary reward. In worldly society money equals happiness; therefore, if we do not have enough of it, we are unhappy. We, as pilgrims in this world, cannot conform to its standards.
God tells us,
“Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house; thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord” (Psalm 128:1-4).
What does it take to be happy? —the fear of the Lord and obedience to His Word.
“Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house; thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord” (Psalm 128:1-4).
What does it take to be happy? —the fear of the Lord and obedience to His Word.
In this time of monetary stress on many families, we need to use this dearth to focus our eyes on the Lord, from whence cometh all my help. My joy comes from the Lord, not from how easy things are in this life.
Consider rewards again for a moment. Psalm 127 boasts,
“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lore: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."
“Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lore: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."
Do you see? What does the word of God consider a reward? Do we rise up early, stay up late, toss and turn at night, eating the bread of sorrows? Or do we rejoice in our reward God has given us? Sometimes we, as parents, treat our children as a burden, a chore, and not the blessing and reward they truly are.
My exhortation to us today is to not labor in vain. We can be the best mom, the super wife, and the leading Sunday school teacher, have the cleanest house and the most fruitful garden, and it all is in vain. If we do not build the house in the strength, direction and power of God, it is fruitless and vain. Let us seek the Father in truth by searching His word. Let us rejoice in our children. Pray that God will open your eyes to see what a blessing your children are to you and your family. Rejoice in your children as you would rejoice if you won a million in the lottery. We are strange to the rest of the world because we are happy when times are hard. We rejoice in ALL things. We thank God for every circumstance. We love our children in word and action.
Cindy Palen
Providence mom and teacher
Cindy Palen
Providence mom and teacher
