Enduring Trials and Reflecting Jesus: Path to Eternal Reward

Shaping our Eternity

“But on judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames”(1 Corinthians 3:13-14). 

When it comes to a believer’s judgment, it is a topic we don’t often talk about or even like to think about. However, it has been weighing heavily on my heart and mind lately. This comes to mind not out of fear but as something I have been more conscious about in my daily walk with Christ. I have realized that every action we take in this life and every word we say, will one day be judged by Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10, James 2:12). Not as a matter of salvation, but rather as a way of assessing our eternal rewards and shaping what our eternity will be.

My goal in this life is that my actions and words are for the glory of God and my eternal reward. I know not everything I have done will be or even has been so, but I strive for the majority to be credited as a “reward” instead of a “loss” as 1 Corinthians states. 

So, today I want to look at how we can work to glorify God in all we do and shape our eternity into all that God intends it to be while we are here on this earth. While worshiping in Church on Sunday I heard God speak to my heart about two ways in particular that we can strive to glorify Him, one being to do everything as we are doing it for Him and to endure the trials of this life with patience and grace.

How can we do this in our daily lives?

1 Peter 4:11 says “ Do you have the gifts of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all your strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Christ Jesus. All glory and power to Him forever and ever! Amen”

Do everything unto God

One of the ways that we will see eternal reward is that all we do and say brings glory to God. According to Peter, how we do this is to do all things to the best of our ability given to us by God. We can only do what we are capable of. We are not expected to do more than our strength or energy allows. 

For us who struggle with chronic physical or mental health or with aging bodies, this is good news. We don’t have to strive to keep up with those other people, who have more strength or energy than us. We can go at the pace that God has allowed; doing all that we do, as if we are doing them for God and we will bring glory to God, and eternal reward to us.

This knowledge has helped me greatly in my personal walk with Christ. Often in life, I have only enough energy to take care of the kids and do a few chores. I lack the energy to be able to volunteer as much as I would like or go out of my way for those around me. I do the best I can when I can but often it feels like it’s not enough.

All that I do never measures up to the Pauls, Peters, and Billy Grahams of this world. When I feel like I am not doing enough use scriptures such as 1 Peter 4:11 to remind myself that planting seeds of kindness in the kid’s life and teaching them about Jesus is enough. Motherhood is a ministry of its own (along with being a spiritual mother or grandmother to those around us) I am enough. Jesus knows my limitations and values the small acts just as much as the grand gestures.

Patiently Endure

Another way, we bring glory to God and rewards in eternity is, by patiently enduring trials. Peter in his first letter tells us “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold–though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 2:7).

Through trials, God works out areas in our life that do not bring Him glory, so that we can become more like him and our faith can grow, that way on the day we stand before Jesus our works will not be “burned up” but instead will earn us a reward.

In my own life, I have seen my fair share of trials and heartbreaks, two of which are living with Chronic illness and the loss of my two young daughters. However, through these trials, I have learned patience with myself and others, forgiveness of those who have wronged me, and complete and utter dependence on the Lord for my next breath and every need.

I would not trade these lessons for anything, they have brought me closer to my savior and have made me more like Jesus than I ever thought possible. I could never have done that on my own, but God works all things for our good, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). And God’s purpose is to make us reflect Himself (2 Corinthians 3:18).

I can remind myself on days when my burdens feel heavy that God is using all these trials to refine me, making me more and more like Jesus, so that when I finally arrive in front of Jesus more of my works will be counted as rewards than loss. This knowledge helps me to continue even when things feel like more than I can bear. It keeps me looking for what GOd is doing in my life and how he is using any given situation to my benefit.

Wrapping things Up

When we reach the end of this life and we stand at the judgment seat of Christ, we will give an account for all that we have done and said in this life. Our actions will either give us rewards in eternity or cause us to suffer loss.

In this post, I discussed two ways we can have our actions credited to us as reward rather than loss. One was to do everything to the best of our abilities, as if, doing it for God himself. The other is to endure the trials and heartbreaks of this life with Grace, patience, and with the hope of eternity in sight. 

As we go about our week let us keep these principles in mind and look for ways that we can work for God, endure trials with grace, and bring glory to God in all that we do. God bless and I hope to see you back here next week.

Questions to Ponder? 

• What are small acts I can do to serve others and work to reflect Jesus to the people God has put in my life?
• What are the current trials that I am enduring and what lessons or characteristics of Himself could God be trying to reveal to me through them?
• Reflect on past trials and see if you can see how God has used them to make you more into an image that reflects Himself.

Feel free to comment in the comment section below or send me an email at Emilyb@moreofjesusplease.com and share your story of serving God or enduring trials.