Have you received the recognition and rewards you deserve in your job here on earth? Maybe you’re a wife and mother and your kids and husband never say "Thanks." Maybe you're an administrative assistant and your boss just barks orders all the time without recognizing all you do. Maybe you're a nurse and the doctors act as though you're their private slaves. I know many of you are nodding your heads right now saying, "Yeah, right!"

 

Well, as Christians we don't have to be despondent, because even if we don't receive earthly recognition, we can be eligible for heavenly rewards. That's what the Bible teaches us.

 

Now, let's just briefly compare earthly rewards with heavenly ones. If you're working for man's recognition, be prepared to discover that it is not fairly given. Some people get recognition they don't deserve and some who deserve it, never get it. Also, you'll notice that earthly recognition is unreliable: one day you have it, the next day it's gone. 

 

Furthermore, earthly rewards don't last very long. The money goes fast, the kudos are quickly forgotten, the bigger office and title soon lose their attraction. As hard as we may work to get earthly recognition and rewards, we will always find them to be less-than-satisfying.

 

How important is it to you to be recognized by people for what you do?    If it's vital to you to receive earthly rewards, you're probably pretty frustrated. And in a sense you are addicted to the approval of others. When you get a little recognition, you feel good; when you don't, you're depressed. Working strictly for earthly recognition is a roller coaster ride to nowhere.

 

However, God's rewards are eternal. Colossians 3 tells us we'll receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. We have the potential to hear Jesus Christ say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant." God's recognition will last through eternity; it will be very fairly distributed, so you can be assured that if you deserve it, you will receive it.   If you do your everyday work as unto the Lord, you'll receive his recognition for that job well-done, no matter how mundane or unspiritual it may seem to you.

 

It just makes sense to work for heavenly recognition, doesn't it? It's a sure thing, it's fair and it's eternal. If you've been focused on earthly rewards and recognition, why don't you ask God to give you a different ambition—to work for heavenly recognition.