Reward For Believers.

God is the creator of joy.

Obedience to God requires faith that God exists and belief that God rewards those who are obedient. To seek the reward God offers is a sign of faith in the reward giver.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross....(Hebrews 12:2).

Does God want us to be joyful? Does God want us to be obedient without promising us reward for doing so? Is the Christian to be motivated by duty to do what's right or by personal benefit if what's right is done? I have always thought that we are obligated to do God's will, to be obedient to him solely because he is God, and we are obligated. But, does a man (or woman) ever act in ways that bring no self benefit?

Pascal said, "All men seek happiness without exception. They all aim at this goal however different the means they use to attain it. . . .They will never make the smallest move but with this as its goal. This is the motive of all the actions of all men, even those who contemplate suicide." Pascal was a Christian. He saw the nature of man and the bent of the word of God.

Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Part of faith is believing the promises of reward that God has given. If we act with a sense of duty and without a sense of the blessing God has for us, we forfeit the joy God has planned. The tendency is to become lukewarm in our walk with Christ. The problem is we don't often think of God offering reward for obedience. We only think of God's wrath toward disobedience.

God has planned and promised blessing (Malachi 3:10, Ephesians 1:3, 1 Corinthians 9:23-24), joy (Nehemia 8:10, Psalm 16:11, John 15:10-12), glory (1 Corinthians 2:7, Romans 8:17-18) and an inheritance in heaven (1 Peter 1:4) to those who believe. We should seek the rewards of God and rejoice in his provision for an "abundant life." (John 10:10).

"Resolved, To endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of." Jonathon Edwards.

See John Piper's profitable writing on Christian Hedonism which inspired much of this post.