The Relation Between Faith and Reward

John 5:44: "How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?"

The issue in this verse is FAITH in relation to the FEAR of man and the FEAR of God. If we are motivated by the fear of man, "accepting praise from one another," instead of fear of God, "effort to obtain the praise that come from the only God" we CANNOT believe. Why?

• Our focus in the fear of man is man and man is NOT the object of true faith. Fear of man means we are trusting in man to meet our perceived needs instead of God - men are our idols. We will always desire to please the one(s) whom we believe we stand to receive the most from and the most satisfaction from. In the end faith and obedience is about REWARD.
• To desire to please God means we BELIEVE He will reward us and that His praise of us is WORTH our commitment and obedience. If we believe His reward is best, we will trust Him by obeying and following Him. To live for God's "well done" is to live by the faith that believes "He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." It seems, then, that it is impossible to believe without a strong motivation of REWARD - a deep confidence that God is GOOD, and that this goodness is beyond just what He gives...HE IS GOOD! (Psalm 119:68). HE is desirable - faith should be most fully motivated by the prospect of receiving the ONLY GOD HIMSELF! Ultimately His reward is HIMSELF!

So...

• If I want to be stronger in my FAITH IN GOD,
• I must believe that HE is a REWARDER,
• and to believe that God is a rewarder,
• I must believe that God is GOOD in His very eternal nature,
• and the goodness that will keep me believing God is the goodness of God rewarding me with HIMSELF!

I trust the Lord because I believe that trust will be rewarded...and the reward is no less than to receive God Himself. That reward infnitely exceeds any reward man can offer: atta boys, acceptance, money, fame, reputation, sex, things galore...

God's goodness in rewarding my faith and obedience by giving Himself to me brings glory to Him, becomes the steady foundation of my faith in Him, and leads to my ultimate satisfaction!!

What do you want from life? If it is LESS than God Himself (not His gifts), you are, as someone has said, TOO EASILY SATISFIED!

"O God, may my heart, too easily satisfied with lesser things, be so famished for YOU that I am pressed beyond the praise and reward of man, beyond desire just for Your gifts, until I find satisfaction in YOU ALONE. In Jesus Name, Amen."