Greater Reward

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)

Beloved,                 

Moses grew up as a prince of Egypt. He had access to all the riches in Egypt, all the opportunities of privilege, and all the respect of the kingdom. He had everything the world could offer him, but he chose Christ. Moses chose, “to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:25-26) Moses was looking for the reward of Christ.

We remember Moses leading his people out of Egypt, but we forget the 40 years he spent in the wilderness as he waited for God’s reward. Would Moses have considered himself blessed as he tended the flock on the mountain estranged of his own people as lived as an outcast? But would Moses consider himself blessed today?  He has received his reward.  He is enjoying the eternal pleasures at the Lord’s right hand. He is in heaven.

It is hard to rejoice when others revile and persecute us and utter all kinds of evil against us. It may be hard, but God has said that we should rejoice and be glad for our reward will be great in heaven. Our trials are not exclusive to us. The Prophets, like Moses, who came before us experienced the same struggles. We are not alone in our trials. We all have choices to make when we are treated poorly for Christ’s sake. We can raise our heads to heaven and ask why or we can raise our heads to heaven with joy as we wait our great reward.

Everyone lives for the promise of reward, but the Christian redefines the reward. The world lives for the fleeting pleasures of sin. They live for the reward of temporal pleasure and comfort while the Christian lives for the eternal, great reward promised for us in heaven. The Christian lives their lives banking on a greater reward than the fleeting pleasures of sin. A Christian’s reward is not fleeting, but everlasting.

Moses may have struggled with living in the wilderness for 40 years tending the flocks of his father-in-law, but he is not struggled now. If you were to ask him if he made the right choice considering the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, what do you think he would say now? Beloved, consider the reproach of Christ greater wealth than all the treasures of this world.