John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3). Eternal life begins now. It is not just about where you will spend eternity. Being in the presence of God and seeing Christ face to face after death is the ultimate reward but just as Jesus Christ had a guiding light while he lived in the earth, so do you. He knew His Father and what his Father’s will was. That was what kept him on course. Hebrews 12:2 tells us in part that Jesus “… for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” That is his reward.

If you know the Lord Jesus, you will know his Father also. Jesus taught his disciples: “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30). So, just as Jesus focused on accomplishing his Father’s will, so must we. When Jesus’ disciples asked him one day “What must we do to do the works God requires?” his reply was simple: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”  (John 6: 28-29). Once you believe in the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit helps you to perceive God’s agenda and how you fit into it. You begin to understand that you are not “doing” to be saved but that what you now feel compelled to do is because you have been saved. That should bring you great joy now and is a reward in itself. The Psalmist David also lists practical, beneficial principles which he says are precious and in effect sweeten life. Not only are we warned by them, but if we embrace and live by them there is great reward. (See Psalm 19: 7 – 11).

Jesus in his teachings was also careful to address the principle of eternal rewards: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5: 11-12) And in his final pronouncement on the subject in Revelation 22: 12 Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.”