Hucksters and Kooks

July 6

Read: Hebrews 11:6

Hucksters and Kooks

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (11:6)

You cannot and will not draw near to God if you do not believe that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. Who would have thought that trusting God’s goodness and rewards was such a crucial part of drawing near to him!? This is an essential element of faith itself. If you want to please God and draw near to him you must first believe he actually exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Faith is after all being sure of what you are hoping for and convinced of what you cannot see. (cf. 11:1) What more could we long to be hopeful for and convinced of other than God’s existence and rewards?

This truth is always held in tension with the momentary suffering we face in this world. Look at Paul’s words to the church in Corinth:

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

(2 Cor. 4:16-18)

This passage affirms the truth from yesterday’s devotion (the relationship and value of the seen vs. the unseen) and paints for us a hopeful picture of faith lived out… assurance of hope and conviction of the unseen. The promised receiving of reward does not remove, negate, or imply that there will be no suffering in this world… it simply means that we will receive a reward that is greater than any loss. In the end, what God has in store for his Children is always for their good… for their REWARD. This truth is repeated time and time again from the mouth of Jesus:

“And (Jesus) said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Luke 18:29,30)

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matt 13:44)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matt 13:45,46)

Notice how in Luke 18 Jesus clearly lays out that this reward and blessing that he is talking about spans both “in this time” as well as “in the age to come”. Notice how eternal life is the gift given in the age to come alongside the other blessing that span both times. God’s rewards for his children start with eternal life and go from there. Jesus doesn’t describe life in the Kingdom of God as a scenario where what you miss out on / give up is inferior to or less than what you receive; it is quite the opposite! The pearl and treasure that one receives is of greater value than what was surrendered / handed over / sold / given up. This is life in the Kingdom of God. This is ABUNDANT LIFE in Christ. For fear of the “prosperity gospel” we have abandoned the words of Jesus. This lifetime will certainly involve some suffering, loss, “pruning”, and what would feel like set backs, but God is ALWAYS a rewarder of those who seek him! His goodness, kindness, patience, love, and mercy for his children can be counted on.

Have you been taught a picture of God that is different than Hebrews 11:6? Has someone told you that life in Christ is not rewarding or that the only blessing or hope you have to look forward to is in the afterlife? Have you felt distant from God? Let the words of God through Hebrews and Jesus rest on your ears today! Allow yourself to trust and believe in his goodness, blessing, and reward. Do not mistake the normal experience of suffering or set back in this world to rob you of the biblical truth before you. Don’t let the silly examples of how this truth gets twisted by hucksters and kooks stop you from embracing this truth. Remember what the scriptures say, if one is to draw NEAR to God we start by believing he exists and rewards those who seek him! We cannot please God if we are not sure of what he has hopefully given to us in Christ and if we are not willing to trust his unseen process and work in our lives and this world. God is PLEASED when we look forward to his great rewards given to us in Christ Jesus! Amen to that. Love you guys. - JDP