Judgment and Rewards

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. II Corinthians 5:10 (KJV)

God is so aware of every thought we think, every word we speak and every single thing we do. One day we will give an account as believers about how we lived our lives. Think about it. And our eternal rewards will be based on it. Yes, salvation is free and cannot be earned, but the rewards we get once we get to heaven will be based on our works, and they are earned. All believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. I Corinthians 3:10-15 (New International Version, NIV)

The Bible says God knows our thoughts before we think them, and He knows our words before we say them. God looks at the purposes and intents of our hearts in all we do; our motives.The Lord is watching and He is recording our thoughts, words and actions- it’s all written down.

God is so mindful of man, and that is why He watches all we think, say and do. He knows that one day we will be judged and have to give an account for our lives, and He wants the outcome to be the best it can possibly be for us. He wants to help us live a life that is according to His plan and help us to be the person He created us to be. He desires that when we stand before Jesus, He can say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord!”

As Christians, we will not stand at the great white throne judgment, which is for unbelievers. But we will stand before the Bema seat, which is Christ’s judgment seat. So, let’s live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. We want our life’s work to survive the fire of judgment so we will receive great rewards from our Savior and King!