In Rev. 2:10 Jesus says, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
It is our desire in life to invest in things that pay good dividends. If you were to commit a large sum of money into a particular stock, you would not just put it in any stock that is on the market. You would want one that would pay excellent dividends in return for the money that you invested. There were two farmers, one a believer and the other an atheist. When harvest time came, the atheist prodded his neighbor, who was a Christian. The atheist's family had not been sick, his fields were rich with crops, and he was certain to make a great deal of money. The atheist said to his believing farmer neighbor, "I thought you said it paid to believe in God and be a Christian." The Christian replied to the atheist, "It does pay but God does not always pay His people in the month of September." There are some things that really pay off in this life and in the life that is to come. Think with me about three important things.
I. It Pays To Seek Jesus.
The Bible declares in Hebrews 11:6 that God is, "A rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Seeking Jesus implies several things to consider.
A. The initiative. You will notice in the parable of the lost sheep, it is not the sheep that go looking for the shepherd, it is the shepherd who goes looking for the sheep(Lk.15). Christ is the One who acts first in bringing the sinner to the point of repentance and faith. He seeks the sinner. There must be a drawing work of God Almighty (Jn.6:44).
B. The interest. If you seek Christ, you realize that your eternal soul is at sake and that you must seek him to be Savior and Lord. It is a tragic thing to have no saving interest in Christ and die in your sins(Jn.8:24).
II. It Pays To Serve Jesus. Our text says if we will be faithful, we shall have a crown of life (Rev.2:10).
A. You should serve Jesus earnestly. By that I mean we should give serious attention to what we need to do for God.
B. You should serve Christ expectantly (Rev. 2:10). If He says there will be reward for faithful service, it will be so.
III. It Pays To Speak For Jesus. The early church did and so should we who have been redeemed by the grace of God (Acts 8:44).
A. Speak of His saving power.
B. Speak of His sweet pardon.
C. Speak of His securing provision.
Let's let the whole world know about our precious Savior.
Conclusion:
Do not waste you time with that which is unprofitable spiritually, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Spend your time with that which will "pay off" now and in an eternal day to come.
