While chaos is going on throughout the earth, another event is occurring in Heaven. The Judgment Seat of Christ (bema). This judgment is for believers only in which every believer is judged by the works they did after receiving Jesus. Think of the Olympic Games. We have all these sport categories in which every person is striving to do their personal best to score the most points.
At the end of the games, they are presented with the gold, silver, and bronze metals. At other various sporting events, athletes complete to win a prize and at the end, they're awarded their metals or trophies. 1 Corinthians 9:24 tells us, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it." We're all in a race but doing different things. We need to remember to stay in our own lanes and walk in our own callings. Stop trying to cross over into somebody else's lane and don't let anybody cross into yours. Run your race so you can receive your reward.
We'll be judged not only on how well we did it, but our motives behind it. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 tells us, "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw - each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
We need to be very careful to not only use every gift God has given us for His Kingdom, but our reasons why. If we're doing good works just to be seen, those works won't last. When wood, hay, and straw get exposed to fire, it burns up. This is what will happen to the works done out of impure motives. But if we're doing our works so the Kingdom of God is expanded and we're bearing fruit, those works will last. When gold, silver, and precious stones get exposed to fire, they grow stronger and much more beautiful. This is what we should strive for...works that will be refined in the fire. The bad news is if your works are all turned to ash, you won't get a reward...or a very tiny one. But the good news is since it's not a judgment on salvation, you will still get to be with Jesus for all eternity. But I don't recommend doing anything that will get burned up. Try to receive a reward that is worth something because Jesus is worth it.
There are five crowns the Bible speaks about that we can earn. The Crown of Life, the Crown of Righteousness, the Crown of Glory, the Crown of Rejoicing, and the Crown of Incorruption. The Crown of Life goes to those who remain faithful through trials and tribulations. James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." There are days when the trials and tribulations of life can really weigh us down. But knowing that one day God will reward us for standing strong will help us get through it all. James 1:2 tells us to count it all joy when we face trials of various kinds.
The Crown of Righteousness goes to those who eagerly await Jesus' return. 2 Timothy 4:8 tells us, "Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." It's a wonderful thing to hear pastors preaching more about the return of Christ. It's a wonderful thing to watch for His return because it could happen at any moment. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 to watch therefore because we don't know the day or the hour He'll be coming back.
The Crown of Glory goes to those who shepherd God's flock with the motive to bring souls to Christ. 1 Peter 5:1-4 tells us, "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." Some people make a huge mistake in thinking that being a pastor is an easy profession. They think pastors only work on Sundays, get paid big money, and do nothing for the rest of the week. That's not accurate at all.
First off, pastors are NEVER off the clock. They are on call 24/7. In addition to carrying the responsibility of preaching the whole Gospel and bringing the lost to Christ, they must make themselves available for emergency counseling, visiting sick congregation members at home or in the hospital, be ready to do a wedding or a funeral, write their sermons, as well as be there for their families. And the money? It depends on the church they're pastoring at. Yes, when we look at several TV pastors, they are extremely wealthy. They live in big houses, drive fancy cars, and a few own jets. But what you must remember is these pastors have literally thousands of members. And they make additional money writing books and making CDs and DVDs. A pastor with members under 100 isn’t going to have that kind of income.
True, there are pastors who are in the ministry for the wrong reasons. They want to be in a position of authority to make up for the low self-esteem they carried over from childhood. They want to make the same salary as a TV pastor. They want to teach their own doctrine. In some cases, pastors want to get attention from the opposite sex. But these pastors don't represent those who are preaching for the sake of Christ. They are representing themselves and one day will have to answer not only for their irresponsibility, but for the blood on their hands.... which comes from the souls who ended up in hell due to their wrong teachings.
The Crown of Rejoicing goes to those who win souls to Christ. This crown not only can go to the pastors and evangelists, but to anybody who leads somebody to Christ. A father can receive this crown if he leads his son to Christ. 1 Thessalonians 2:19 tells us, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?
The Incorruptible Crown goes to those who disciplined their bodies and brought them under subjection. 1 Corinthians 9:25-27 tells us, "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So, I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." Every day we are in a battle with the world, flesh, and the devil. Here I'm going to talk about the flesh.
Our flesh is forever warning against the Spirit of God because our flesh is full of sinful desires. Galatians 5:17 tells us, "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want." Think about it. Every day we are faced with a choice whether to give into our flesh or not. What does it mean to be in the flesh? It means to live and act in a way that goes against God. Galatians 5:19-21 tells us this, "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Going against our flesh is extremely difficult these days because the flesh is never satisfied. Every day, something happens that tempts us to scratch that itch. Every day, somebody says, or does something so messed up that we end up saying things fleshly just to put them in their place. This is a fight that will go on until Jesus brings us home. But if we make the decision to crucify our flesh every day and every time we're tempted, we'll learn how to gain victory over our lives and have a closer walk with God.
We should strive to earn these crowns not only so we can hear the great "Well done" from Jesus, but most of all so we'll have something to cast at His feet according to Revelation 4:10. These crowns aren't for us to keep. They are meant to be given back to Jesus. It would be very embarrassing at that time to not have anything to cast. Even worse, we get a reward, but it is just as flimsy as toilet paper. Let us do everything for the Lord with good intentions, pure motives, and earn the very best crowns and rewards so we can cast the very best at the feet of the one who gave us His very best for us.
