“For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” Mark 9:41
A reward is defined as “a thing given in recognition of one’s service, effort, or achievement; or to make a gift of something to someone.” For example, a child might receive a gold star on a homework assignment if they completed it properly. Or someone might receive a reward of money for finding and returning a lost pet.
The bible teaches us that if we give a cold cup of water to someone in the name of Jesus, that He will reward us. When we do it in the name of Christ, we are pushing the praise and thanks off of ourselves and giving it to the Lord. We want everyone to praise His name, and not our own. When we do this, Jesus will reward us.
We don’t know exactly what or how we will be rewarded in heaven. Maybe in heaven some people will have better houses, or are put in charge over certain groups or areas in heaven. Maybe their crowns will be better or maybe they will have certain abilities that some others won’t. But it is certain that if we diligently seek the Lord, He will reward us.
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
Sometimes the world might persecute you for taking a stand in your faith in Christ and His word. Maybe they will call you names or say that you are a loser. Don’t worry about what they say about you, just be glad, and know that the Lord will reward your faith. The world persecuted our Lord, and because we should want to be just like Him, we should count it joy when we are persecuted: because it means we are living as He did.
“Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” Matthew 5:12
If someone gives a donation, do it secretly, in the name of Christ. Many times I have seen pictures of wealthy individuals giving money to charities or to youth groups. It may be a good and nice thing to help others out, but we should always try to keep it a secret; instead of writing a check that has a name on it, make out a money order use cash, so that any praise does not come to you, but instead can be given to Christ. If we do this we can be certain that the Lord will reward us.
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” Matthew 6:1-4
I don’t know about you, but I want to be rewarded in heaven someday. It’s like putting money in the bank. When you put in your money, you don’t have access to it right away, but it’s sitting and waiting until the time that you come for it. Imagine putting in just a dollar a day for 50 years: just that little bit every day and you will have stored up over 18,000 dollars! The same applies to the rewards that Jesus gives us. If you just give one cold cup of water a day to someone for the rest of your life, imagine how many rewards our Lord will give you! But why stop at just one? Do as many things for Christ as you can, and great will your reward be in Heaven!
In Christ,
Andrew
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