Diamond In A Mansion, Treasure In A Shack

I think there are many people in ministry who think that their heavenly reward will be based upon the part of their ministry that can be seen.  How many sermons they preached or how many pews were filled or how many altar calls were made.  How many mission trips they took or VBSes they volunteered for or Sunday school classes they taught or books they wrote or Bible studies they taught.  But those are all exterior things.  Exterior things are the wood, hay and straw that will be burned away to reveal the true spiritual value inside.  The Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians that they must be careful how they build on the foundation of Christ.  There will be people who build using various building materials:  gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, and straw, and their work "will be shown for what it is" because the Day of Judgment "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 is built survives the fire, they will receive a reward; if what is built is burned up, they will suffer loss.  Paul says they will retain their salvation, "but only as one escaping through the flames" (1 Cor 3:1-15).

I think the lion's share of our heavenly reward will be based on the things which are not seen, because it is the things which are not seen that have lasting, eternal value (2 Cor 4:16-18).  Our reward will not be based on the outward appearance of our lives and work, but will be more-so based on our motive behind the thing we did, rather than the thing we did itself-- meaning, it will be based less on the things we do and more-so on the person we are while we are doing them.  And when we stand before the great and terrible judge Who is the examiner of human hearts, we will come face to face with the awful reality that there is nothing that can be hidden from the searching eyes of the living God-- there is nothing that exists in all creation that is impenetrable to His flaming gaze.  Scripture tells us that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb 10:31) and even though I look forward to gazing upon the face of my Savior, I dread His examination of my works because the only perfect human life that has ever been lived was His, not mine.

We tend to forget that we worship a retributive God Who is perfect in justice, which means even though our salvation is secure, we will all reap what we've sown.  Jesus says so:  "For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done" (Matt 16:27).  We are saved by grace but we are judged according to our works and the motives behind them:  "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (Eccl 12:14).  We can convince ourselves easily enough that our motives are pure, but we cannot fool God.  There are many times in my life in which I thought my motives were pure and was convinced my intentions were noble, only to find out otherwise when I truly surrendered to God and allowed His searching eyes to sift through me.  I can think of many times in my younger years in which I was convinced that I was right, only to find out after-the-fact that I was indeed wrong.  I have had me and my family's life upended by people who were convinced they were right, and I grieve for them because I know that one day they will understand that they were indeed wrong, and I don't want anyone to have to face that. 

As I contemplate these events in my life, it brings me to my knees in humility because I have intimate experience with just how easily we fool ourselves about the integrity of our intentions and the purity of our motives.  That is why Paul so solemnly warns the Corinthians who prided themselves on their perceived righteousness, "let him who thinks he stands firm, take heed that he does not fall" (1 Cor 10:12).  Scripture also repeatedly warns us not to be wise in our own estimation (Prov 3:7; Isaiah 5:21; Rom 12:3).  We are also repeatedly told to allow God to examine our heart (Lamentations 3:40; Psalm 19:12; 26:2; 139:23,24; Job 31:6; 1 Thess 2:4).  Who can honestly stand before God and claim they have a truly pure heart based on their own merit?  No one.

We cannot fall into the trap of allowing the external appearance of our life be our gauge for inner treasure.  Inner treasure is the development of our character in relation to our understanding of God.  Knowledge of God comes through Scripture, but understanding of God comes through experiencing Him and being in His presence.  Which means the true measure of a Christian has more to do with their prayer life, rather than how much Scripture they know or what they accomplish.  And if prayer life is the true measure of a Christian, then maybe that helps people understand why things look so dismal at this point in the church.  Leonard Ravenhill rightly stated, "No Christian is greater than [their] prayer life."  He also rightly said, "We want power; [But God] wants to expose our weakness. We want large bonuses for small investments of prayer. We want to sow radish seeds but reap a forest of redwoods." 

The truth is, there are going to be countless people who are utterly gob-smacked when they get to heaven and see.  When the veil is pulled back and those who thought they knew, those who thought they understood, come face to face with how truly ignorant they were.  When the pastor with the successful earthly ministry sees the heavenly reward he thought was surely going to be his, given to the elderly widow who quietly sat on the back pew on Sundays and fought dragons on her knees as she prayed for him by her bedside through the week.  When countless people in ministry see that the very reason for their seeming success wasn't them, but the unseen and unknown people who were praying for them. 

Scripture says that God examines our heart (Jer 17:10), and one way He does so is through fire.  Scripture clearly tells us that God is a consuming fire (Ex 24:17; Deut 4:24; 5:24; 9:3; Num 11:1; 16:35; Ps 97:3).  To survive a consuming fire, you must become fire.  The only way to pass through the flame is to become a flame.  The only thing that can withstand God's nature is His nature.  Thus, our heavenly reward will have much to do with our character and how accurately we reflect God's image.  The more in-line we are with God's character, and thus, the more accurately we bear His image, the less that will be burned away when we encounter the fire of His presence.  You can spend your entire life building the exterior:   a mansion with a single diamond inside on a meticulously manicured 100-acre estate will all be burned to nothing, as if it never existed, leaving only the diamond.  Or you can spend your entire life filling the interior:  a ramshackle cabin with priceless jewels tucked under the worn floorboards, and when the shack burns down, the hidden treasure that was inside will be revealed for all to see.   

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt 6:19-21)

For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done. (Matt 16:27)

And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. (Rev 20:12)

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:18)

I, the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve. (Jer 17:10)

Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins? Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the Lord. (Lam 3:39,40)

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can't you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless you actually fail the test? (2 Cor 13:5)