As a child if you did anything against the house rules you were threatened with a punishment. Yours may have been having your allowance withheld, or no TV for a week these days it can be no Facebook or phone for an extended period of time. As for me it was an old fashioned spanking any adult available felt free to administer it! My granddaddy spanked me for the simple sin of punching out the intriguing green light on the console radio, my grandmother for stepping on her toes, my dad for talking in church and my mother, well you better not be “sassy“!
As you grow older you seem bent on punishing yourself whether you realize it or not and there is the beginning of being afraid of the punishment of God.
Yes I heard about hell fire but I also heard about the love of God from a dad who explained why I was being punished and then prayed with me and then let it go, so I understood the difference between being rewarded and praised for something good I had done and being punished for my “evil” ways!
I thought it was time to bring you a few scriptures showing the reward side of our God. Genesis 15:1 this word of God came to Abram in a vision: “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I’m your shield. Your reward will be grand!”
Psalm 19:10-11The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous…By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Isaiah 40:10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power See, his reward is with him.
Jeremiah 31:16But now this is what the Lord says: “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,” says the Lord.
Matthew 6:4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
2 John 1:8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward.
Rev. 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
These are only a few of the 103 references to “reward” in the Bible, compare that to the 25 times that the word “punishment” is used in the Holy Writ! I would say that God loves us, His own dear children!
2 Chronicles 16:9 The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
Psalm 33:18-19 Watch this: God’s eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love. He’s ready to come to their rescue in bad times; in lean times he keeps body and soul together.
Are you feeling pretty special right about now? If you aren’t you ought to be, read these scriptures again, these are only a few of the ones that tell us how much God loves us, how He is watching over us and how He wants to reward those that love and serve Him!
Fear not, you have a reward on the way!
Harolene.com 
There is a ‘conflict’ in my Spirit over this precept. On the one hand, we can NOT “Earn our way into Heaven” with our ‘good works’… The Thief on the cross, nor the person that accepts Christ moments before their last breath, has NO ‘good works’, yet they are Heaven-bound like any other Believer. On the other hand, we SHOW our Faith in Christ BY our ‘good works’… and we are even told “Great is our Reward…” And then we have our “Examples to live by” such as Peter, who truly did wonderful and literally Miraculous Good Things… yet in the midst of Jesus’ greatest suffering, Peter Denied Him and turned his back. Abraham got Drunk, and gave his Birth-right to his Deceiving Son… And to think of all those, from Before Christ to those who are suffering and dying EVERY DAY — often in torturous agonizing ways — because of their Christian Faith… Certainly THEY will have a ‘Great Reward’ even though their names are not recorded in History. And those who are Faithful ‘in the little things’… the Sunday School Teacher that influences possibly hundreds of children over their many years, the Pastor of a small country Church with barely 50 members, the country Doctor that cares for his community in Christian Love and gets ‘paid’ in chickens and fresh eggs and vegetables or a homemade cake. IS there a ‘scorecard’ that tracks our ‘good works’ — and deducts for our failings and those times when we give in to our human nature? What IS their Great Reward? Do THEY get to hang out with GOD, while the rest of us ‘regular folks’ are simply Blessed to be in Heaven, rather than that other place.?
Is there ‘Vanity’ in Heaven, where we live in ‘the nicest neighborhood’ if we did ‘Great Things’ and have lots of Jewels in our Crown… or ‘the poor side of town’ for those who had low scores, or last minute salvation, and have Small Crowns with tiny little rhinestones and kind of scratched up and dented in a few places…? Do we lose points if we sang in the Church Choir or taught a Sunday School Class for 10th graders, but had lustful thoughts of a pretty classmate in college..? Do our Prayers get answered for others’ healing, but our own body is a daily battle with pain from injuries that never quite healed..? If my ‘score’ isn’t high enough for my own healing and pain relief… is it of any value for me to pray for others’ needs? Will I be pedaling around heaven on a rusty old bicycle, while others ride Fast Motorcycles or drive around in Ferrari’s and ride in limousines.? Are we Forever Rewarded, after all, for our Good Works… or punished forever by an Eternity with an ‘efficiency apartment’ and a bicycle…? And just happy that it doesn’t have a Roaring Fireplace… (smile)
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All good, valid thoughts we have all entertained. I guess I feel like Kathryn Kuhlman who said when asked why everyone she prayed for didn’t get healed, “I don’t know but it’s the first thing I’m going to ask Jesus when I see him”! Thanks for the thoughts Floyd ‼️❤️🙏🏼
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If you have done something that has disappointed God, can I still expect blessings. I repented and still feel lousy.
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He forgives you now you just have to forgive yourself!!!! ❤️🙏🏼
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The Holy Spirit told me that yesterday. I heard “your problem is un-forgiveness” and I knew instantly what He was talking about. You have confirmed that. Thank you so much y dear sister and friend. XOXO
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Mission accomplished!!! 😁😇
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