by Pastor JR Cuevas

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:5-6)

Is there anything more desirable than earthly recognition? It is true for unbelievers, and equally true for believers. The ploy of being honored for visible accomplishments or acts of services has led to the downfall of many – even those whom many had regarded as warriors in the faith. But what is it about this desire to be noticed, that tugs at the heart of even the most humble of believers? Ultimately, it is the desire to be rewarded for effort. This is no foreign desire to humanity and – contrary to what many a Christian student may think – nor is it a malicious one, either. I can only remember how many times as a young man in the ministry I struggled aimlessly with attempting to rid myself of this desire to be rewarded for all the strain and effort that I felt I was placing into the furtherance of the kingdom of God. In many ways it confused me, for I am not often given over to desires to compete and defeat my peers. If anything, I do take exhibit genuine and compassionate joy when I see others succeed. But perhaps there was that drive in me what desired to at least feel as if the toil and agony with which I went about my work would not end in vain. And thus I would labor – but at the same time would desire for it to be acknowledged by someone, even if it just be one saint. Oh how I would struggle mightily in my heart, to keep my awareness of the Spirit’s work in producing Christ-likeness in me silent. In all honesty it was not so much out of a boastful spirit, but rather a desire to simply be rewarded. I didn’t care so much about being better than others; rather, I was more interested in earning what I felt were my treasures. And so my heart rejoices greatly in my Lord’s discipleship of me, as He reminded me with His own words what it means to gain lasting rewards:

“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

I had once heard that the measure of a man is who He is before God and no one else. I take it a step further: The rewards of a man gained by who he is in the presence of His God and no one else. Oh how wonderful it was for me to realize that the problem was not my desire to be rewarded, for the Scriptures indeed motivate believers to live for heavenly treasures. Rather, the problem was simply my ignorance concerning how is it that these imperishable rewards are gained. Woe to those Pharisees who – having received so much recognition from man concerning their outward works – received all their rewards in full. How tragic it is then, for a believer to receive so much recognition from his fellow men only to find out at the Bema seat of Christ that all the earthly admiration gained from men will not withstand the testing fires of the Lord. But blessed is the man who, while receiving no earthly recognition, sincerely humbles himself before the Father in secret – pleading with and praying to Him unceasingly in light of his helplessness apart from Him. Oh how blessed He is, for although he receives no earthly rewards for His efforts, He is seen by the Great Rewarder, who promises to reward the things done in secret? Should it not be, then, an great occasion of exultation when none of my good works are seen by men? May it never be that I forget that the Lord rewards the man for who he is and what he does in secret, lest I end up relinquishing all of my heavenly treasures.

Is there a place, then, for acknowledgment and recognition in the disciples life? After all, should it not be in the church’s greatest interest to consider their gospel ministers as worthy of double honor? May I not mislead someone into thinking that there is no place for earthly recognition for one’s works – for after all the great apostle Paul encouraged his protégés Timothy and Titus to show themselves as examples to all believers. Was Paul encouraging his younger students in the faith to lose their rewards? May one never think such. But beware of forgetting that Paul pushed the younger pastors to show themselves as models to be emulated, not as idols to be worshipped. May you then remember that earthly recognition for what you did will be approved by Christ’s testing fires only in so much as the extent to which they stimulated, challenged, and encouraged others to become fellow disciples of the Master. It was no wonder that Paul rejoiced in the lordship of Christ over his beloved Thessalonians, for they were his crown of exultation. Let your works, then, be acknowledged by those to whom you minister – but only in such a way that encourages them and challenges them to follow Christ and minister to His people even more fervently than you do. Otherwise, let it be seared in the core of your heart that the Lord rewards a man by who he is before Him and no one else. Oh may we renounce, then, all earthly accolades! Oh may we mortify all desires to be idolized, for eternal treasures are certaily better!