The Reward That Awaits the Servants of the Lord

The Reward No One Else Could Give

Colossians 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

When the King Settles Every Account

In Colossians 3:24, the Holy Spirit pivots your gaze from the immediate, often ungrateful tasks of your daily life to a far more stable and glorious horizon. To "receive the reward" is the final, definitive resolution of a life lived in the service of the King.

1. The Source: Of the Lord

The most critical part of this passage is the origin of the compensation. Paul is writing to you, who may have been overlooked, underpaid, or even mistreated.

• The Audit: Your true employer is not a person or an organization; it is the Lord Christ. Human managers may miss your late nights, your integrity in the "regions beyond" of the office, or your "meekness" under pressure. God does not.
• The Certitude of the Debt: Because the reward comes "of the Lord," it is not subject to economic downturns or human whim. It is a guaranteed payout from the one who "trieth our hearts" and is faithful.

2. The Nature: The Reward of the Inheritance

There is a profound theological paradox here. Usually, a reward is earned by labor, but an inheritance is received by birth.

• The Quickening Link: This connects back to the "Last Adam." Because you have been quickened by His Spirit, you are now a legal heir. The "work" you do is not to earn the family name, but because you carry it.
• The Unfading Quality: Unlike an earthly paycheck that is spent and forgotten, this reward is an "inheritance"—it is substantial, eternal, and "furnished" by the Righteous Paymaster Himself.

3. The Motivation: For Ye Serve the Lord Christ

This is the "blueprint" for transformed service. When you realize that every report disseminated, every note written to a friend, and every act of "longsuffering" is a direct service to the Lord Christ, the mundane becomes majestic. You are not just fulfilling a contract; you are King’s faithful servant.

Your Crown is Coming

You have spent many days wondering if the sacrifices you make in the shadows are truly seen. You have worked until your hands were weary and your heart felt thin, often receiving little more than silence or further demands in return. You have held fast to "sound words" when it would have been easier to compromise, and you have served with a "perfect and upright" heart even when no one was watching to applaud.

You must lift your eyes from the dust of the daily grind.

The Lord Christ is not an indifferent Master. He has seen every hidden act of faithfulness and every silent victory over the "living soul’s" exhaustion. There is a "reward of inheritance" with your name on it—a weight of glory that is being carefully prepared for you even now. You are not working for a fading "living" but for an eternal "inheritance."

Your quiet obedience, your hidden sacrifices, and your labor of love although unnoticed by others; the Lord will not dismiss. When you finally stand before the Lord, the Quickener," He will not look at your pedigree or statistics or your status; He will look at your heart which He has tried and found faithful. In that moment, the weight of every trial will fall away, replaced by the staggering glory of His reward. You will realize that every ounce of strength you gave was an investment in an eternity that can never fade. 

Standfast, for the King is coming, and His reward is with Him and you will find that He is not only the Giver of the prize, but He is the Prize.

When God Doesn’t Explain; The Purpose Behind Your Pain

The Divine Question That Tests the Soul

Job 1:8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

The Lord ask a profound question, tucked into the opening movements of the Book of Job, is one of the most startling moments in scripture. It is a flex by God that is unrivalled in the Old Testament. Before the storm clouds gather or the tragedies strike, there is a conversation in heaven where God points to you and ask, have you considered my servant...

When God Calls Your Name

The word ”consider" means to set your heart upon or to contemplate. It implies an intense, investigative scrutiny. God isn't just mentioning Job in passing; He is inviting the Adversary, your enemy to look at the "raw data" of Job’s life—his choices, and his character.

The Fourfold Integrity

God defines Job not by his wealth or his status, but by four specific internal markers. These are the traits that made him "singular" in the earth:

• Perfect (Blameless): This doesn't mean sinless perfection, but rather "wholeness." Job’s public life matched his private life. There were no hidden compartments in his character.
• Upright: He was straight. In a world of crooked deals and moral gray areas, Job functioned as a plumb line. He was reliable.
• Fearing God: This was the root of his wisdom. He lived with a constant awareness of God’s authority, which kept him grounded and humble.
• Eschewing Evil: He didn't just avoid evil; he "turned away" from it with active intent. He was vigilant, recognizing that integrity requires constant maintenance.

The Weight of Being Noticed

There is a heavy irony in this passage. We often pray for God to "notice" us, but for Job, being noticed by God is exactly what triggered his season of intense suffering. God’s confidence in Job’s character was so high that He was willing to let that character be tested in the ultimate "operational environment" of loss and pain.

Job was being watched by heaven, not as a target of anger, but as a pattern of good work. He was the proof that a human could love God for who He is, not just for what He gives.

When the Scrutiny Falls on You

What if heaven has already spoken your name? What if, even now, your life is being weighed to test your faithfulness? You may never hear the words aloud, but the reality remains: you are seen, known, and understood far beyond what you can measure. And if the day comes when everything you rely on begins to fall away, it will not be to prove something to God. It will be to reveal what has been quietly formed within you, your faithfulness, integrity and humility. So when the silence feels heavy and the trial feels undeserved, remember this: The Lord could be using you to prove something to the world.

When Faith and Fear Share The Same Soil, Grace Becomes The Rain

The Chaos In The Field

Matthew 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

The "Midnight Sower"

The passage reflects a profound truth about the struggle between good and evil. “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.” This metaphor of sowing tares—representing falsehood, doubt, and sin—tells us of the insidious ways that our adversaries can infiltrate our lives. The enemy, relentless in his pursuit, waits for the moment of vulnerability, a time when we are distracted or unaware. 

There is something chilling about the quietness of that moment.

No battle cry.
No crashing gates.
No dramatic confrontation.

Just sleep.

A New Level of Grace

This lack of vigilance emphasizes a crucial aspect of spiritual warfare; the enemy is persistent and strategic, sowing seeds of discord even when we are least guarded. 

The Lord’s Grace: The Protection of the Harvest

While the verse focuses on the enemy, the context of the Lord's response (found later in the parable) reveals a radical form of grace. 

Displayed before us is the mercy of God: God allows the wheat and the tares to grow together — not because He’s indifferent, but because of His grace.

Grace endures the discomfort of mixture for the sake of redemption.

• Grace as Restraint: When the servants want to pull up the tares, the Master says, "Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them." The Lord’s grace is seen in His refusal to destroy the good with the bad.
• Providing the Space to Mature: Grace is the sunshine and rain that God continues to give to the field, even though He knows it contains counterfeits. He allows the wheat to grow alongside, knowing that the true nature of the wheat will eventually be undeniable.

The Anatomy of a "Wait"

Picture the scene: a field divided, wheat flourishing yet troubled by the tares. The emotional impact of this passage lies in the Master’s calm. While you panic and want to rip everything up to "fix" the field, the Lord of the Harvest stands over the messy, complicated soil of our lives and says, "Wait." This image mirrors your inner life—a blend of faith, hope, fear, and doubt. Yet in your darkest moments, when discouragement threatens to overtake you, you can lean into the grace that the Lord extends. His presence becomes your refuge and compass.

Ultimately, the beauty of this passage lies not just in the warning of the enemy’s persistence but in the promise of grace that can transform your every tainted moment into a testament of triumph. As you navigate the complexities of life, you can rest in the reassurance that while the enemy may sow confusion and strife, the Lord's grace is always ready to redeem and restore. 

A New Creature In Christ And Free From Sin

Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Expounding on Freedom in the Passage

The passage highlights the profound transformation that occurs when you accept the free and perfect gift of Jesus Christ. Being made free from sin denotes your liberation from the bondage and curse of sin. This freedom creates a new identity, a son of God, a servant of God, driven by faith, hope and charity.

The Role of Servitude

Serving God is presented as a choice that leads to spiritual fulfillment. This service cultivates fruit unto holiness, indicating that your life must adhere to spiritual virtue and righteous living. The term "fruit" suggests tangible outcomes.

The Guarantee of Everlasting Life

Finally, the phrase "the end everlasting life" encapsulates the ultimate gift the relief from the punishment of sin: assured eternal life. This notion extends beyond mere existence; it represents where your action of faith leads to lasting joy and peace.

In summary, the passage presents a theological chain: freedom from sin → service to God → fruit of the spirit → eternal life. Your choice to lead a fruitful life must be characterized by holiness, faithfulness and a love for God’s word.

The Lazy Loafing Steward; A Recipe for Peril

Thou Art An Austere Man

Luke 19:21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?

Luke 19:21, Jesus is telling a parable about a nobleman who entrusted his servants with his wealth before leaving for a distant land to be crowned king. Upon his return, he assesses the performance of his servants.

One of the servants had simply buried the money given to him, rather than investing it or earning any return. When the nobleman returns, he rebukes this servant.

In essence, the nobleman is expressing disappointment that the servant did not take even the minimal step of putting the money in a bank, where it could earn interest. This would have at least generated some return on the investment, symbolizing the expectation that you are responsible and must make the most of the resources entrusted to you.

You might be a lazy Christian if you, while claiming to follow Christ, you fails to actively engage your faith or make an effort to grow spiritually. 

A Lazy Christian

A "lazy Christian" is anyone who, like the servant in the parable, fails to use their God-given resources and opportunities to please the Lord. This laziness can manifest in several ways:

• Fear of Commitment: Similar to the servant's fear, a lazy Christian might avoid taking on responsibilities or challenges in their faith out of fear of failure or discomfort.
• Lack of Initiative: Instead of seeking out ways to serve God, a lazy Christian may wait for opportunities to come to him, missing out on the blessing and growth that come from proactive service.
• Misuse of Resources: A lazy Christian might squander the resources God has given him, failing to invest in ways and means that honor the Lord.

For Christians, the message of this parable is clear: God expects you to use your resources wisely and productively. You are called to be good stewards, not lazy, pathetic or fearful, but proactive and faithful in your service to God. By doing so, we will have a good testimony before God and man.

Your Faithfulness

Entrusted Gifts

The pound, disciples and the colt are all reserved for the master’s service; all are coupled together by sanctification and faithfulness--traits necessary for all stewards

The Parable of the Pounds establishes the principle that true commitment is shown through active, unashamed, unshakable obedience to the Lord's command. This isn't about grand gestures but about using what has been given to you. The disciples' actions provide the perfect example of this principle: they receive a direct, command and execute it without question or hesitation--unencumbered and unruffled focus, loose him and bring him hither.  The colt, unridden and unburdened, is freed from its mundane state and set apart or sanctified for the Master's service--there is no higher calling.

What the Lord wants...

God has no mystical scheme, he is looking for humble, unwavering obedience. Whether its you investing your time and energy or by obeying his command, your faithfulness pleases God.