The Psalmist David
penned this powerful praise admonition: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget
not all HIS BENEFITS.” (Psalm 103:2) Thus, David advised believers never
to develop ‘spiritual amnesia’ regarding the manifold blessings of God.
Exactly what is a BENEFIT? A
benefit directly promotes personal well-being or advantage. In this connection, a job-seeker might
conclude ‘I did not accept such-and-such job because it had NO BENEFITS.’
Currently, many corporations are apt to hire part-time employees because
they want to avoid providing costly benefits. Compensation may be defined
as not only one’s hourly wage or annual salary, but as one’s monetary paycheck
PLUS other corporate benefits, e.g. healthcare, sick leave, vacation days,
holidays, savings, pensions, etc.
In my endeavor to
define a truly superlative compensation program, I cannot help but reflect on
the PHENOMENAL BENEFITS that are an integral component of working for OUR LORD.
Jesus Christ sets forth an employment offer that wise persons could
scarcely refuse: “Go into the vineyard; and WHATSOEVER IS RIGHT, that shall you
receive.” (Matthew 20:7) Without hesitation, we can depend upon HIS WORD!
Peter questioned the compensatory value of working in the Kingdom when he
asked Jesus ‘What’s in it for US?’ Christ’s response: “Verily I say unto you, there
is no man who has left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children,
for the kingdom of God’s sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this
present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.” (Luke 18:29-30)
Unquestionably, it pays to serve Jesus!
Indeed, His KINGDOM BENEFITS are unlimited and incomparable. Importantly,
God entitles us to these incredible benefits, even though we are still engaged
in the CONSTRUCTION PROCESS. Although our ‘life-buildings’ are
demonstrably incomplete, HE DECLARES US TO BE “the righteousness of God” and
assures us that we stand COMPLETE
IN HIM. (Romans 3:20-22 and Colossians 2:10) Wow! What
a marvelous and mighty God!
Consider this
intriguing fact. It is possible to be employed by a Fortune 500
corporation and yet be denied benefits due to sheer personal ignorance about the
personnel perks that are free and available upon request. To avoid this,
major corporations publish detailed employee manuals outlining their compensation
programs. However, should employees fail
to read or understand the manual, extraordinary benefits could become
inaccessible to those who have every right to receive them. Likewise, all
Christian believers are provided more-than-generous benefits that are rendered
available and accessible to us by reading, honoring and obeying THE WORD.
Nevertheless, many live far beneath their privileges and experience difficulty,
delay, or denial of benefits, simply due to a “lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6)
There are other
impediments that block the reception of divine benefits, including our reliance
on our sensory perceptions and our reasoning faculties. In truth,
believing and receiving God’s promises is diametrically opposite to natural
knowledge and common sense. Why? “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
(II Corinthians 5:7) Allow me to cite the example of a Pittsburgh man who
was miraculously converted from his association with a religious group that
does not believe in miracles. His child had been born with club feet, and
while he attended a Pentecostal church service, the young boy was
instantaneously healed. The following week, the father attended a meeting
at his own church and reported enthusiastically how GOD had fully restored his
child’s feet. Since this group does not subscribe to faith in divine
healing, its leaders immediately intervened and rebuked the man, saying “The
devil did that, not God!” Here is what the father of the healed child
replied: “I don’t know how YOUR GOD works…but MY GOD loves my son as much as I
love my son…and MY GOD HEALED HIM!” The Word clearly provides for our
healing, but too often we fail to receive it because we are too sense-oriented,
too logical, or too burdened by unbelief. (Isaiah 53:5 – Malachi 4:2)
In light of David’s
praise admonition in Psalm 103:2, what
are some SPECIFIC BENEFITS that Kingdom employees may enjoy as they fully
covenant with the Living Word of God?
Kingdom Principle
Number One: AS KINGDOM STEWARDS, WE ARE IN DIRECT PARTNERSHIP WITH GOD.
If you really think about it, this is a fascinating benefit. We redeemed
lumps-of-clay are called into covenant relationship, and yes, even into full
partnership with Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the
Lord of Heaven and earth. How could this possibly be? In other
words, “What is man that God is mindful of him, and the son of man that God
visits him?” (Psalm 8:4) Yet, despite our mortal weaknesses and character
flaws, God crowns us with glory and honor. In case you are not yet aware,
our glory and honor rises solely from our association with HIM. When we
honor God, He in turn honors us. We are gratified and overwhelmed by
these awesome acts of amazing grace. In spite of the indisputable fact
that believers are certainly WORKS-IN-PROGRESS,
our GOD graciously labels us (unabashedly and enthusiastically) as “HIS
WORKMANSHIP” and empowers us with the capacity to grow, develop, mature and
conform to the IMAGE OF CHRIST. (Ephesians 2:10 and Romans 8:29) Stay tuned for the conclusion on tomorrow!
Sisters and brothers,
be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO
MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!
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