Friday, October 29, 2010

Earthly vs Heavenly Rewards

Today, I had the opportunity to study in the New Testament about earthly and heavenly rewards. In Matthew 19 we learn about a young man who approaches Jesus and asks him, “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” Jesus answers him by listing some of the commandments. The young man answers him saying that he had done all of those things and asked what more he needed to do. Jesus then asked him to sell every worldly thing he had, give to the poor, and follow him. If the young man listened to Jesus’ counsel, then he would have treasure in heaven. Unfortunately the young man was discouraged and walked away because he treasured his earthly riches and didn’t want to give them up. This young man had turned down the treasured blessing of eternal life for treasures on earth. Jesus Christ has promised us that if our eye is single to him, we shall be full of his glory. If we treasure his gospel, then our heart will be set on eternal life and we will receive it.

I believe that if I remember God first in my life, I will be truly blessed. When I remember to pray and read my scriptures at the beginning of the day, I am full of life and the spirit. I believe in the eternal perspective that if we put God before our earthly wants and desires we will be able to feel his love for forever in his kingdom. I think it’s important to get further away from worldly things like TV, internet, magazines, movies, PDA’s, iPods, etc. because even though they can be really good for us, they aren’t the most important thing in our lives, God is. Sometimes we are more concerned about having a nice car or a nice house instead of worrying about whether or not our Neighbors have food. We need to leave the world behind just a little more and put God first. The heavenly rewards really are greater than the worldly rewards.

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