I have just had the most amazing experience. Sitting on this beautiful Resurrection Sunday, meditating in a garden looking over a mountain I hear a sound behind me. I look up and there is the sunbird, singing its love. I'm reminded that Jesus is always with me. I hear him saying , "I can't fill you with my gifts if you are already full. Open your hands. Let go. I have so much to give to you." And then sharing this experience with my beautiful wife she shares a verse she received today - "The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped." (Prov 11:24-25)

How long will it take me to truly open my hands, truly give UP, truly surrender all that I might receive his gifts of abundance?

An important question

I have been thinking about rewards. This is not an unusual thought as most of our lives are filled with prospects of rewards: whether it is achieving at school or sport or even work. There is normally some reward held out for us - a trophy, an increase in salary, etc. And it's no different in the Bible. 

There are numerous verses that talk about us receiving a reward;

"For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done." (Matthew 16:27)

But what is it? What is the reward we get? It seems sort of important for us to know what it is. So what is it?

Well, we know where it is stored...

"Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:12)

We know it is linked to what we do in some way...

"Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done." (Revelation 22:12)

Great...but what is it?

Is it immortality?
But how can you get more or less of that? Is it ruling over cities as the parable in Lk 19:17 suggests?
Is it homes, peace, an unspoiled world?

Maybe it is all of these, yet still it seems we are missing something. It is something more than this. These are mentioned as ancillary. The reward that is in heaven, that comes with Jesus is greater than this.

We are looking and thinking about this wrongly. We are thinking about WHAT our reward is rather than...

"After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”" (Genesis 15:1)

...We are thinking about WHAT our reward is rather than WHO our reward is.


God our reward
Our world teaches us to expect rewards to be possessions not people. We expect more money, trophies, cars, etc. Yet God's reward is far more astounding - His reward is himself! We receive the all powerful, all loving creator as our reward. Wow!

In fact if we open our eyes we see this promise everywhere.

"The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." (1 John 3:24)

Our reward now and in the future is not so much a WHAT as it is a WHO. It is Christ in us, as Paul says when describing the riches we receive...

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)


An Incredible Reward
If we truly believe we can receive the reward of Christ in us; Changing us from the inside; Making us experience life in a new way. This is God in us. What an inheritance.

What reward do we want?
What reward do we really want?
Immortality, homes, relaxation, etc. or God?

The famous so called Prodigal Son story makes this point powerfully. The young son wants the goods - now! He wants the what!

"The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them." (Luke 15:12)

He wanted the reward, the inheritance of Dad. How long was the old bullet going to take before he died. Why wait, give me the goodies now!

However when his WHAT reward vanishes he "comes to his senses" -

"I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’" (Luke 15:18-19)

He realizes it is not about WHAT but about WHO he was leaving. And so he returns and his father has never stopped loving him. The WHAT was never important.

"“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. ’ So they began to celebrate." (Luke 15:22-24)

And so the young son discovers his reward is in relationship not riches. It is in family not fortune.

However we sadly often miss the real lesson. The lesson of the older son. The one who never left. When the older brother, who has never left, returns, he is angry. And in his words he reveals his heart...

"But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’" (Luke 15:29-31)

What is he saying. He is not interested in family but fortune. Where are MY things to celebrate with MY friends. Where are MY riches? Where is MY fortune? But he does not like the Father's reply...

"'My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours."

His reward, his inheritance was not his Father but his father's things. It wasn't the parent it was the possession. He is unhappy that his father said "you are always with me..." How then do I get my things?

Our Question
Are we any different?
Are we obsessed with the Father or his things? Are we obsessed with God or the Gold?

If we consider for a while we would realize our reward has never been WHAT we have but WHO we have. We can have the best house, the nicest car, the most beautiful clothes but without family it's nothing. Its not WHAT it's WHO...The Psalmist makes it clear what our reward is...

"Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him." (Psalms 127:3)

It's not in what it's in who. And so what is our reward...nothing more amazing than God himself. Nothing more awesome than Jesus in us. .

"I am your shield and exceeding great reward" (Ex 15:1)

Wow!

Hi everyone. 

One of the things that struck me on my journey to God was how it all starts with a hand. This was made vivid to me in my experience when I met Jesus and he showed me that I must begin by opening my clenched hand.

However as I have considered this even more I am astounded by how huge Yod, the Hebrew letter for hand, is in God’s dealing with us. Most things that we would say define God and who He is, start with Yod – the open hand. How could I have missed it? Here are a few amazing examples to show us it always begins with an open hand…

YHWH - Yahweh/Jehovah - God's very name starts with a Yod a hand reaching out to us.
Jesus - Yeshua - Again Jesus (Yah Saves), his name too starts with a Yod a hand reaching out (which we try and nail)
Jerusalem - God's chosen city
Judah - The tribe from which Jesus comes
John - He who would introduce Jesus to the world
Joseph - An amazing type of Jesus in the Old Testament
Israel - Is actually Yisrael - God's land

Over and over and over again - all things that matter, all things that reveal God to us, start with the same letter, the Yod, because it always starts with a hand.

And I suppose what is also really amazing, is that the letter Yod is actually the 10th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Wow! 

Open your hands - both hands - and you'll see ten fingers. Opening our hand, is not just about opening one or two fingers, or even just one hand. If we truly want to let go of ourselves we must open both hands and fall into the grace of God, and then with both hands open we can receive and give fully!

There is also something amazing in the simple placement of the Yod in God's name. Hebrew is written from right to left so the Yod, the hand is on the right - יהוה - Built into the very positioning of the letter is the prophecy of he who would show the open hand in the most beautiful way - Jesus.

How awesome is our God. May we have the faith to open our hands to live and to love.