“Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.” 2 John 1:8
We have an exam-oriented culture in Singapore, so much so to a point that when people leave school, they are also admonished to treat the workplace like a giant exam where they are “tested” each day on their competence and ability to contribute and value-add to their organisations.
There are some merits in applying this mindset into our journey in Christ because at the end of the day when we meet Christ face-to-face, really, it is about the believer’s rewards. Churches discuss about “keeping our eyes on the prize” but not many go further to pursue the prize that the Bible is driving at.
For a start, it is important to note how the apostle John warns us about a “full” reward. It also hints to us of the possibility of a partial, or no reward!
This has important implications to us, especially when we face difficult situations, when we are tempted to run in the opposite direction and when the tendency for us is to deviate from our course for “greener pastures”.
To finish well and strong, we need to fall back on what God has shown us individually and corporately. Each time we are tempted to give up, we need to return to the vision and Word that He gave to us at first. We need to remind ourselves constantly that rewards (and rebukes) in the age to come are real.
While He who called us is faithful, will we remain faithful to His call?