Good to hear from you. Sorry it took me a little while to get to your post.

Yes, man has a history of forgetting God. He will only tolerate that for so long. Fortunately for Israel, of all the countries that have ever existed, they alone have God’s promise of restoration of a future.

In one sense, this next “phase” of how to think about rewards was worse than the first. The whole concept of rewards started to bring into question my motives, and that had a tendency to refocus my attention from Christ (my need for Him, walking with Him, etc.,), to consideration of my motives. The introspection that comes with that can get heavy and involved to an unhealthy degree, so I decided this is not a topic I am ready to understand.

So the next phase for me was to push the concept away, and keep it at arms length while it is simmering in the back of my brain, thinking that in time a better, clearer understanding will come. And I think it has/is coming. As I observe my life, I think rewards are starting to take shape as a means to lead me further/deeper in my walk (life) with Christ. They have a way of causing me to recognize areas of responsibility that I must consider. They are becoming a healthy motivating force in my life when I recognize I have a decision to make. This perspective is just starting to creep up on my horizon so I still have a lot to learn, but my sense is that rewards are beginning to shape those places in me that have a tendency not to be anchored. What I mean by that is that I am beginning to see and understand the purpose for the rewards as a mechanism for bringing more order in my life, which ends up bringing more peace into deeper and broader places. It is becoming a guide for me in making deliberate decisions, as if to say it takes me further down the road to everything has a proper place and purpose. It is like I have finally grown up to the understanding that my choices as a believer have far reaching consequences that are going to impact my life after my time on this earth, and so they serve to motivate me to choose the higher ground when altruism (for lack of a better word) is not enough. So in once sense God’s reward system is serving to refine my thinking (i.e., what does altruism have to do with God), and is bringing me into greater harmony with Him.

So, I can see that rewards can make my life better by serving as a truly positive motivating force in my decision making (as compared to a match under my natural tendency to be greedy!). It has taken me 36 years as a believer to get to this point, and it feels young/new to me. As I reflect on that observation, I must acknowledge that it is taking me a lifetime to learn what it means to be spiritually healthy.

After working through this first misconception/misunderstadning of rewards, the next “phase” was in a sense worse than the first. The whole concept of rewards was more than I could handle at one level because now we are dealing with motives and the reward system has a tendency to refocus my attention from Christ (my need for Him, walk with Him, etc.,), to my motives and the introspection that comes with that can get heavy and involved to an unhealthy degree.

SRewards are starting to take shape in my life as a means to lead me further/deeper in my walk (life) with Christ, and they have a way of causing me to recognize areas of responsibility that I must consider. Let me contrast this for a moment with an observation. There is a natural tendency within me to be spastic, and over the years I have slowly come to realize that sometimes I need to let that tendency play itself out within me (while at the same time exercising self control) to observe and understand before reacting. Another way to say this is to say that I need to know what I am really feeling before I “judge it,” condemn it and try to take remove it from my life.

1I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
2Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

3For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.

4For as in one physical body we have many parts (organs, members) and all of these parts do not have the same function or use,

5So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another [mutually dependent on one another].

6Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them: [He whose gift is] prophecy, [let him prophesy] according to the proportion of his faith;

7[He whose gift is] practical service, let him give himself to serving; he who teaches, to his teaching;

8He who exhorts (encourages), to his exhortation; he who contributes, let him do it in simplicity and liberality; he who gives aid and superintends, with zeal and singleness of mind; he who does acts of mercy, with genuine cheerfulness and joyful eagerness.

9[Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good.

10Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another.

There are seasons in a man’s life, and ebbs and flows within the seasons. Interesting sometimes for me to reflect on God’s desire for me to simply listen, watch and consider. Not always, but there are deliberate times for listening and collecting the thoughts and images that become part of a newer, clearer, brighter vision for the future for me to take hold of. In these times I am reminded that Life is in the being (being in Christ-abiding in Him and Christ abiding in me), more so than the doing. He prepares the good works for us to walk in, and He prepares us for those good works. So in answer to your question, I would suppose many, but not all. For there are struggles even in the context of His provision. Mindful of God’s word to Cain, you must master the sin that is crouching at your door. A word worthy for David’s ear before he took Bathsheba. I think my biggest struggle sometimes is understanding how to live in the context of God’s provision. I am reminded of it daily, and sometimes when I start to get discouraged God has a way of quickly pushing the things of the world aside to say I am here, I am with you, I have a plan and I am bringing it to fruition. Resting in Him without going passive. It takes work to mainatain the place of balance.

Glad you could come along.

Glad you enjoyed the pictures and article.
There certainly seems to be a tension between planning and letting go of our agenda, doesn’t there. Certainly, it took a great deal of planning to have the gear that we needed to respond to the realities as they unfolded this past weekend. I think the key is that effective planning must flow out of a humility that acknowledges what we can’t control, what we shouldn’t control, and our very limited knowledge of future realities..