SUNDAY May 26, 2019
Consider the Prize
So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”
1 Samuel 17:25
David overheard all that was said by the men of Israel. The man who went up against the giant Goliath and won the battle would be given great riches. King Saul promised he would be able to marry his daughter and be exempt from paying taxes. What a tempting reward! Who would be the brave man to place his life on the line, defeat Goliath, and bring great victory in Israel? Not one man came forward to volunteer in the camp of Israel. No one was moved to do anything––everyone had shrunk away from the task in fear.
Understand, Christians fight a spiritual battle against Satan, our flesh and the world (Ephesians 6:12, 1 John 2:15-17, Galatians 5:17). The Word of God reveals that we shall be given rewards when we overcome these enemies, but do we really consider them?
Revelation 2:7: “ ‘ “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’ ”
Revelation 2:11:“ ‘ “He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.” ’ ” Christians only die once. When we die, we are present before the Lord. The second death refers to those who are eternally separated from God in the Lake of Fire.
Revelation 217: “ ‘ “To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’ ”
Revelation 3:5: “ ‘ “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” ’ ”
Consider your eternal future. What Scripture impacted you the most?
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 3:14~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!