Ask Pastor Mike Live

Mike Fabarez: Ask Pastor Mike, how can I help?

Guest (Female): Hey Pastor Mike, can you hear me okay? I'm using earbuds.

Mike Fabarez: I can hear you just fine.

Guest (Female): My question is about heaven. You mentioned earlier in passing about different positions that we will have in heaven. When you said that, I tell my friends a lot I'm really scared and concerned that when I get to heaven, I'm going to be the toilet washer because I just don't think I'm gathering that many rewards compared to so many other people. If I have not as many rewards as you or other people, will I still have the same joy? I'm trying to figure this out.

Mike Fabarez: You'll have joy. There's no doubt about that. But you're still breathing, Jane. You're still around. When Jesus says things like this—I'll get back to what you asked, it's a good question and I'll answer it—but first let me tell you Matthew 10:41. "Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he's my disciple, truly I tell you, he will by no means lose his reward."

Today you could start storing up treasure in heaven by doing something selfless in serving someone because they're a follower of Christ. You could write a note to your pastor, or you could go and try to help out in a situation that you know somebody in your small group is struggling with. As soon as you do that selfless act because someone is a follower of Christ, as Hebrews 6 says, God's not unjust and He's not going to forget that. This isn't like you do something right, you get a reward, or you do something wrong and the reward gets taken away. That's not how it works.

The Bible says to store up for yourselves treasure in heaven because once they're there, they're guarded by the power of God. They're guarded in His presence. Tomorrow you may be a lot of wood, hay, and stubble, and it's all burnt up. But if Jesus beckons us for rewards with something as small as giving someone a bottle of water, I'm going to say there's a lot of good that you can do between now and the time we lower your body in the ground. We can say this girl, all the way to the end, was helpful.

She gave a cup of coffee to a gal who was struggling and sat down with her, held her hand, and prayed with her. There's going to be reward for you, Jane, in heaven for doing that. That's huge, so don't give up on storing up treasure in heaven. This is the way I put it in the book that I wrote because I knew people were going to have the very question you asked. I wrote a little story in there about the fact that if you were to think about heaven this way, you've got to remember when we talk about rewards, it is something no one seems to talk about these days.

We need to talk about it because Jesus talked about it all the time. If He did, we should preach it. But if you think you are going to get there and suffer loss, just like it says in 1 Corinthians 3, a lot of life is just going to be burned up. Gold, silver, and precious stones are going to be sparse, but wood, hay, and stubble are everywhere. It's going to be terrible. I illustrated it this way: the reward ultimately, the biggest reward, is Christ Himself.

You will be in the presence of the unmitigated, perfect one of all the universe. The one who died for you, rose again, who's been interceding for you before the Father, and who's been a standout advocate for your life. He is your savior and you will be so glad to have personal presence with Christ. If you think of a person that you would love to have lunch with—for some people it's a sports athlete, for others it's a singer or a politician—somebody you think is amazing and you'd just love to have lunch with them.

If I said I've worked out the lunch for you next Tuesday, you wouldn't really care if I said to you it's going to be at this amazing steakhouse. You're going to sit there with this wonderful person that you've died to have lunch with. You can't wait to have a meal with them. This person's going to be there across the table. You're going to have hors d'oeuvres, you're going to have cloth napkins, you're going to have an amazing ambiance, and there are going to be live violinists in the corner. You'd be like, "Amazing."

But if I said you're going to get to have lunch with this person and you're going to meet at the park with a bucket of chicken and your favorite soda, you're going to drink out of the can and eat some chicken, but you're going to be across from this amazing person you couldn't wait to be with. I'm going to say there's great joy in either situation. Is one better than the other? Yes, it is. It would be better for you to have a lot more gold, silver, and precious stones.

But you're not going to be sad. How could you be sad? You're across the table from someone that you have longed to be with, someone who is so amazing to be with, who brings you nothing but joy. That person is your reward. Christ is the ultimate reward. And yet, are there rewards? Yes. Should we care about rewards? Yes. Is there a difference between driving home from your lunch in a beautiful car or in just a Prius? All your needs are going to be met.

The question is, we would rather, as God told us to, try and aspire to have rewards that we cannot lose. To me, if you're still breathing, you've got a chance to do it. You can intercede for someone at your church who's in need of prayer, and that 30 minutes of prayer will be rewarded. You giving someone a gift card is going to be rewarded. You trying to help out is going to be rewarded. So don't give up.

Jane, it's easy for us to focus on all of the scratches and dents in our Christian life, but you have a Christian life. You wouldn't be calling in if you didn't care about your Christian life. So keep investing in living out your life of Christ for the people around you, especially the Christians. As Galatians 6 says, as you have opportunity, do good to all people, but especially to those of the household of faith.

I'll bet even in saying that, you thought of some people that you can encourage, that you can serve, that you can give to, and that you can do something helpful for. Go serve them because they're followers of Christ and you will be rewarded. One day we'll have a conversation. We're going to meet up on the other side and you're going to say, "You're right. Look what I got for doing these things that you prompted me to do." So get out there, Jane, and do it.