Read: 1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 1 Corinthians 4:2-5; Matthew 6:1-6
This week I read a devotion written by Sharon Jaynes concerning her mom who was wearing a lovely piece of jewelry. It was a two-carat diamond displayed on a chain that she wore around her neck. When some young men got off their bikes and one grabbed at her necklace, this lady who was in her 70s hit him repeatedly with her purse. The three boys scattered. A few months later, this mama took the necklace in to be cleaned. Only to be told that it was a fake. She had no idea it wasn't real. It sometimes takes an expert, and even then, those who have a great deal of expertise might disagree as to whether an item is or is not authentic.
For an example of that, we need to go back to 2016. That was when an antique collector went to a garage sale in Minnesota. That was where he discovered a painting which he bought for less than $50. He sold the painting, and it has now been analyzed by the LMI Group who in a 458-page document has laid out reasons that they believe this piece of art was painted by Van Gogh. It is called Elimar, and the LMI group believes that Van Gogh painted it in 1889 when he was in a French asylum. In order for the piece to be authenticated, the Amsterdam Van Gogh Museum must approve their findings. On January 31, after a one-day analysis of the data, the museum said no. If Elimar had been found by the museum to be authentic, it would have been valued at $15 million. Quite a step up from the original sale price! That brings up a question. Whose analysis is correct? Is it the LMI Group or is it those at the museum which bears Van Gogh's authentic pieces of art as well as his name? At this time, there is disagreement, but the truth is that only one of the expert opinions can be correct. Either Van Gogh painted it or he did not.
When we are looking at a diamond, a jeweler can determine value, but evidently a work of art has more room for differing viewpoints even though only one is truly valid. Van Gogh, of course could answer the question if he were still alive. He would know if the handwriting, brushstrokes and even the red hair found on the painting prove that he painted the picture. Whether or not a painting is real or not will likely never effect our lives; however, one day the authenticity of what we have done out of our love for Jesus will be very important.
Before we go any farther, let's remind ourselves that we are not talking about being judged and punished for our sins. Each of us who has been made new by Jesus has already received His total cleansing and forgiveness. Praise God! He took the punishment we deserved so that we could receive His perfect righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21. With that said, we will be talking here about another judgment, 2 Corinthians 5:10. It is at this very different time of accounting that we will receive rewards from the Lord concerning what we have done in His Name and for His honor after we were made new. That is when we will come to know the authenticity of our deeds and the motives that were behind the things we did. Jesus Who can always see into our hearts, 1 Samuel 16:7 will show us where we were loving and serving Him in an authentic way and when it was not done with His glory in mind but rather to bring honor to ourselves. 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 pictures our works done for the Lord that glorified Him as being like gold, silver and precious stones. I wonder if there will be works in that display that we don't remember. Yet Jesus was honored by them. The works that aren't authentic that get burnt up are pictured as wood, hay and stubble. Deeds that didn't for reasons that the Lord knows stand the test of fire. I think of the dry pine needles that if thrown on the fire, would soon be completely gone. Like any rewards we might have had. No wonder Matthew 6:1-6 warns us to be careful as we do our service to the Lord. If we seek to be honored here, that can surely happen, but the commendation that we could have received from the Lord will have been traded for earthly applause.
I think when it comes down to it, we have to admit that often we don't know our own hearts and motives. There's good news in that admission. We are right in step with the apostle Paul. In 1 Corinthians 4:2-5, he says that same thing. That is why he isn't overly concerned about what others think about him and their assessment. After all, he doesn't even try to judge himself. I like that, but one of my favorite things he says in this passage comes next. Paul says that when we stand before the Lord, each one will receive commendation from Him. Don't you love the word each? The One Who knows each heart and our strengths and weaknesses will award each of us. We don't know all the details concerning the rewards Jesus will give, but what we do know is that there will be joy in being commended by the One Who made all of our service to Him possible. The best thing about His words of commendation is that they will be authentic because of Who has spoken them. The One Who cannot lie, Titus 1:2.
Can we even begin to imagine the joy we will have when we realize that God is pleased with our service? Our seen and unseen thoughts, words and deeds that were motivated by love? Some of us have known the smile of an earthly father who was proud of us, and sadly some of us have never enjoyed that sweetness; however, on that day, we will experience the love and see the smile of the Lord. We will know that in spite of our failings which are many, that our Redeemer is pleased with us.
On that day, we will be amazed by God's authentic love which will never come to an end, Lamentations 3:22-23.
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