When it comes to heavenly rewards, not all are the same. While all who repent from their sins and confess with their mouths that Jesus is Lord will be saved, the rewards we gain are direct reflections of our obedience to the God here on this earth.
In a podcast with his son, Arden, John Bevere discusses why our rewards in heaven are not all identical to one another.
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“What’s the different outcomes both short-term and long-term of a carnal Christian and an on-fire Christian who walks closely with Jesus?” John Bevere asks.
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Bevere points to 2 Peter 2:4-8, which describes the ungodly in the days of Noah, discussing Noah’s righteousness for following the Lord’s commands, and the judgment that was to befall on the ungodly.
“Let’s go back to Lot. One was spared, one was rescued. There’s a difference between being spared and rescued,” says Bevere. “Noah is walking very close; look at the fruit of Noah. He condemns the world by his righteous living…because he showed the world you can walk closely with God even in this fallen world.”
Unlike Noah, Lot was living in the city, surrounded by the perversion of Sodom and Gomorrah. He was living in a place that could easily draw him into the sinful things of the world instead of sticking close to the heart of the Father.
“If you look at Lot’s life, his outcome in the long-run wasn’t good…if you look at Noah his outcome is good,” Bevere says.
While both men may have made it out of immediate destruction, it was Noah who had a long-lasting legacy of righteousness, even having Jesus as part of his lineage. Ultimately, it is having a life rooted in Christ here on earth that will reap the greatest benefits and rewards for us not just for short-term salvation, but for long-term glory that magnifies the holiness of Jesus.
“Lordship means He is supreme in authority in my life, and whatever He says I’m going to obey it even if I don’t understand it,” says Bevere.
Bevere also delves into how some build their lives upon Jesus, but they don’t build it based off of Him as Lord.
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“Fire will reveal what kind of work each builder or believer has done,” he says. “Fire will show if a person’s work has any value, if their life had any value, if the work their life’s work survives, that builder will receive a reward, an eternal reward that will never ever ever fade away.”
We must remember that heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will never pass away. Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, and He will reward each person according to the work they did for the Lord.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.