Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

November 5
Tuesday


GOOD-
BEHAVIOR
REWARDS

READ:
2 corinthians 5:1-11
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We make it our aim...
to be well pleasing
to [God].
__2 Corinthians 5:9
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In a children's ministry in my church, we hand out cards to the kids when we notice their good behavior. They collect the cards and receive prizes for the good choices they've made. We are trying to reinforce good behavior rather than focusing on bad behavior.

When one leader handed a card to 11-year-old Tyree, he responded, "No, thanks. I don't need one; I want to behave well, and I don't need a reward for that." For him, doing the right thing was its own reward. He definitely has good values ingrained in him, and he wants to live them out__prize or not.

As believers in Jesus, we will receive rewards one day. Second Corinthians 5:10 says that everyone will "receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." But to get a reward should not be our motivation for right living. Neither is it to earn salvation. Living out of love for God and pleasing Him should be our heart's desire.

When we love God, we make it our aim to please Him who first loved us (1 John 4:19) and to serve Him with pure motives (Prov. 16:2; 1 Cor. 4:5). The best reward will be to be with Him! __Anne Cetas

``````````````````````In all I think and say and do,````````````````````
``````````````````````I long, O God, to honor You;````````````````````
`````````````````````But may my highest motive be```````````````````
`````````````To love the Christ who died for me. __D. DeHaan```````````
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Our desire to please God
is our highest motive for obeying Him.

*****************************Today's bible Reading __ 2 Corinthians 5:1-11*****************************

1 For we know that if our
earthly house, this tent, is
destroyed, we have a
building form God, a house
not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens. 2 For
in this we groan, earnestly
desiring to be clothed with
our habitation which is
from heaven, 3 if indeed,
having been clothed, we
shall not be found naked.

4 For we who are in this
tent groan, being burdened ,
not because we want to be
unclothed, but further
clothed, that mortality may
be swallowed up by life.

5 Now He who has prepared
us for this very thing is
God, who also has given us
the Spirit as a guarantee.

6 So we are always
confident, knowing that
while we are at home in the
body we are absent from
the Lord. 7 For we walk by
faith, not by sight. 8 We are
confident, yes, well pleased
rather to be absent from the
body and to be present with
the Lord. 9 Therefore we
make it our aim, whether
present or absent, to be well
pleasing to Him. 10 For we
must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive
the things done in the body,
according to what he has
done, whether good or bad.

11 Knowing, therefore, the
terror of the Lord, we
persuade men; but we are
well known to God, and I
also trust are well known in
your consciences
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
In today's reading, Paul uses the same analogy for our lives that John
uses for Christ's incarnation, "Tent" (v.1) echoes John 1:14, And
the word became flesh and dwelt among us." The word dwelt also
speaks of taking residence in a tent, describing the great extent to
which the eternal Christ went to redeem us. Jesus left His home in
heaven and put on a "tent" of flesh for us!