These Are Not the Rewards You Are Looking For

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6

God does not simply dispense rewards in response to our prayers or obedience, he rewards because he is a rewarder; that is who he is.

And that matters to you.
Charles Spurgeon, one of the most consequential pastors of the 19th century, said that “the way that you view God will eventually show up in the way that you live your life.”
If you believe God is cold and indifferent, concerned only with strict outward obedience, then you will likely walk very circumspectly, careful not to deviate from any thou shalt not’s, while harboring bitterness and discontentment within your heart.
It is your heart that God is after.
As a rewarder, he has goodwill toward you, seeking your best interest, even when you do not. And as a rewarder, he desires TO GIVE YOU GOOD THINGS!
What is it that God has given to you and me?
I thought that you would never ask…

He has given us life.

Yes, plain old boring everyday life.
Most of humanity does not enjoy fame, great influence, or notoriety, but all of humanity lives in the world that God created (by Himself and for Himself).
Originally, mankind was even given dominion, (His greatest creation tasked with subduing the Earth, the fish, the fouls, and everything that moved upon the Earth) Genesis 1:28.
After Adam forfeited that dominion…(yes, his wife shared in that failure, but the final responsibility was Adam’s; and since God does not change, that authority structure is still in place).
Instead of judgment being carried out on our first parents…

God gave a substitute.

The innocent (a lamb) had His life offered up in exchange for the lives of the guilty, His skin being a covering for their shame and nakedness.
Then, after losing His life which we did not deserve, and providing a sacrifice so that we would not have to endure the consequences that we DID deserve…

God gave a promise.

He would restore mankind to the fellowship that he had originally been created for and free him from the chains of bondage. But since man could not live according to God’s laws and has always proven himself to be weak and unreliable…

God gave Himself.

He humbled himself, became a man in the likeness of the same sinful flesh in all of its weakness, overcame where man could not, and paid the price for mankind’s sin WITH HIS OWN LIFE’S BLOOD.
That knowledge changes you, and it changes the desires of your heart.

If it has not, then you do not believe it. Instead, you have accepted that other people believe it, making it socially advantageous to agree with the crowd.
This heart condition (hypocrisy) has its own set of rewards hopelessness, bitterness, and the cheapening of all things good. A never ending pursuit of peace and contentment that will always remain just out of reach.
Not because God is withholding good things from you, but because they are reserved for those that diligently seek Him.

And He is faithful to do what He has promised.