In our daily meditations at groupbiblestudy.com, we have considered that while we are on Earth, we must prepare ourselves for eternity, aware that God sees everything we have done and that nothing escapes His attention. We are to prepare for eternity by living wholeheartedly for Christ. As believers in Christ, the day will come when we receive the inheritance given to us through Him:
34Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” 37"Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” 40"The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:34-40, Emphasis added).
I find it interesting that, in the Scripture above, the believers forgot the acts of kindness they performed for the "least of these brothers of mine" (vv 38-39). However, God recorded every service done for Him and will reward us openly at the Bema Seat Judgment of Christ. Who was Jesus referring to in verse 40 when He called them "the least of His brothers?" I think it refers to those around us who are often quiet and rarely noticed. Perhaps they are the ones who cannot help themselves. It may involve caring for children, the sick, or those in prison. He is close to the innocent and the poor in this world. He desires to use each of us to set them free, visit them, lift them up, and feed them—not just with bread and water, but also with the Bread of Life (John 6:35).
The Reward of Christlikeness
Preparation for eternity can only occur while we are here on Earth because we transition to eternity with the character we possess at death. I believe our "position" or "rank" in heaven is determined by how much of Christ's servant nature we have exhibited while on Earth. The extent to which the character of Christ is impressed upon your life during your time on Earth will dictate your level of reward in eternity. The term "character" was initially used to describe the impression made on paper by letters from a printing press. God has sought to divinely imprint the nature and character of Christ deeply into your soul for others to perceive:
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).
When we come to Christ, our spirit is renewed or comes alive from its dead state of being apart from God (Ephesians 2:1, 5), but work still needs to be done on our soul—our mind, will, conscience, and emotions. God desires to renew and transform our inner selves as we meditate on His Word and obey His Holy Spirit. King David expressed this beautifully in Psalm 23: "He restores my soul" (Psalm 23:3). In his first letter, Peter wrote, "For you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:9). Our minds, wills, and emotions should be aligned with the leadership and guidance of the Spirit of God. Godly character is the objective of our faith. We will be rewarded based on how much of the fruit of the Spirit, the nature of Christ, resides in us. Please help us, Holy Spirit, to die to ourselves so that we may embody Christlikeness. Keith Thomas
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Taken from the series Insights into Eternity. Click Study 2. Here's the link: Preparing for Eternity. Our teaching videos on YouTube at the link:: https://www.youtube.com/@keiththomas7/videos
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