Matthew 10:40-42
Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.
And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
Here the Lord guarantees amazing rewards to everyone who appreciates (receives, welcomes, honours) Christ’s ministers and followers. This is an exceedingly great and precious promise (2 Pet 1:4) many of us hardly know and claim. Let’s change that today!
Observe that Jesus states categorically that when you appreciate His genuine ministers, regardless of their class or background, you actually appreciate Him and the Father in heaven. That’s the plus side of the promise. The downside, of course, is that rejecting true servants of Christ is tantamount to defying God.
Observe also that this promise applies to our reception of Christ’s ministers and followers. Regarding His ministers, your partnership earns you a share in the same rewards Christ reserves for His special envoys. What are those rewards? Time and space allow us coverage of only one set of rewards recorded in Matthew 19:28-30, which read for yourself.
One of the four rewards in the above text the Lord promises is the right to reign with Jesus in the eschaton. You won’t need to campaign or be voted into this judicial power position! It’s a reward. Another awesome reward is a hundredfold harvest in this life. That’s a serious Return on Investment, brethren! Yet the most powerful reward is eternal life. Your legacy and destiny outlasts your earthly journey infinitely. The fourth reward is elevation from last to first, from obscurity to preeminence. Hallelujah! May that be your portion!
Pastor Josh