ICS Daily Devotions
Choose Reward Over Judgement
Genesis 6:5 (NKJV) Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
What this Scripture reveals is not alarming because the moment Adam and Eve chose to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the sin nature had entered into them, and their descendants have continued to sin against God. It was getting from bad to worse, and approaching a time when God was about to judge the sin of those people during the time of Noah.
God had to judge sin because of His holiness and His detest of sin in mankind. The judgement came in the days of Noah, and thereafter it was the beginning of a new world. The next and final judgement will be at the Great White Throne where people whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire.
All through history till today, we are aware that not everyone has sought out the Lord because we are free moral agents who have been given the freedom of choice. Therefore, there will be those who stray from God and refuse to acknowledge Him, and we all come across challenges, difficulties and sorrow that arise due to the rebelliousness of men that is brought about by sin. Cain, for example, is someone who chose not to worship God, to walk in His ways, and rebelled against Him.
Likewise, we are also living in a time when the world is getting darker by the day, but the church will become more glorious by the day if we are to live like Enoch. Therefore, we need to walk out our lives based on what God has asked of us so we can walk in agreement with Him and in the same direction as Him. Repentance is walking in the same direction as God, whereas rebellion is walking in a different direction from God.
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
We also need to have eternity in perspective in order to walk in godliness. One of the rewards is the promise of heaven for those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but there are also heavenly rewards as we serve Him with our gifts and walk in our callings. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Sermon Series: What Pleases God (Part 3) (Righteousness: Religion or Reality?)
