Paul and David give insights as to how well are you giving

Paul suggests that we are to examine and test ourselves.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realise that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test! - 2 Corinthians 13:5

 David prayed that God would search his heart and try him, then show him anything he needed to repent of and change.

 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked^[a] way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23-24

Our identity and our role

But [we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ - Philippians 3:20

So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. - 2 Corinthians 5:20

All these died in faith [guided and sustained by it], without receiving the [tangible fulfilment of God’s] promises, only having seen (anticipated) them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. - Hebrews 11:13

 These passages seem to pit themselves against a large proportion of evangelical teaching, preaching and literature that is geared toward making us more at home in this world.

You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. - James 4:4

If you address as Father, the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in [reverent] fear [of Him] and with profound respect for Him throughout the time of your stay on earth. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges [those dishonourable desires] that wage war against the soul. - 1 Peter 1:17; 2:11

 We must not become too much at home in this world or we'll become useless to our true kingdom.

Our earthly bodies are called tents, temporary dwelling places for our eternal soul. Paul contrasts our brief time on earth with what he regarded as the real life, of which this is but a foreshadow --

For while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened [often weighed down, oppressed], not that we want to be unclothed [separated by death from the body], but to be clothed, so that what is mortal [the body] will be swallowed up by life [after the resurrection]. - 2 Corinthians 5:4

Here is what it means to be a pilgrim --

By faith Abraham, when he was called [by God], obeyed by going to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land, as in a strange land, living in tents [as nomads] with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise.  For he was [waiting expectantly and confidently] looking forward to the city which has foundations, [an eternal, heavenly city] whose architect and builder is God. - Hebrews 11:8-10

 Abraham didn't know where he was going, but he knew with whom he was going.  Some of the greatest Old Testament saints were those who ultimately saw beyond the temporal to the eternal becoming models for faith --

All these died in faith [guided and sustained by it], without receiving the [tangible fulfilment of God’s] promises, only having seen (anticipated) them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. Now those who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own.  And if they had been thinking of that country from which they departed [as their true home], they would have had [a continuing] opportunity to return.  But the truth is that they were longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one. For that reason God is not ashamed [of them or] to be called their God [even to be surnamed their God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob]; for He has prepared a city for them. - Hebrews 11:13-16

Because they lived on earth in light of their fixation on heaven - God was not ashamed of them.

Moses also lived with an acute awareness of the eternal --

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 because he preferred to endure the hardship of the people of God rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.26 He considered the reproach of the [a]Christ [that is, the rebuke he would suffer for his faithful obedience to God] to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt; for he looked ahead to the reward [promised by God]. 27 By faith he left Egypt, being unafraid of the wrath of the king; for he endured [steadfastly], as seeing Him who is unseen. - Hebrews 11:24-27

 Moses could let all of these pleasures and possessions go because how could they measure up to those anticipated pleasures and possessions that would last forever.




Bible Verses about Our Identity in Christ

Four Ways Our Identity in Christ Changes Our Lives

Created with desires

John Bunyan, the seventeenth century pastor who was imprisoned for preaching the gospel --

Paul was as great a maintainer of the doctrine of God’s free grace, and of justification from sin, by the righteousness of Christ imputed by grace, as any he that ever lived in Christ’s service, from the world’s beginning till now: and yet he was for this doctrine; he expected himself, and encouraged others also to look for such a reward, for doing and suffering for Christ, which he calls ’a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory’ (2 Cor 4:17). Surely, as Christ saith, in a case not far distant from this in hand, ’if it were not so, he would have told us’ (John 14:1—3). Now could I tell what those rewards are that Christ hath prepared, and will one day bestow upon those that do for him in faith and love in this world, I should therein also say more than now I dare or ought; yet this let me say in general, they are such as should make us leap to think on, and that we should remember with exceeding joy, and never think that it is contrary to the Christian faith, to rejoice and be glad for that which yet we understand not (Matt 5:11,12; Luke 6:23). ’Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be,’ &c. But ’every man that hath this hope in him,’ namely, that he shall be more than here he can imagine, ’purifieth himself even as he is pure’ (1 John 3:2,3). Things promised when not revealed to be known by us while here, are therefore not made known, because too big and wonderful. When Paul was up in paradise, he heard unspeakable words not possible for man to utter (2 Cor 12:3,4). Wherefore, a reward I find, and that laid up in heaven, but what it is I know not, neither is it possible for any here to know it any further, than by certain general words of God, such as these, praise, honour, glory, a crown of righteousness, a crown of glory, thrones, judging of angels, a kingdom, with a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, &c. (1 Cor 4:5; 1 Peter 1:7; 2 Tim 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4; Matt 25:34—36). Wherefore, to both these objections, let me yet answer thus a few words. Though thy modesty or thy opinion will not suffer thee to look for a reward for what thou dost here for thy Lord, by the faith and love of the gospel; yea, though in the day of judgement thou shouldst there slight all thou didst on earth for thy Lord, saying, When, Lord, when did we do it? he will answer, Then, even then when ye did it to the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me (Matt 25:37—40).

William Wilberforce, through his tireless efforts in Parliament in the early nineteenth century finally succeeded in abolishing England's slave trade.  He devoted most of his fortune to the cause of Christ.

Remember—Christianity proposes not to extinguish our natural desires. It promises to bring the desires under just control and direct them to their true object. In the case of both riches and of honour, it maintains the consistency of its character. But Christianity commands us not to set our hearts on earthly treasures. It reminds us that "we have in heaven a better and more enduring substance" than this world can bestow (Heb. 10:34).

C.S. Lewis, a professor at Oxford and Cambridge in the mid-twentieth century, wrote prolifically on the Christian faith.  He diverted most of his royalties to charitable causes and individual needs, living simply and thinking often of the world --

And in there, in beyond Nature, we shall eat of the tree of life. At present, if we are reborn in Christ, the spirit in us lives directly on God; but the mind, and still more the body, receives life from Him at a thousand removes—through our ancestors, through our food, through the elements. The faint, far-off results of those energies which God’s creative rapture implanted in matter when He made the worlds are what we now call physical pleasures; and even thus filtered, they are too much for our present management. What would it be to - 9 - taste at the fountain-head that stream of which even these lower reaches prove so intoxicating? Yet that, I believe, is what lies before us. The whole man is to drink joy from the fountain of joy. As St. Augustine said, the rapture of the saved soul will “flow over” into the glorified body. In the light of our present specialised and depraved appetites we cannot imagine this torrens voluptatis, and I warn everyone seriously not to try. But it must be mentioned, to drive out thoughts even more misleading—thoughts that what is saved is a mere ghost, or that the risen body lives in numb insensibility. The body was made for the Lord, and these dismal fancies are wide of the mark.

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy has been offered to us.  We are far too easily pleased, like an ignorant child who goes on making mud pies in a slum because the child cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at the sea. - C.S. Lewis

We must realise that fulfilling our desires and seeking rewards are not anti-Christian.  What is anti-Christian is the self-centredness that's unconcerned about God and our neighbour, and the preoccupation with the immediate fulfilling of desires that distracts us from finding our ultimate fulfilment in Christ.  The person who gives life, money, and possessions to receive rewards from God - the greatest of which is to hear the resounding "well done" - is one whose deepest thirsts will be eternally quenched by the Maker and Fulfiller of all desire.  It is senseless to devote our lives to the "mud pies" of power, possessions, and pleasures of the next world, our eternal home.





Lord of Our Desires

C.S. Lewis > Quotes > Quotable Quote

A God of Created Desires

Motivation

Randy Alcorn asks a question that no believer can simply dismiss. The question is this: “Why should I follow Scripture’s teaching on money and possessions when it’s so much fun to have all the nice things I want and do whatever I please with my money? I’m a Christian, and I know I’m going to heaven anyway, so why get radical about the whole money thing? why not have the best of both worlds, this one and the next?”

The missing ingredient in the lives of many Christians today is motivation. Given our false assumptions that what we do in this life won't have eternal consequences (apart from our decision to place our trust in Christ for salvation), it's no wonder we're unmotivated to follow God's directions regarding money and possessions (and everything else).  The doctrine of eternal rewards for our obedience is the neglected key to unlocking our motivation.

He (Moses) considered the reproach of the [a]Christ [that is, the rebuke he would suffer for his faithful obedience to God] to be greater wealth than all the treasures of Egypt; for he looked ahead to the reward [promised by God]. - Hebrews 11:26

Motivated by long-term reward, Moses chose short-term disgrace.

Paul ran his life's race with his eyes on the prize, which motivated him to run hard and long.

[a]Do you not know that in a race all the runners run [their very best to win], but only one receives the prize? Run [your race] in such a way that you may seize the prize and make it yours! 25 Now every athlete who [goes into training and] competes in the games is disciplined and exercises self-control in all things. They do it to win a [b]crown that withers, but we [do it to receive] an imperishable [crown that cannot wither]. - 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Paul was unashamedly motivated by the prospect of eternal reward, which he affirmed freely and frequently.  He encouraged all believers to be motivated by rewards.  

Another model of motivation by reward is Christ Himself.

[looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross,[a]disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work]. - Hebrews 12:2

Jesus humbled Himself, knowing that He would ultimately be exalted.

But when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind, 14 and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the[a]righteous (the just, the upright).” - Luke 14:13-14

Our instinct is to give to those who will give us something in return and not to those who won't.

What a motivation this is when we feel our labours are unappreciated by others! We can be freed from the burden of concern about whether others overlook our deeds, because God assures us that He will not overlook them. When we understand what it means to be promised a reward from God, any prospect of reward from others - or any bitterness for not being rewarded by them - will shrink in comparison. 

But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, [a]expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked. - Luke 6:35

Christ sought to motivate us to do good works by the promise of rewards.

Despite prevailing opinions to the contrary, the prospect of rewards is a proper motivation for the Christian's obedience - including the generous sharing of our money and possessions. Since God does not tempt His children, it's clear that whatever He lays before us as a motivation is legitimate.  It's not wrong for us to be motivated by the prospect of reward.  Indeed, something is seriously wrong if we are not motivated by reward.

These are tangible motivators that may be personal, social, spiritual, physical or financial.  By God's own design, all of us need incentives to motivate us to do our jobs and do them well.  Motivation by reward is not a result of the fall, but God's original design for humanity.

God made us to need incentives to motivate us to do our jobs and do them well.

God will reward those who suffered while trusting Him, and those who helped the ones who were suffering.  He doesn't have to - He wants to - He will.

“Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal;  for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centres] will be also. - Matthew 6:19-21

At this point you should realise that reward cannot be our only motivation.  We should be motivated by gratitude to serve God.  We should be motivated by our ambition "to be pleasing to Him." But these motives are never in scriptural conflict with the motive of reward.  The same Bible that calls upon us to obey God out of our love for Him as Faithful also calls upon us to obey out of our fear of Him as Judge and out of our hope in Him as Rewarder of those who serve Him.  Each of these motivations is legitimate, and each complements the other.  This isn't a matter of mixed motives (some good, some bad), but of multiple motives - multiple righteous motives.

We should share our faith out of our love for God - our love for other people should motivate us too - our example from Christ and the NT men and women of faith should show us how.

For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the [a]judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or [b]bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord [and understand the importance of obedience and worship], we persuade people [to be reconciled to Him]. But we are plainly known to God [He knows everything about us]; and I hope that we are plainly known also in your consciences [your God-given discernment]. - 2 Corinthians 5:10-11

The prospect of being praised by others is a strong motivator.  Children are motivated by the hope of being praised by their parents.  The prospect of hearing my Father say to me, "Well done," should be tremendously motivating.

How should we respond to the adversity for the sake of Christ?
Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for their fathers used to treat the prophets in the same way. - Luke 6:23

 Consider these words --

Do not weary yourself [with the overwhelming desire] to gain wealth;
Cease from your own understanding of it.
When you set your eyes on wealth, it is [suddenly] gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies to the heavens. - Proverbs 23:4-5

God has created each of us with certain desires that correspond to certain motivations. The desire for pleasure can degenerate into hedonism, desire for possessions into materialism, and desire for power into egotism.

For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father, but are from the world. - 1 John 2:16

Satan tempted Jesus to make bread for the pleasure of eating, to worship Satan for the possession of all the world's kingdoms, and to cast Himself from the highest point of the temple for the power of commanding angelic intervention.

The draw to pleasure, possessions and power cannot be rooted in our sin nature, because Satan appealed to there desires in Adam and Eve before they were sinful.  Christ had no sin nature.  Satan knew this, yet he sought to tempt Jesus on these same three grounds - pleasure, possessions and power.

God Himself appeals to each of these desires in us!  He offers us the reward of power in His eternal kingdom, possessions in His eternal kingdom,  and pleasures in His eternal kingdom.

Easy to confuse God's work and ours

Many mistakenly believe that heaven is our reward for doing good things.  Our presence in heaven is in no sense a reward for our works, but a gift freely given by God in response to faith.

There is a difference between regeneration and rewards.

To the degree that our life hasn't been characterized by good works, or to the degree these works have been done with improper motives, we will lose or forfeit our reward.

Let's be perfectly clear -- Christ paid the eternal price for all our sins, once and for all. If we have trusted Him for that provision, we will not have to pay the eternal price and He has fully forgiven our sins and we are completely secure in the love of Christ. Our salvation is sure and we will not undergo the judgment of condemnation.

Trusting God When You Don’t Understand

The Believer's Armor: God's Provision for Your Protection

What is Faith?

The Mission of God and the Missional Church

The Christian’s Secret

Two Perspectives

 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts].  But if your eye is bad [spiritually blind], your whole body will be full of darkness [devoid of God’s precepts]. So if the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience] is darkness, how great and terrible is that darkness! - Matthew 6:22-23

Right now we're living in the dot.  But what are we living for? The short-sighted person lives for the dot.  The person with perspective lives for the line.  This earth, and our time here, is the dot.  Our beloved Bridegroom, the coming wedding, the Great Reunion, and our eternal home in the New Heavens and New Earth ... they're on the line.

The patriarchs lived as strangers and exiles on the earth, spending their days longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one.  Peter encouraged Christians to find joy by focusing not on the trial that will go on only a little while, but on their heavenly inheritance that will never perish.   

 For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us! - Romans 8:18

 For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]! - 2 Corinthians 4:17

Paul speaks not of a glory achieved for Christ but for us.  Jesus didn't say - "store up for God treasures in heaven" - He said, "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven."  Scripture teaches that we will not only behold His glory but also participate in it.  This gives the believer an incentive to do what the Philippian Christians did in giving to Paul's missionary work - withdrawing funds from their earthly accounts in order to have them credited to their heavenly account.

Soldiers, athletes, and farmers all know that short-term sacrifices are justifiable in light of their long-term benefits.  This same principle applies to those who adopt an eternal perspective.