Living on Fire for God: The Lasting Rewards of Obedient Faith

Summary

Obedience to Christ is often inconvenient and costly, but it produces lasting spiritual strength and eternal reward. Drawing from Jesus’ message to the church in Philadelphia, this article shows that obedient believers are secure, loved, protected, and rewarded by God. Christ alone opens the door to His kingdom, and no one can shut it. Though loyalty to Jesus faces constant competition, persevering obedience brings blessings far outweighing its cost, now and forever.

Why Obedience Feels Hard at First

I started a regular exercise program. I felt tired for the first two weeks. I did not quit. Over time, exercise vastly increased my energy stores.

 

The Cost and Payback of Living on Fire for God

Obedience is similar. It is often inconvenient. Living on fire for God is sometimes painful.

Following Jesus meant giving up my job with the Pennsylvania Fish Commission in 1976. At the time, it seemed like a high price.

But the Lord has paid me back one hundred times what I gave up. Persevering obedience bestows outstanding benefits.

The obedient Christian is secure (Revelation 3:7–8). The quality small church in Philadelphia received the Lord’s unqualified praise because it increasingly trusted, obeyed, and loved Him and served others (Revelation 3:7–13).

 

Security in the Hands of the Doorkeeper

Christ alone can open the door for that church and us into His eternal kingdom. When He does, no one can shut it. When He closes it, no one can open it.

To enter that kingdom requires repentance and faith. There is great security for those who know the Doorkeeper!

Loved and Empowered to Love Others

No one can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). Have you entered His kingdom through repentance and faith?

The obedient Christian is loved (Revelation 3:9). Many think no one cares about them. Jesus both loves us and enables us to love others.

The Jews in Philadelphia slandered and persecuted the Christians there. Unknowingly, they were Satan’s instruments.

They were sure they were right. They were not. Let us remember that when we are tempted to criticize others.

Protected Through Opposition and Trials

God protects the obedient Christian (Revelation 3:10). Christ made a promise to Christians who endure a sinful world’s opposition. It relates to 3.5 years of the Antichrist’s rule that will precede the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom.

Some think Christ promised to deliver believers from those difficult days. Others believe He promised deliverance through them. We would all vote to be kept from them, but we must prepare to go through them if necessary.

Eternal Rewards for Faithful Overcomers

God rewards the obedient Christian (Revelation 3:11–12). Let us hold fast to the exclusive loyalty to Jesus that the Philadelphian Christians possessed, so we will not forfeit our victor’s crown.

What seductive influences in your life compete for that exclusive loyalty? The fear of rejection? The deceitfulness of wealth? The desire for other things? Making a name for yourself in this world?

Overcomers will be pillars in God’s temple, permanently in His presence. Christ’s three-fold inscription shows that the faithful belong to God, hold citizenship in the New Jerusalem, and are in a special way related to Him.

The obedient Christian is secure, loved, protected, and rewarded. It is often costly to obey the Lord, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. Both in and out of this world!

Photo: Image Creator (microsoft.com)