I have been led to mention this before, and I believe it is necessary to reiterate it, there are no rewards in heaven for good intentions, no one will be rewarded for thinking of performing an action for the glory of God, but for doing so.
And those actions, if not done solely for His glory and out of a love for Him, in reverential honor towards His name, may as well have not been attempted.
“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:20)
We are known not only to each other by those labors of love, but to the outside world as well, to those who are still lost, the ones we are seeking for, and to the wicked, the ones that we must, if you will, weed through.
“Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1st Peter 2:12)
The shortest amount of time that anyone will spend in hell is approximately one thousand years. “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” (Rev. 20:5) And in that moment, when they stand before the Lord Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne of Judgment, even the most prideful of them will indeed glorify His name, but to no avail. Even a minimum of a thousand years of suffering and torment will change the mind of the most hardened man, but only because of that.
Our responsibility is to speak the truths of the Scriptures to them, not just think about doing so, but actually opening our mouths and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, for this there are rewards, but not for just thinking of doing so, not for inaction.
This is not a “special reward,” this is required, it is a commandment. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) Rewards for worshipping, for praising His name, for separating yourself from the world and a myriad of other items? Yes, of course, but would you fulfill all your obligations that your Master has placed before you, or do you pick and choose?
Perhaps I am wrong here, only the Most High knows our heart fully, but it is unfathomable for me to believe that someone is truly born-again who does not speak of the One they profess to serve to others, and that on a regular basis. For someone to claim salvation by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ but to not mention the love they also could receive, the wonders of His eternal Kingdom to all who call Him Lord, and the depths of eternal suffering those who deny Him will know for all of time.
I cannot fathom the existence of such a Christian.
“For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:14)
Many times, good intentions can sometimes turn into perceived obligations, and then, many times, into nothing more than works performed because of that obligation. The Sunday morning service, but not true worship, being kind to one another, but not out of a love for our neighbor, much less the Lord. Singing songs of praise because it’s time to, and if you do not, you will be, if not ostracized by some, but questioned about your faith.
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2nd Tim. 4:2)
If you are waiting, and actually hoping no one ever does ask you about your faith, but never intentionally initiating conversations about the Lord, then you have nothing more than good intentions.
Our responsibility is not to save, we cannot, our job is to open our mouths, to let the words of truth flow past our lips.
Be sure you know the heart inside of you that God sees.
