Hebrews 11:6 English Standard Version (ESV) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Who expects a reward for faithfulness? Is that biblical? If not based on the promises of God, what then? When God makes a promise, He will keep it. When we hope for a reward that is not based on God’s word we have developed an unrealistic expectation. Disappointment is sure to follow.

More than just a human hope, we begin to allow a reward to be the reason for service. Love should be the only motivation for service and its own reward. So what are these rewards spoken of by the author of Hebrews? We may find them in two areas of our lives, grace and growth.

Unmerited favor manifests itself in the way we are treated. We are no longer strangers alienated from God. Grace finds its way into our lives by the will of God without respect of service. Growth however comes by living this life by faith and seeking God in every aspect of relationship. Prayer, studies, meditation and fellowship require us to be participants. Without it, we stagnate and there is no growth.

How does growth play into the reward factor? Let us take a lesson out of our lives. When we are children we are protected from harm and are not allowed to engage in certain activities until our bodies grow to a level of maturity that allows participation. Age limits are set for joining little league baseball is one example. It is not that much different in kingdom living.

Do we see being matured in Christ as a reward? Do we see serving God in ministry as a reward? Do we see knowing God more intimately as a reward?

If not, why not?

Philippians 1:6 English Standard Version (ESV) And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Confidence is defined as a noun in three aspects.

The feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.

The state of feeling certain about the truth of something.

A feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.

Note that all three are described as feelings, emotions and as such are subject to our interpretation. We can put our trust in someone and as soon as we perceive that they have failed us, our emotions turn towards betrayal. Something is true until evidence is brought forth to disprove it and we feel like a fool for believing it in the first place. We are human and as such have to live with the fact that getting older degrades performance. We are the same person but now we cannot perform like we did thirty years ago.

Emotions are subject to change. Is it any different when we put our faith in Christ? I had said in an earlier article that disappointment is the result of unrealistic expectations. What do you expect in this life in Christ? Yesterday I hinted that Christ wants to live His life through us. What is He doing? Do we know with any great certainty?

The confidence Paul shows in Philippians 1:6 is experiential. He lived a life as a Pharisee with pride and confidence. Then Paul got knocked off his high horse and his self-confidence was destroyed. When he turned over his life to Christ his experiences told him that this Christ was God with every good blessing, every obstacle overcome, and every doubt erased.  What Christ did in him came first. What Christ did through him came second and the results being worked out in the lives of the church came third.

Nothing beats results when it comes to gaining confidence.