Teaching: Jesus Is the Reward - Serving Him Is the Benefit

Jesus is the Reward; serving Christ with devotion, obedience, and contentment.

Jesus is not a means to rewareds; He is the Reward. This teaching explores why Christian faith is rooted in devotion, surrender, and lordship, not transactions. Scripture reveals that true gain is found in knowing Christ, serving Him faithfully, and remaining content whether blessings come quickly or are delayed.

The Christian faith is not a transaction; it is a devotion. At the center of the gospel stands not a promise of comfort, success, or prosperity, but a Person. That person is Jesus Christ. To misunderstand this is to reduce faith to a means of gain rather than a surrender to lordship.

Jesus is not the gateway to rewards. Jesus is the Reward.

Scripture is explicit:

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.” - Psalm 73:25 (NKJV)

The highest aim of the believer is not what God gives, but God Himself. Every other blessing or gain flows from the relationship you have with Him, not from entitlement. God gave us Jesus, which we did not earn or deserve. He owes us nothing but choices to provide more.

 

1. Scripture Establishes God Himself as the Reward

When God called Abram, He did not begin with material promises. He began with Himself:

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great Reward.” - Genesis 15:1 (NKJV)

God did not say, I will give you a reward. He said, I am the Reward. This establishes a foundational theological truth: The Reward of faith is presence before provision, relationship before results, lordship before blessing.

 

2. Serving Christ Is Not Loss - It Is the Greatest Gain

Jesus never presented discipleship as a path to personal advantage. He offered it as a call to die to self, to surrender your will, to pick up your cross, and to follow Him.

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” — Luke 9:23 (NKJV)

“Godliness with contentment is great gain.” - 1 Timothy 6:6 (NKJV)

Serving Christ produces gain, though not the kind the world recognizes. The gain is spiritual alignment, personal internal security, divine purpose, peace that passes all understanding, and a personal relationship with the Father. We gain Christ, and Christ lacks nothing.

 

3. Earthly Blessings Are Byproducts, Not the Goal

Health, provisions, long life, comfort, and external peace and protection are not the prize. They are the fruit of a life submitted to God.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” - Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

This order is non-negotiable:

• 1st - Seek God first
• 2nd - Submit to His righteousness
• 3rd - Allow provision to follow

When blessings become the pursuit, devotion and submission weaken. When Christ remains the pursuit, whether the blessings follow or not, your heart doesn’t corrupt and fall away from Him.

“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” - Proverbs 10:22 (NKJV)

Blessings outside of alignment bring sorrow and rebellion. Blessings flowing from obedience bring peace. If you seek blessings rather than righteousness, your heart will grow cold towards God.

‘“But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.’ — Deuteronomy 32:15 (NKJV)

‘When they had pasture, they were filled; They were filled, and their heart was exalted; Therefore they forgot Me.’ - Hosea 13:6 (NKJV)

You will desire the handout over the hand that hands it out. You will not find contentment in Jesus; He will never be enough, and you will not be satisfied with what you receive.

 

4. The Error of Treating God as a Means Instead of the End

Scripture warns against loving what God gives more than loving God Himself.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…” - 1 Timothy 6:10 (NKJV)

The issue is not possession; it is affection. When the heart is set on outcomes, faith becomes conditional. When the heart is set on Christ, faith remains immovable.

Job understood this truth when everything was stripped away:

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” - Job 13:15 (NKJV)

Job’s worship was not rooted in benefits, but in reverence. God never condemns possession. What Scripture confronts is disordered affection. The biblical issue is not what a person has, but what has the person. God’s concern is always the orientation of the heart.

Jesus made this explicit:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” - Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)

Possession occupies the hands. Affection occupies the heart.

A believer may possess resources, influence, health, or success without sin. The danger arises when affection attaches to outcomes more than to obedience, or to blessings more than to the Blesser. Your possessions should not occupy the throne of your heart; Jesus should.

 

5. Christ Is Sufficient - Even When Byproducts Are Delayed

The mature believer does not follow Christ for what He can fix, but for who He is. Paul declared this clarity:

“Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…” - Philippians 3:8 (NKJV)

Paul endured persecution, imprisonment, betrayal, hunger, infirmities, and hardship; yet he lacked nothing essential because he possessed Christ.

“I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” - Philippians 4:11 (NKJV)

Contentment flows when Christ is the center of your life, your purpose, your faith. You live for His sake, and your faith is positioned to please Him, not for how He can please you. You are content because you have Him as your everything, not because He can give you everything.

6. The Eternal Perspective Corrects the Temporal Desire

Scripture continually lifts the believer’s eyes beyond this life:

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” - 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NKJV)

The promise of eternal Reward far exceeds any fleeting temporal byproduct we might experience in the present. The crown of lasting glory and achievement transcends the comforts and conveniences of our daily lives. Jesus Himself declared:

“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” - Matthew 5:12 (NKJV)

It is the inheritance of a relationship with God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This includes receiving godly wisdom, love, the Fruit of the Spirit, living in your purpose, and hearing God say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter in the house of the Lord,” that endures beyond the fleeting moments of satisfaction or hardship we encounter.

Final Exhortation

Jesus is not a tool to obtain blessings. Jesus is not a means to an easier life. Jesus is not a supplement to personal ambition.

Jesus is not a jinn, some demon you ask for wishes.

• Jesus is Lord.
• Jesus is Savior.
• Jesus is the prize.
• Jesus is the Reward.

Health, peace, provision, long life, comfort, and prosperity follow obedience, not desire. They are the overflow of alignment, not the foundation of faith.

To serve Him is the highest honor. To personally know Him is wealth. To walk with Him is life itself.

“He who has the Son has life.” - 1 John 5:12 (NKJV)

Life in Christ needs no addition. The opportunity to serve Him is the most significant benefit you can receive as a believer.