March 3: NOT ONLY FOR THE PRIZE

“For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,” says the LORD. Jeremiah 39:18

To trust in God Almighty is to believe all that He says. If we really trust Him, our belief will work itself out into our actions. Jeremiah’s prophecies of the Babylonian destruction and captivity were not difficult for him to understand, for he could see Judah’s rebellion—and Israel’s before that—against the LORD. That rebellion came to be directed at Jeremiah, who fully trusted the wisdom of God. Bucking against His instructions really meant that they did not believe the great value that the Creator places upon His people. Their own failure to rightly esteem Him blinded them to their own worth in His eyes.

Jeremiah’s love for God and belief in His word translated directly into a heavenly view of his own life. Trusting in the LORD and valuing one’s own life as a prize go hand in hand. Too often, obedience to God is looked upon with disfavor by others. Jeremiah’s obedience in speaking the words of the LORD to the people was based upon love and unquestioned trust toward Him. It is always going to be true that obedience will cost other people considerably more than it costs one who chooses to obey the LORD. We must be careful not to place conditions on our obedience to Him, based upon not wanting to cause any sort of consequence or inconvenience to others. If we love Him supremely, our obedience does not cost us anything! It is a matter of simply obeying, and trusting all consequences to Him.

Think of Jesus going to the cross. Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus (Luke 23:26).

Though we may try, it is impossible for any of us to bear all the costs of obedience. Being involved in the enormity of God’s purposes simply means that others are directly affected. I must ask myself: am I willing to suffer the criticism that is likely to result as I follow the Lord? If I choose to disobey Him—which I am free to do—it may bring immediate relief to my situation, but it will grieve the Lord. His work to bring salvation to the world is so that all who desire can receive their life as a prize for eternity.

Paul compares our brief earthly life to running in a race for a prize. He encourages each of us to run in such a way that you may obtain it (1 Corinthians 9:24). But we run the race not only for the prize. Living in obedience means that we actually bless the Lord who so abundantly desires to bless His people beyond measure. We cannot even begin to calculate the measure of benefits; among them will be to some of those who were initially critical of our obedience.

Jeremiah is believed to have witnessed for the LORD for over five decades. The disapproval that he suffered made his life hard. Nevertheless, his walk was—and will be—incalculably blessed.

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3