October 13
“In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8)
We are going to be putting together a plan for overcoming immorality that includes a half dozen to a dozen daily disciplines to develop. To implement these recommendations and take it seriously will take a lot of time and hard work. What we are trying to achieve is a total transformation at the very root of our being, being transformed from people who are ruled by fleshly impulses and lusts to those who buffet their bodies and make them their slaves, from people who have little to no self-control and self-discipline to people who have great self-control and self-discipline.
As you can imagine, this is probably the hardest undertaking you have ever attempted. You might even be thinking, “I know me, and there is no way this can be done.” You may not even be sure you want to be self-controlled and free from the tyranny of fleshly lusts. But for those of you who are skeptics, I would simply say that in you there is no hope, but in Christ there is all the hope we need and all the power to succeed. It does not depend on your ability, but Christ’s supernatural ability. If you are a Christian, you have more than enough in you to overcome all sin because you have the Holy Spirit in you. We just need to have the will and the knowledge to unleash Him in our lives.
To encourage us in this journey, we need to keep before us the prize, the rewards for obedience and victory. Here we want to list the things that are important to us, things that would truly be life-changing and eternally rewarding if we were to be able to achieve them. There will be two categories of rewards: rewards in this life and the life to come.
Here are some examples of eternal rewards:
- To hear at my judgment day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Mt. 25:21)
- To bear much fruit for Christ and glorify the Father (John 15:8)
- To show much increase for what has been entrusted to me (Mt. 25:14-30, Lk. 19:11-27)
- To be found pure and pleasing to Christ, blameless in Him (2 Cor. 5:9, Rev. 3:4-5, 18, 16:15)
- To not have my works burned up (1 Cor. 3:10-15, 2 Cor. 5:10)
- To ensure that I and those who follow me enter eternal life (Mt. 7:21-27, 1 Tim. 4:16)
Here are some examples of rewards in this life:
- Having an excellent reputation
- Maintaining a clear conscience before the Lord
- Excellent relationships with family members
- Success in my work and physical blessings
- Exciting life of serving Christ and walking by faith
- Helping many people come to faith in Christ and seeing them transformed
Please think through the rewards you would like to enjoy in this life and the life to come. Write these down. These will be reminders to you of why you are working so hard on overcoming immoral lusts.