Pursuing the Reward

C.S. Lewis calls it “the specific pleasure of the inferior.” This is the joy that the lesser finds in receiving praise from the greater, “The pleasure of a beast before men, a child before its father, a pupil before his teacher, a creature before its Creator.” (The Weight of Glory) It is the substance of the reward, “Well done, good and faithful servant . . . enter into the joy of your master,” (Matthew 25:21) that awaits the faithful Christian.

When rewards are spoken of in Scripture (and they are spoken of frequently), they are tied to obedience and diligence in following God’s will. They are often described in material or earthly terms: the dutiful servants of Luke 19 are given rule over cities, Paul anticipates receiving a crown of righteousness for having fought the good fight, and Jesus tells a rich man that if he would sell what he has and give it to the poor he would receive “treasure in heaven.” (2 Timothy 4:8; Luke 18:22). But I think Lewis is right to emphasize the reward of praise from our gracious God. Even if there are material blessings that await they would be an expression of our heavenly Father’s pleasure. The greatest part of the reward, therefore, would not be the thing offered but the “divine accolade” that accompanies it. 

Why Lewis’ insight is so helpful is because it gets at the core of who and what we are. We are creatures created to bring pleasure to our creator and whose souls are meant to feed upon his praise. We get a taste of this when we have the pleasure of receiving commendation from one we were rightly mean to please. And though, as Lewis notes, “the lawful pleasure of praise” from such a one “turns into the deadly poison of self-admiration,” we can, like Lewis, “detect a moment—a very, very short moment—before this happened, during which the satisfaction of having pleased those whom I rightly loved and rightly feared was pure.” And, he asserts, “that is enough to raise our thoughts to what may happen when the redeemed soul, beyond all hope and nearly beyond belief, learns at last that she has pleased Him whom she was created to please.”

I think there is much to contemplate here. The anticipated intimate recognition due our faithfulness that will come when we stand before God on the Day is the sentiment of heaven. We know heaven is described as a place free of sorrow, sickness, sin, and suffering. But it will also be a place of eternal pleasure due to God’s pleasure in us. It will all be due to his work in us, of course, but it is clear we have a part to play. To pursue the reward, the glory, is the right of every redeemed child of God. The master in the parable gave the talents with the expectation that they would be used. The reward for faithful use of what was entrusted was built into the transaction. For the servants to pursue it was only fitting. We should not think, therefore, that serving God in order to receive his commendation is an ungodly or unspiritual pursuit. Nothing could be further from the truth. We were created to receive his “well done,” and if the parable is any measure of his intent, he will not be stingy with his praise.