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The Reward

There are many rewards that God gives to his sons, not because of anything we do, but because of who we belong to.
One of the first things we must know if we want to please God is that the Lord God "rewards" those who diligently seek him. (Heb 11:6)
The word,"benefits" is also translated as "rewards"

Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

One of the many rewards every child of God gets just because of who they belong to is this..........

1Co 3:20 Again Scripture says, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are pointless."
1Co 3:21 So don't brag about people. Everything belongs to you.
1Co 3:22 Whether it is Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life or death, present or future things, everything belongs to you.
1Co 3:23 You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. (GW)

What else are you going to give to a person who has everything?
 
So what does Jesus mean in your interpretation when he says

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
- John 14:3

What needs to be prepared in heaven? Isn't eternal life of the Holy Spirit ready for the giving?
What is being prepared in heaven? Is he doing the same preparations for all, or
do other have preparations exclusive to them?

"In my house are many mansions", this symbolism of actual heavenly mansion, whatever it is,
will everyone have the same? Are there bigger "mansions" for some and smaller for others?
I believe all the saved will live in God's house of many mansions.

When Jesus said he was going to prepare a place, I believe it was because he was going to suffer, die, rise, and ascend to heaven and then send the Holy Spirit. He couldn’t send the Holy Spirit until he ascended. That is how I always believed it to mean.
When the saved die, Jesus comes for them and brings them to heaven.
Do you have any beliefs about what you think it means? Scriptures don't give information on what the preparations are, but again, I believe it is when he ascended and prepared to send the Holy Spirit.

I enjoy talking about life after the physical death. I want to make a thread on it soon.
 
I thank God for the gift of music.

My parents had be take music lessons in 5th grade
from a classically trained piano teacher.

I didn't want to, I thought piano was just for girls.

But I like my parents approach.

They said, we will make you start, but if you don't
like it you can stop, but you must at least try it.

So I tried it and I liked it.

I did music in high school, all shore, all county, and one year I made all state chorus (that was 24 years ago, my voice is not at good)

I started giving piano lessons in 10 grade.
I sang in my church youth choir in high school in addition to being in school choir.
Later in 11th grade (1990s) I was the pianist for one of the church choirs, playing the hymns ( East New Market Linkwood Charge UMC )
Then took a long music break, and later played with a church choir in 2013 ( www.huberchurch.org )
and now I play with the music ministry at another church 2016-present . ( Home )

I both read sheet music and play by hear. Although my training is to read music and later in 2013 at Huber those musicians thought me
to improvise and play by hear as well as jazz. Playing bass and saxophone lines on the keyboard.

My music education is (classical, gospel, jazz, and choral)
Currently I just make music to uplift people or praise God.
To God be the glory.
Sounds like a lot of work practicing, but so worth it. Is it really as hard as it looks to learn how to read music? It sure looks difficult. That is something else how some people learn how to play one instrument and then can just pick up and play another instrument like they have always been doing it.
 
You might like this: I post music in the music forum on Talk Jesus here.

What was that on the split screen, you playing the keyboards on one and was that a synthesizer on the other screen? Did you do the video of the people? That was uplifting, really nice. I'll definitely check out the music forum for your other videos. It will be a nice break from posting.
 
There are many rewards that God gives to his sons, not because of anything we do, but because of who we belong to.
One of the first things we must know if we want to please God is that the Lord God "rewards" those who diligently seek him. (Heb 11:6)
The word 'rewards' in that scripture is a verb and not a noun. (Excuse me for trying to explain English. lol)

The word,"benefits" is also translated as "rewards"

Psa 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

One of the many rewards every child of God gets just because of who they belong to is this..........

1Co 3:20 Again Scripture says, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are pointless."
1Co 3:21 So don't brag about people. Everything belongs to you.
1Co 3:22 Whether it is Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life or death, present or future things, everything belongs to you.
1Co 3:23 You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. (GW)

What else are you going to give to a person who has everything?

I think you might benefit if you read all the posts Jesus_is_Lord and I made. It would do you well if you start from the beginning.
 
@Jesus_is_LORD

I found another for eternal life, and it is prize.

The prize is eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.

Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
 
I believe all the saved will live in God's house of many mansions.

When Jesus said he was going to prepare a place, I believe it was because he was going to suffer, die, rise, and ascend to heaven and then send the Holy Spirit. He couldn’t send the Holy Spirit until he ascended. That is how I always believed it to mean.
When the saved die, Jesus comes for them and brings them to heaven.
Do you have any beliefs about what you think it means? Scriptures don't give information on what the preparations are, but again, I believe it is when he ascended and prepared to send the Holy Spirit.

I enjoy talking about life after the physical death. I want to make a thread on it soon.

I have beliefs but none strongly backed by scripture, it would be most speculation.

I've always wonder what Jesus meant.

Think about it this way, even if it wasn't a literally mansion, he did choose that word
on purpose to communicate a reality to the disciples that they could relate to. So
I ask myself, what does that word communicate to us when we hear mansion. It
communicates wealth, luxury, lots of space, royalty perhaps. And I can't help but
notice how Jesus says "prepare" the place where these many mansions are.

When I hear prepare, I think customize, it will fit each person uniquely. And when
I hear custom and fitting each person, I can't but help thinking about how each
one will be rewarded according to their work.

Which takes my mind back here

Luke 19-16-19

The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.

His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over
ten cities.

The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’

And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.

Do you see the parallelism where the "good work" on earth is rewarded exponentially in heaven?
Five minas, five cities, Ten Minas, ten cities.


Also

Matthew 13:23-24

But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it.

This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a
hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Jesus told them another parable:
The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.”


Once again in the passage above Jesus again shows different increases and relates it to the Kingdom of

Heaven which reminds us that it is not just talking about the results here on earth but what to expect

in the Kingdom to come. Also Notice the word OR, meaning different yields, and my understanding is

our reward has some connection to our work.


For those who might say, well Jesus was talking about the Kingdom works here on earth, this passage
disagrees, because we are told that this Kingdom of Heaven has not yet been restored.

Acts 1:7-8

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “
It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
 
Sounds like a lot of work practicing, but so worth it. Is it really as hard as it looks to learn how to read music? It sure looks difficult. That is something else how some people learn how to play one instrument and then can just pick up and play another instrument like they have always been doing it.

Good question.

I think it is like anything in life. I'll try to make my response simple.

(1) Like anything in life you get better with practice, music, sport, a job, etc.

(2) Like anything in life (arts, skills) some people have a more innate talent or
hand eye coordination, or cognitive ability, or memory, or sensory perception,
or muscle profile, some genetic tendencies that they were born with that helps
them to excel faster. Doesn't mean they don't have to practice but they get more
out of their practice. --- Kinda like those Kenyan runners who might have bigger lungs
because they are born at a higher elevation and they walk long distances and their
parents genetically transfer those type 2 slow twitch muscle fibers to them.


(3) Starting can be hard, but one's attitude probably is more important
than their skillset in the beginning.
One thing I find with the younger
generation is they expect things to come quickly (the text message generation).
So if they are learning something and they don't get it instantly, they quit or
think something is wrong because they expect life to come quickly.
I grew up in the dial-up internet generation, waiting 8 hours for a game
to download (leave computer on overnight), so I have patience to practice
the piano.

It is just like learning a language, if I ask you is learning a new language hard,
like french or Spanish? Well it depends on your attitude to it, as well as
your patience, and your innate skillset (memory, cognitive skills, speech, etc).

At this point I'm not trying to get better, I've peaked with where I'm comfortable
being. Of course I could get better, but it wouldn't translate to any difference
in the music I'm producing. Getting better would mostly be if I was auditioning
for some classical piano concert where you are expected to play every note
exactly right. I would do it, just would take more time. Most of my work now
at the church is both, I have the chord structure and I use improv skills to add to it.

Kinda like dancing, you know the basic steps and you just making it up as you go,
around a given structure.

I did pick up the guitar, thought myself a few years ago. But didn't take it too far.
I could read the guitar music because I can read music, but the harder part for the
finger positions.

Your hands move faster on the piano, but they move in harder awkward positions
and hurt more, on the guitar.
 
Good question.

I think it is like anything in life. I'll try to make my response simple.

(1) Like anything in life you get better with practice, music, sport, a job, etc.

(2) Like anything in life (arts, skills) some people have a more innate talent or
hand eye coordination, or cognitive ability, or memory, or sensory perception,
or muscle profile, some genetic tendencies that they were born with that helps
them to excel faster. Doesn't mean they don't have to practice but they get more
out of their practice. --- Kinda like those Kenyan runners who might have bigger lungs
because they are born at a higher elevation and they walk long distances and their
parents genetically transfer those type 2 slow twitch muscle fibers to them.


(3) Starting can be hard, but one's attitude probably is more important
than their skillset in the beginning.
One thing I find with the younger
generation is they expect things to come quickly (the text message generation).
So if they are learning something and they don't get it instantly, they quit or
think something is wrong because they expect life to come quickly.
I grew up in the dial-up internet generation, waiting 8 hours for a game
to download (leave computer on overnight), so I have patience to practice
the piano.

It is just like learning a language, if I ask you is learning a new language hard,
like french or Spanish? Well it depends on your attitude to it, as well as
your patience, and your innate skillset (memory, cognitive skills, speech, etc).

At this point I'm not trying to get better, I've peaked with where I'm comfortable
being. Of course I could get better, but it wouldn't translate to any difference
in the music I'm producing. Getting better would mostly be if I was auditioning
for some classical piano concert where you are expected to play every note
exactly right. I would do it, just would take more time. Most of my work now
at the church is both, I have the chord structure and I use improv skills to add to it.

Kinda like dancing, you know the basic steps and you just making it up as you go,
around a given structure.

I did pick up the guitar, thought myself a few years ago. But didn't take it too far.
I could read the guitar music because I can read music, but the harder part for the
finger positions.

Your hands move faster on the piano, but they move in harder awkward positions
and hurt more, on the guitar.

So starting is hard, but attitude is most important in the beginning.
Practice and patience will improve skills,
and those will an innate talent have a higher ceiling,
yet hard work beats talent everytime when talent refuses to work hard.
 
Rewards for prayer, which happens in this life.

Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.


 
"In my house are many mansions", this symbolism of actual heavenly mansion, whatever it is,
will everyone have the same? Are there bigger "mansions" for some and smaller for others?esusMaybe Jw
Maybe Jesus was referring to preparing our new supernatural bodies! The body is referred to as a house, or building in the heavens.

2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2Co 5:2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
 
@Jesus_is_LORD

I found another for eternal life, and it is prize.

The prize is eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.

Philippians 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
I don't know if you noticed but all these rewards are things we already possess except for the actual crowns which only refer to what you do have.
Remember Jesus said....

Rev 3:11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your crown.

Nobody can steal or rob from you what you do not have. You have to possess it first before it can be taken.
 
I have beliefs but none strongly backed by scripture, it would be most speculation.

I've always wonder what Jesus meant.

Think about it this way, even if it wasn't a literally mansion, he did choose that word
on purpose to communicate a reality to the disciples that they could relate to. So
I ask myself, what does that word communicate to us when we hear mansion. It
communicates wealth, luxury, lots of space, royalty perhaps. And I can't help but
notice how Jesus says "prepare" the place where these many mansions are.

When I hear prepare, I think customize, it will fit each person uniquely. And when
I hear custom and fitting each person, I can't but help thinking about how each
one will be rewarded according to their work.

Which takes my mind back here

Luke 19-16-19

The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.

His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’

And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’

Do you see the parallelism where the "good work" on earth is rewarded exponentially in heaven?
Five minas, five cities, Ten Minas, ten cities.
The reward to be rewarded is eternal life. That has already been proven by the scriptures, for the scriptures plainly say it.

We know that money isn't something of heaven, and that the parable is to be understood spiritually.

I hold to the belief that it is about Jesus coming and gave us the way to be saved, and there will be some who do right and grow in the Lord with it, and some more than others, and some not at all.

Also

Matthew 13:23-24

But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it.

This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.”


Once again in the passage above Jesus again shows different increases and relates it to the Kingdom of

Heaven which reminds us that it is not just talking about the results here on earth but what to expect

in the Kingdom to come. Also Notice the word OR, meaning different yields, and my understanding is

our reward has some connection to our work.

Oh no, this is about the kingdom of heaven in a person's heart, it is about being saved now while they are on earth and receive the Holy Spirit.


Luke 17:20And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
For those who might say, well Jesus was talking about the Kingdom works here on earth, this passage
disagrees, because we are told that this Kingdom of Heaven has not yet been restored.
All things have been restored. Restoration is about Jesus coming and finishing God's work and making the way to be saved.

Acts 1:7-8

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
Notice in that scripture what they asked Jesus. They asked Jesus about something earthy. That was right before Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit. They hadn't received the Holy Spirit yet and still were having a hard time understanding things. They were think of worldly things.
 
Good question.

I think it is like anything in life. I'll try to make my response simple.

(1) Like anything in life you get better with practice, music, sport, a job, etc.

(2) Like anything in life (arts, skills) some people have a more innate talent or
hand eye coordination, or cognitive ability, or memory, or sensory perception,
or muscle profile, some genetic tendencies that they were born with that helps
them to excel faster. Doesn't mean they don't have to practice but they get more
out of their practice. --- Kinda like those Kenyan runners who might have bigger lungs
because they are born at a higher elevation and they walk long distances and their
parents genetically transfer those type 2 slow twitch muscle fibers to them.


(3) Starting can be hard, but one's attitude probably is more important
than their skillset in the beginning. One thing I find with the younger
generation is they expect things to come quickly (the text message generation).
So if they are learning something and they don't get it instantly, they quit or
think something is wrong because they expect life to come quickly.
I grew up in the dial-up internet generation, waiting 8 hours for a game
to download (leave computer on overnight), so I have patience to practice
the piano.

It is just like learning a language, if I ask you is learning a new language hard,
like french or Spanish? Well it depends on your attitude to it, as well as
your patience, and your innate skillset (memory, cognitive skills, speech, etc).

At this point I'm not trying to get better, I've peaked with where I'm comfortable
being. Of course I could get better, but it wouldn't translate to any difference
in the music I'm producing. Getting better would mostly be if I was auditioning
for some classical piano concert where you are expected to play every note
exactly right. I would do it, just would take more time. Most of my work now
at the church is both, I have the chord structure and I use improv skills to add to it.

Kinda like dancing, you know the basic steps and you just making it up as you go,
around a given structure.

I did pick up the guitar, thought myself a few years ago. But didn't take it too far.
I could read the guitar music because I can read music, but the harder part for the
finger positions.

Your hands move faster on the piano, but they move in harder awkward positions
and hurt more, on the guitar.

Such good information. You gave a lot of insight to so much. Thanks for that.
 
So starting is hard, but attitude is most important in the beginning.
Practice and patience will improve skills,
and those will an innate talent have a higher ceiling,
yet hard work beats talent everytime when talent refuses to work hard.
So true. A person has to really want something.
 
I don't know if you noticed but all these rewards are things we already possess except for the actual crowns which only refer to what you do have.
Remember Jesus said....

Rev 3:11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one may rob you and deprive you of your crown.

Nobody can steal or rob from you what you do not have. You have to possess it first before it can be taken.
The crown is eternal life.
 
Rewards for prayer, which happens in this life.

Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.



Where does it say the reward will happen in this life?

I see that the reward will be openly.
But the inference that it is in this life is not one that is explicitly stated by the text.
 
Maybe Jesus was referring to preparing our new supernatural bodies! The body is referred to as a house, or building in the heavens.

2Co 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2Co 5:2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
Maybe, God knows.
 
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