Rewards in heaven?

In a larger conversation, a friend asked me this question and I thought I'd make a blog post with my response. Just to let you know, I spoke out my own thoughts and then used an AI to help clarify and then went back and edited it again to make sure that I agreed with the final product. 

The original question :

"I also have a question on the “rewards.” I thought being in eternity with Jesus was the reward, but many Bible passages discuss storing up treasures in heaven. I’ve always been perplexed on this concept of rewards." 

Okay, here's a quick take on rewards in heaven—I know this can be confusing!

Scripture is clear that salvation is a free gift available to everyone through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). But it also teaches that there are different levels of reward based on how we live and serve here on earth. There are even degrees of punishment in hell, so it makes sense that rewards vary too.

What are those rewards? They're tied to our faithfulness with what God gives us. In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the servants who faithfully use their gifts are rewarded with more responsibility: 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!' (Matthew 25:21). So heaven isn't just eternal rest—it's a place of continued purpose and activity.

We're also told we'll rule and reign with Christ. The more faithful we are here, the greater our role or responsibility there (e.g., Revelation 5:10: 'You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth'; or 2 Timothy 2:12: 'If we endure, we will also reign with him').

No one will be unhappy or jealous—everyone will be fully satisfied in God's presence, and heaven will be paradise compared to earth. But there will be varying degrees of responsibility or capacity for joy/service.

I also think rewards go beyond 'things'—they're not about more gold or possessions. They're relational: the more we grow in our relationship with God here, and the more people we influence for eternity, the more prepared we'll be to enjoy deeper fellowship with Him and others there.

A fun illustration I've heard (not sure if it's historical fact, but it captures the idea): John Wesley and George Whitefield, two famous evangelists who once worked together, parted ways over theology. When asked if he'd see Whitefield in heaven, Wesley joked, 'No—he'll be so close to the throne that I won't be able to see him!' It's tongue-in-cheek, but it points to the idea that greater faithfulness here leads to greater closeness or prominence in eternity.

Bottom line: Rewards are about being better prepared for eternal life with God—more responsibility, deeper relationships, and greater capacity to glorify Him. Everyone in heaven will be thrilled with what God gives them, but our earthly faithfulness matters.

If you'd like, I can dig up more specific passages or go deeper on any part!

Suggested Bible Verses:

On storing up treasures in heaven (the core perplexity your friend mentioned):

Matthew 6:19-21 — “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

On rewards according to works/faithfulness:

Matthew 16:27 — “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

Revelation 22:12 — “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”

Parable of the Talents (responsibility/reward for using gifts):

Matthew 25:14-30 (especially verses 21 and 23, as above).

Ruling/reigning with Christ:

Revelation 5:10 — “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

2 Timothy 2:12 — “If we endure, we will also reign with him.”

On varying degrees of reward (and satisfaction for all):

1 Corinthians 3:8, 14 — “The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor... If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.”

(This ties into the idea of works being tested, with varying outcomes but salvation secure.)

What is eternal life?

 

I have to admit that the idea for this article was inspired by Pastor Cory Martin's sermon on John 17:1-5 last week. He discussed the concept of eternal life and how we often perceive it in terms of infinite time. However, John 17:3 states, "And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." From this, we learn that eternal life is not simply about existing forever, but rather about being in an eternal relationship with the true God through the work of His Son, Jesus.

The truth we all intuitively know is that life is not merely about going through the motions each day, but about living with purpose, love, and in connection with others. When our lives are filled with suffering, loneliness, depression, and pain, we often contemplate ending our existence because we recognize that essential elements of life are missing. We experience the brokenness in our lives and understand that a part of us has succumbed to a little bit of death.

What Jesus expresses in His prayer to the Father is that true life is not found in simply finding temporary meaning and significance in worldly things or relationships. Instead, it is found in a relationship with the eternal God. When we truly know Him because we have been saved by Jesus, we discover the true meaning of life, experience boundless love, and have a relationship with someone who is always with us. This means that eternal life does not commence when we physically die in this world but rather when we die to ourselves and accept Jesus as our Savior. Paul articulates this in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

Moreover, eternal life should not be understood as simply existing forever in a place that might eventually become dull or tiresome. Instead, eternal life means living eternally with God. This is the same creative God who fashioned the entire universe and who will forever be infinitely creative. The goodness we experience in this world and universe is an expression of His own goodness and will continue to exist in the next life. Life with Him will be infinitely good and infinitely captivating.

If you currently know God through the work of His Son and are deepening your relationship with Him, you should be growing more and more excited about spending eternity with God. During the same service that Cory spoke about, an 80-year-old man shared his testimony of how he came to know Jesus. Afterwards, we watched a video featuring a song about spending eternity with Jesus. It is my hope, at 52, that I will be even more excited about knowing Jesus at 80 or 90, so that I will be fully prepared to meet Him face to face. I hope you, too, are excited about eternity with Jesus.

What are the treasures in heaven?

Luke 18:29-30 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

So what is this reward in heaven? Is it stuff? I mean heaven is still a physical place and the stuff will be great. We are told about a feast and a place with many rooms, but I am convinced that is not the primary treasure we receive. I think the primary treasure will be the close and clear relationship with the giver of all good things, namely Jesus. 1 Corinthians 13 says, "now we see as through a mirror darkly, then we shall see face to face, now we know in part, then we shall know fully even as we are fully known." It is this clear intimate relationship with our Lord that is the main treasure that I look forward to. Nothing separating us from God, like Adam and Eve in the garden again. No shame, no guilt, and no distance.

This also leads to the treasure of similar relationships with other Christ followers. I met a guy in Panera the other day, and on his name tag it said his passion was, "The gospel of Jesus Christ." I commented on it and told him that was my passion to. We had no time to get to know one another, but I look forward to hearing his story of getting to know Jesus when we get to heaven.

The treasures in heaven are not primarily stuff, but rather Jesus and His followers and those relationships will keep getting better and better.

Learning from the Flood

Luke 12:31 - 32

But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided for you. Don’t be afraid, little flock, because your Father delights to give you the kingdom.

Recently with all the flooding you may have seen many pictures and videos of all the destruction. Scenes of destroyed houses, roads and bridges washed away, dead livestock, burst grain bins, and fields full of debris are sad and can even lead to a sense of despair or hopelessness because the loss seems so overwhelming.

Rather than despair though, I want to encourage us to to use these hard moments to see what lessons God has for us.

The first lesson as you think about your personal losses or those of people who you know, is to take a moment and examine your own heart. While it is appropriate to feel sad over losing valuable things, if that sadness turns to despair and depression, it may well point to what you really consider valuable. Do you put your hope and trust in God or do you put your hope and trust in the things of this earth? If you lost everything, could you still have peace? What if Jesus asked you to give up everything? Could you do it? He did ask his disciples to do that, and if he is asking you to, could you ?  This may not mean you lose the use of things, but it might. Could you give away your house, your cars, your job, your electronics, your reputation, your everything if Jesus called you to do it? I have a friend going back to Cameroon, Africa and these are the very questions he is asking, because God has called him to a much more dangerous and much less prosperous place. Use this moment to consider if Jesus is really the most valuable thing in your heart.

Second, use this moment to look around you and be thankful for the blessings God has given you right now. One of the reasons that we sometimes get mad at God when He takes something away from us is that we have come to expect it rather than see the world and our very lives as a blessing from Him. Look at your family, your friends, your home, your food, the beauty of the earth, and rejoice in the abundance of God's goodness. Use this moment to thank God for the incredible blessings, both big and small. Start a list and write down one thankful item a day. Every single day you could find something for which to be thankful. If you do this, you will begin to praise the giver of the gifts and not just the gifts themselves.  God loves you and has already blessed you. Learn to praise Him on the sunny days and on the rainy days, in the days of drought, in the days of plenty, and in the days of flood. He is bigger than them all and any day with Him is better than any day with any other thing.

Psalm 84:10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.