Without Reward

I got to take a tour of the Chick-fil-A Corporate Headquarters in Atlanta this morning.  I was struck by the massive multi-billion dollar empire created by a simple man with a vision and a commitment to honor God in all he did.  I'm sure for most of his career Truett Cathy never knew how big his company and his influence would become, but he never flinched along the way.  Perhaps the reason was because he wasn't working for reward.

Why do we live the way we do?  Do we fear God because we don't want to be punished?  Do we fear him because we hope for a reward?  What if we never saw a reward for our faithfulness on this earth?  When I think of my children, I love them without conditions, expectations, or restrictions.  Do we love God the same way, or de we expect a divine handout, a blessing, or success for our love?  I know I am guilty of falling into this "slot-machine" kind of thinking.

This Easter, let's remember what the cross is all about: Grace.  Just as Christ loved us with complete abandon and without any expectation of reward, let's renew our commitment to love him, live for him, and serve him unflinchingly without any expectation of reward, except the most precious reward of all: having a relationship with our Creator.