1 Thessalonians 2.19 asks who is our hope or joy or crown to boast of before our Lord Jesus at His coming?

If Jesus were to return today what would you bring to Him to be rewarded for as work done for Him?

When God returns to evaluate us it will be in accord with His values.

Will we tell Him of our vacations, our homes, our cars, our clothes, or any of our things? Will we brag to Him about our education or retirement account? Do we think God will be impressed by our wealth or prominence or that we spent so much time and money upon our pleasures?

What kind of God do we have Who is uninterested in how we live for Him?

The God Paul preached, Jesus Christ the Lord, is a God Who cares immensely over His return on His investment: the blood of His Son for the salvation of His people and the gift of His Holy Spirit.

Christians are Biblically defined as servants of God.

A servant uses the Master’s resources for the welfare of the Master and not his own. The time for pleasure and rest is in the age to come, when we live for all eternity with God and those who served Him, in the abundance of His wealth.

Now is the time to spend everything we have in time and treasure toward the building of God’s Kingdom.

Now is the day to work, Jesus told His disciples, a time is coming, He promised, when no one will work, but now is not that time.

God has paid the highest price for human salvation and resourced His people with the greatest power, His Spirit, for making that salvation known.

God expects His people to promote that payment by His power until He returns when He will reward His people for their participation in His kingdom building work.