Jesus trained His disciples and rewarded them after His resurrection. He could of ascended into Heaven without saying goodbye and yet He kept appearing among them and encouraging them. I may be going out on a limb here, but I believe the most encouraging reward to a bunch of fishermen was catching fish. Jesus shows up on the shore near their boat and yells out, “Children, you have any food?”. The language of family and a father is in the mouth of Jesus. He instructs them that all night of fishing and they tried the wrong side of the boat. He told them to try the other side. Is it possible these fishermen were tired and desperate and needed a reward of hope from the one who trained them? He knew how much hard work it took for the net to be made and rewarded them with just enough fish not to break it. There is a deception that the enemy wants to bring to Christians, that hard work is not a blessing from the Lord. We will never have to work for a right standing with Jesus but we are entrusted to work diligently for His kingdom to do everything unto the glory of Him. Jesus rewards the work of the hands of His children.
All three of our teens enjoy reading on their own free time, including the Bible. We no longer have to ask them to read now that they are grown men and women but when they were younger we did. All three of our kids despised reading growing up, when compared to movies and video games. They would choose literally everything but reading for entertainment. We paid our kids to read, not giving them a free allowance. When they pointed to toys or candy at the store, we told them how powerful they were and they could read books and the reward would be what they put their hands to. It would have been easier to buy the toy without the training, believe me. Through wisdom we paid more for the Bible to be read completely, because it carried more value in our home than other books. Today we have entrusted our children’s hands in life in many areas when it comes to growth and trust the labor of their hands for the glory of Jesus. Did you know the Father trusts you to put your hands to work?
Grab your Bible and communion and ask the Lord “what am I putting my hands to that you desire to bless?”
John 21:3-6 NKJ They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”They answered Him, “No.” 6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
Hebrews 11:6 NKJ But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.