“He will pay back to each person according to his deeds [justly, as his deeds deserve]: to those who by persistence in doing good seek [unseen but certain heavenly] glory, honor, and immortality, [He will give the gift of] eternal life.
But for those who are selfishly ambitious and self-seeking and disobedient to the truth but responsive to wickedness, [there will be] wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and anguish [torturing confinement] for every human soul who does [or permits] evil, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, but glory and honor and inner peace [will be given] to everyone who habitually does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For God shows no partiality [no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another]”(Romans 2:6-11 AMP).
I am important to God. You are important to God. We are all equally important to God. God is not partial to anyone, Jew or Gentile, man or woman, saved or unsaved. He loves us all. He will reward us with the judgment we deserve when we stand before Him. I am promised that His judgment will not be arbitrary or partial. His judgment will be according to my actions as I live this side of eternity.
If I persist in denying myself, taking up His cross, and following in obedience, then glory, honor, and eternal life are my gifts. If I am selfish and disobedient, then wrath, indignation, tribulation, and anguish are my gifts.
BUT how can a loving God give good things to one group of people and bad things to another group of people? Who said that wrath, indignation, tribulation, and anguish are bad things? That is your judgment on those things. For God, all things have a purpose. And His love does need for us to learn from our mistakes. BUT, unlike men, God is not going to be vindictive about our mistakes. God is not going out of His way to be mean and spiteful to us. He is giving us the gifts we deserve. There is no spite or malice in these rewards. HE is giving us what we earned because He loves us.
And He is the ultimate judge of my heart. He knows if I am serving Him obediently. He knows if I am being righteous. He knows if I am living as a reflection of His example portrayed through Jesus. Because knowing the Father is only possible through knowing Jesus, “'. . . no man knoweth the Sonne, but ye Father: neither knoweth any man ye Father, but the Sonne, and he to whom ye Sonne will reueile him” (Matthew 11:27 GNV). So I am going to spend a lot more time looking at how The Christ lived so that I can know God.
I pray that I live daily by the example provided by Jesus. I pray that my actions are a reflection of God through the example of His Son. I pray that through these actions I reflect His example to others. I pray that through this walk that I will be a better Ambassador of His Kingdom.
Grace and Shalom to your home.
I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!