Victory Day Forty-Two: Sweet and Juicy Rewards

In ancient battles, it was all about the plunder, the loot, the treasure. Even soldiers, who didn’t care about their king were plenty willing to go to battle, if they could carry home gold, jewels, women, clothing, and all the worldly wealth of their enemies. In our case, it’s a little different. From this point on in the series, I’m going to highlight scriptures that talk about the heavenly rewards God promises for the victorious.

We’re not in this war against the forces of evil for the booty, unless of course you count the captives set free when we convince them to follow our Commander. No, we fight because we’ve fallen in love with our King and His cause – the salvation of mankind. Also, because we hate how our enemy destroys everyone he rules. Yet (because of the glorious grace of our God) after the Great War is over, we do get to enjoy plunder. When we leave our earthly body or Jesus takes us home, we will experience rewards we can’t even imagine.

Here’s the first:

“To everyone who is victorious

I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.”

Rev. 2:7, NLT

Does that have a familiar ring? Where have you heard about the tree of life before? Genesis chapter three tells us it was in the middle of the Garden of Eden. Those who eat fruit from the tree of life live forever. It’s like the legendary fountain of youth only in handy fruit form. You might wonder, if God put it in the Garden, why isn’t it still available? Because of sin.

When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, sin entered our world. Since God is too merciful to doom us to an unending life of sin and all the pain it brings, He removed man from the Garden and provided the antidote to eternal death – Jesus.

So, in the end, we get to go back to that Garden existence, only we will have the gratitude of knowing what Christ has done for us in order to enjoy this gift. Don’t you wonder what it tastes like? Sweet and juicy, fresh and pure, satisfying like nothing we’ve ever had on earth. And that’s not all. To the victors go the spoils! Check in tomorrow to find out what else God has in store for those who fight faithfully to the end.