“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”–Matt. 5:11-12
In December of 1944, 18 members of a reconnaissance platoon held off a battalion of German troops in the Belgian village of Lanzerath. Their brave stand against the onslaught gave the Allied forces time to begin mounting a defense that eventually won the famous Battle of the Bulge.
Will James, one of the 18 platoon members, was severely injured in the battle and went through numerous surgeries as a result. His heroism went mostly unrecognized for almost 40 years until 1981, when he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism.
In life and in faith, heroism can go largely unrewarded for years. Throughout the history of the church, there are countless faithful saints who’ve been obedient, even to the point of death, whose stories aren’t recorded anywhere on earth. But we know one place they’ll never be forgotten is in eternity, where those who’ve been faithful to death will receive their eternal rewards.
The point is this: your faithfulness may never be rewarded in this world. But you can rest assured your faithfulness will be remembered forever in eternity. So don’t look to the world to reward your faith. Await your eternal reward in heaven, which will be far greater!
Pray and ask God to keep you faithful even when it goes unrecognized, knowing that your ultimate reward will be in heaven.(Senior Living)
