About the joy of giving and living for God…

Isaiah 61:10 I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (NIV)

If we took a poll and we asked ten thousand people if they expect an earthly reward from God, nearly all of our respondents would say they indeed expect something from Him. However, those people who expect an earthly reward from God do not know His eternal secret to happiness, power, and success. God’s eternal secret to happiness, power, and success is little known in the world, even among believers. Here is His secret. What God does for us does not matter, but what we do for Him with no expectation of any reward brings happiness, power, and success. When we live in a spirit of giving to God rather than expecting from God, we live in the joy of His happiness, power, and success. You may have been deceived by expecting a reward from God for doing what He wants you to do and for being the kind of person He wants you to be. However, your reward from God is not an earthly reward. Your reward from God is a spiritual reward and His spiritual reward brings you His spiritual joy, spiritual power, and spiritual success. God rewards us mightily when we expect and live with nothing from Him because we are totally focused on giving to Him rather than receiving from Him. To receive God’s blessings, you must give everything to Him with no expectation you will receive anything back.