Fringe Benefits

In general, people are very interested in the fringe benefits—what personal advantages they can gain by serving God. People with this attitude are not worthy of Jesus. One day they will hear: “Depart from Me, you who practice law­lessness!” Paul did not think like this. His only desire was to partake of the life of Christ. He longed to be conformed to Christ’s image. This is the longing of the bride. Without this longing, we will go astray.

“According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.” Phil. 1:20.

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matt. 6:31-33. This is how we must begin our discipleship, this is how we must con­tinue and this is how we must finish our race. Then we will not be put to shame when He appears.

True disciples seek God for His own sake and not for the sake of gain—the fringe benefits. They love God and have no other motives. Satan gains power when we have other mo­tives. Then we fall out of love and thus, out of God. In the natural we understand very well that it is shameful for a per­son to get married for the sake of what he or she will gain from it. You cannot say about such people that they are living in the first love. They do not have the mind of the bride.

If you admire spiritual gifts, you can easily be deceived and be blinded to the work God does in those who are lowly and humble. “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” 1 Cor. 1:30. Many people who are nothing in the eyes of the world will—to God’s glory—come to the forefront in the world to come because they have through sanctification obtained the virtues of Christ—wisdom, mercy, goodness and so on—in their lowly and despised state.

You can think you haven’t accomplished anything special—you don’t have a lot of earthly possessions or a promi­nent ministry in the church. But perhaps the truth is that you have a glorious spouse and good children at home. Then I would ask you: Haven’t you accomplished something? Do you look up to spiritual gifts and thereby deceive yourself into thinking things are going poorly for you? Paul counted all that he was according to the flesh as loss compared to winning Christ. That is how it must be for us too. No one should go around discouraged and despondent because Satan has de­ceived him into looking up to spiritual gifts and human great­ness and honor. Let us be awake and work on our salvation with fear and trembling.

The primary sin of mankind is that they look up to what is highly esteemed. If we admire human greatness, the spirit of Antichrist will gain power in the church and Satan will de­ceive us. In Jesus’ humiliation, His judgment was taken away. We must all remember that we are now members of His body of humiliation. If we exalt ourselves, it is because Satan has gained power in our thoughts. If we look up to and admire other people, we are especially vulnerable to flattery and thus we can easily go astray. A leader must particularly exercise himself in humility. “Let me not, I pray, show partiality to any­one, nor let me flatter any man. For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away.” Job 32:21-22. How many people think like that? These thoughts come from a pure heart and a godly life. Job’s attitude toward life clearly shows us how a person who is well pleasing to God thinks in his heart.

John writes that we don’t know what we will be; we only know that we will be like Him. This is enough for a disciple. It is a great deception to go around thinking we have to be something. This causes us to lose sight of the goal—which is to be like Him. Is there a hope burning in your heart that you will see Him as He is? Is this hope living for you? Everyone who has this hope purifies himself as He is pure and is happy and thankful in all the circumstances of life.