Scripture reading: I Corinthians 3:6-15
Let us look at another important subject. This time it is “works.” All the men that have the big works, the big hospitals, the big colleges, the big churches with thousands and thousands of members – they will be getting all the crowns from God because they are ministering to millions of people. There will be hardly any crowns left for the poor us, right? You can look, for example, at the 700 Club which has a viewing of many millions of people. So, it would be difficult for any of us to get any of these crowns if all the brothers that have all this equipment can send their voices over the whole earth and reach so many people.
But that is not true!
Do you know a secret? You only get blessed of God for what God tells you to do. Isn’t that terrible? You go to all the trouble, brother, to have a school to teach Christians; you bring up ministers and send them out to preach; you do this, you do that, you do the other, and you get paid for nothing. Unless God told you to do it – you are a loser. Oh my, God, it is terrible! When you think of it, it is really terrible.
Here comes a man who says, “Lord, I have got a million souls in heaven.” God replies, “…Wood, hay, stubble” (I Corinthians 3:12).
On the other hand, here is a little old lady, a sister that is burdened with the housework. All she can do is pray. She has no time to go out and win souls. She has no time to do this, to do that, or to do the other. The only thing she has is her little time to pray. When God calls her to pray, she goes in to pray humbly.
God says, “Gold, silver, precious stones…” (I Corinthians 3:12).
Don’t you see where God brings the equilibrium, where He balances out the whole deal? Unless God tells you to do it, your work is in vain.
God may tell you, “Sister, sweep the floor. I want you to sweep the floor.” And you get your broom, go down, sweep up, and mop up everything. God says, “Gold.”
But God goes and tells the other man, “Travel across the United States to Los Angeles and preach to a thousand (or ten thousand) people.” The man gets the same pay as you do for sweeping the floor. For God is paying you for obedience.
God tells somebody else, “Go and stand in the street over there.” The person stands out in the street corner. He doesn’t see anything, he doesn’t hear anything, and he doesn’t do anything. But lo and behold, God says, “Gold.” He went there because God told him to do so. Because of his obedience, God had His spirits out there doing what they had to do in order to build His Kingdom with one man standing in that particular place.
Don’t you understand that this is like an army with a General directing His troops? The troops don’t know where they are going; they are not seeing what is going on out there. The troops only know that they are being directed by somebody who is seeing the battle and knows what is best to do.
(Excerpt from The Contract with God, an audio message #1983-03-06)
Thought for today: Obey God in what He tells you to do so that you may receive your crown of glory.
Sonlight Devotional 
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