Mensa Otabil - God's Boundless Rewards
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God’s rewards for us have no boundaries; He can reward us wherever we are, whatever country we find ourselves in. Acts chapter 10, verse 35: «But in every nation, whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.» This is a follow-up to yesterday’s verse, where Peter found out that God shows no partiality. He continues with his thought and says, «But in every nation, whoever fears God and works righteousness will be accepted by God.»
So God is not a respecter of race or nation; He does not elevate one race above the other, nor does He diminish one race below the other. It’s one of the truths we must grasp, especially those of us from African descent, because much of society has been programmed to think that there is something wrong with people of dark pigmentation, that we don’t have the opportunities others do. We sometimes even lack the mentality to win that others possess, but life proves that very, very false, and the Scriptures affirm that God has no partiality.
In every nation, God is looking for people to bless, and so long as we stay in the will of God for our lives, then our geographical location or skin pigmentation is not a disadvantage or an advantage in any way. Society may see it that way, but God doesn’t view it that way. God has not disadvantaged anybody by the country they were born in or by their physical or biological nature. God does not disadvantage anyone. The fact that God does not disadvantage anyone and that He is no respecter of persons doesn’t mean we will all do the same thing. It means that not everybody is going to be a preacher, an athlete, or a boxer. We can’t all do the same thing because God gives us different gifts, but that gift is according to His goodness, and it is not designed to diminish any other person.
So we do different things, but God is no respecter of persons. Our diversity and our differences are neither an advantage nor a disadvantage; it simply means we are different, and being different should not be seen in terms of value or importance. That’s what Peter discovered: that the Gentiles can access God just like the Jews can, and it was sobering for him as a Jew to think that way. He says, «In every nation, whoever fears God and works the right things will be blessed by God.»
There are two things: fear God. What does it mean to fear God? It means to honor and respect His principles. If God says «sow and reap,» and you honor that, you will sow, and you will reap. God is not going to say, «Oh, you’re a Black man; when you sow, you don’t reap,» or, «Oh, you’re in Ghana; when you sow, you don’t reap,» or, «Oh, you’re in America; when you sow, you reap.» No, we respect God’s principles; they work everywhere, at every time, for everybody. Because of that, we respect, fear, reverence, and honor His rules and regulations. If you honor God in any country, He will bless you-that’s what the Scripture is saying. God is no respecter of persons; what He looks for are people who honor His principles, live by His rules, and He will bless them.
The second thing is those who work righteousness-that means those who do what is right. If I do what is right in Ghana, God will bless me. If you do what is right in South Africa, God will bless you. If you do what is wrong in China, you will not be blessed. So, if you live your life with laziness, if you live haphazardly, if you don’t take care of your gifts, if you don’t grow in excellence, and if you don’t put quality into what you do, no matter what country you were born in, you’re going to fail. God is no respecter of persons. If the people who are disadvantaged now do the right thing, they will be advantaged. If the people who are advantaged now do the wrong thing, they will be disadvantaged. Why? Because the principles of God are without respect to race, nation, or geography.
Let us pray: Stay with me. Heavenly Father, help me to honor Your principles and do the right thing at all times and in every place. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.