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A Life That Pleases God

Chapter 1
A Life That Pleases God
Only one life, ’twill be past,
only what’s done for Christ will last!
—C.T. Studd
Your place in heaven is secure in Jesus Christ. But whether He will say to you “well done” when you arrive there is not guaranteed. Yogi Berra is credited with saying, “It’s hard to make predictions, especially predictions about the future.” Yet, I predict—even guarantee—that if you intentionally apply the simple truths you will find in the following pages, you will enter into one of the greatest adventures of your life—the type of life that your Master, Jesus, can evaluate as “well done.” So let’s begin!
Here is something I want you to consider. When you die (which you will 100 percent do), what will you bring with you to heaven? Perhaps you’ve thought to yourself what you hope heaven might be like. But have you ever considered that you can bring something from earth to heaven with you? It’s a common misconception that heaven is a place where life takes a pause. While it’s true that heaven is a place of rest and peace, we will also work and have responsibilities there. We will experience life to the fullest. Both worship and rest are important to our Christian walk on earth and will certainly continue into eternity. Also, the work we lived out on earth will not be forgotten. We are actually able to bring something from life on earth—our good works! Revelation tells us, in chapters 2 and 3, “I know your works,” “do the first works,” “as for your works, the last are more than the first,” “for I have not found your works perfect before God.” In eternity God is very interested in and evaluates our life by our works.
My beautiful wife, Valerie, and I have said regarding heaven, “We will be satisfied just getting in the door!” As believers, we don’t need to worry—the good news is that the door is already open to us through the redemptive work of the cross. In Matthew 7, Jesus told us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (vv. 7–8). This is a promise you can trust in. But let’s not confuse the topic of works as a salvation issue. Your good works do not “earn” you getting into heaven. We know that the only reason we will be in heaven is by the finished work of Jesus Christ: “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).
This “one sacrifice” covers your sins eternally and freely. Paul made this abundantly clear as well when he said, “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Romans 11:6). You are saved by the grace of God, and that’s not your own doing, in case anyone should boast (see Ephesians 2:9). But though grace will get you into heaven, your life on earth earns the rewards there!
Heavenly rewards and those precious words “Well done, good and faithful servant” go hand in hand. Being given eternal rewards is dependent on your life bringing increase with that which the Master has entrusted to you for His kingdom. When you are faithful with your life, when you seek kingdom increase, you live with greater joy on earth and certainly in glory. This kingdom-based joy is natural when you are in a relationship with Jesus. Notice what Jesus had to say regarding faith and works: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4). Jesus used the metaphor of a vine and branches to explain the natural result of a relationship with Him—good works. You are not able to “bear fruit” or good works on your own, but only through intentionally growing your faith. That comes by drawing near to God and being in fellowship in the body of Christ on earth. Faith and works are inseparable and naturally develop together. And the sober reality is that the quality of your life in eternity is currently being earned now, by your choices on earth. Right decisions here on earth will bring you extravagant blessings forever! The fact that some people will have better rewards in heaven, leading to a better experience of life there, is clearly seen in Scripture. Paul wrote that all of our works will either be wood, hay, or straw; gold, silver, or precious stones—(see 1 Corinthians 3:12) and that they will be rewarded accordingly. Certainly being in heaven at all is immeasurably wonderful. But this passage of Scripture reveals there is more. There are clearly degrees of reward that will make our experience in heaven even better. I will explain this concept in great detail in the following chapters.
Few believers consider that the quality of life in eternity is earned by our choices on earth. Actually, few believers serve and do good works to obtain rewards. Contrarily, we serve Jesus as an act of sheer gratitude. Yet, bearing fruit is a command, one that will bring joy. The good news is that God has created and destined you for kingdom fruitfulness! In Colossians 1 Paul said that it is his prayer that the believers of Colossae would “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (v. 10). This is not just a command for the believers then; it is also an example for us today of what it means to walk with the Lord. To please Him, as you daily walk with Him, you not only will produce good works, but your desire for good works will increase. When your life is fully surrendered to God, you are able to become who you were always purposed by God to be.
You do not belong to yourself but have been bought at a very high cost (see 1 Corinthians 6:19–20). It took the price of God’s Son, because your eternal soul, you, are precious to Him. You are God’s personal possession! He personally paid for you to be His own! While this truth might seem restrictive at first, it actually allows you to live more fully and freely, no longer bound by sin. If you belong to God, He watches over and provides for you. And when you belong to God, you no longer belong to sin or to the world. Titus 2:14 agrees: “[He] gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” (emphasis mine). What a powerful verse! Not only does it tell of God’s “cleanup job” on you, taking you out of rebellion and making you fit for the work by purifying your life, but it also shows that you are His own possession—there’s an intimacy here! You can be secure that you belong to the One who created you and knows you fully.
Think of that for a moment, friend . . . You are God’s personal possession, like a fine necklace or prized keepsake! Even if you feel broken, you can rest assured that you have been made whole through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. You are valuable to God and belong to Him alone. What this means is that your life matters very much, that God knows you personally, and that He treasures you deeply!
This verse in Titus also says that as one of His people, not only are you to do good works but you are to be eager and “zealous” to do them. You have been redeemed for a purpose, and that is to do the work of the Lord while you are here on earth. It is not only an obligation but a joy! Again, it’s important for you to remember that good works are not a salvation matter. You are saved by grace alone, and you can’t do anything to earn this privilege (see Ephesians 2:8–9). But still, God highly prizes good works and even expects them of you. We see this reflected throughout the writings of the apostles Paul and James.
When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he told them to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). God’s desire for you and me is a life abounding with good works. There are two important things we should remember.
First, God created you for good works. Speaking to the church in Ephesus, Paul proclaimed, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). God has crafted and shaped you according to His design. You are uniquely and wonderfully made. He has planned good works for you to do, and you are and will be rewarded when you do them!
Second, works quicken your faith. James, in his letter to the twelve tribes of Israel, implored his fellow believers to care for one another. He urged them to love their neighbor and to meet the needs of their community. He tied these actions directly to their faith:
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? . . . Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:14, 17–18).
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Excerpted with permission from Hearing Jesus Say Well Done: The Secret to Securing Heaven’s Rewards by Daniel Steiner, Copyright 2024, Daniel Steiner.
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Daniel Steiner
Daniel Steiner serves as founder and chair of PreBorn! and the author of Hearing Jesus Say Well Done. Under his leadership, PreBorn! has grown into the single-most successful pro-life mission in the world, seeing over 77,000 commitments to Christ. Learn more at preborn.com
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