Good Morning Girls!  Enough with the shenanigans (I love that word)......the word that has me so excited is REWARD!  I am excited about it because I believe it is the reason I do so much of what I do.....both good and bad.  The habits we have, the things we do automatically without thinking, even the things we do out of neccessity are attached to a reward.  Sometimes it is a positive reward, sometimes it is to avoid a negative reward.  We go to work and our reward is a pay check.  If we do not work we are negatively rewarded by not being able to pay our bills.  We brush our teeth and are rewarded with fresh breath and fewer cavities.  We stop brushing and are negatively rewarded with stinky breath, cavities, and being mistaken as a visitor from Britain. 
Now I know that I am taking this reward concept to an extreme.  A more accurate way to describe the previous examples is in cause and effect statements.  If you do this......then this will happen.  That is normally how you would describe such things.  But for me, when I started looking at different things in my life, it started to make more sense when I looked at as a reward system.  i like this new approach especially when I look at the negative behaviors I engage in.  There must be some kind of reward for doing the things I do not want to do.  Sure, Paul says it is our sinful nature, but if I have Jesus in my heart, and ask the Holy Spirit to live and dwell within me, shouldn't that help me stay away from the things that are slowing me down and holding me back?  So why then, do I eat a pint of ice cream, when I already feel fat?  Why do I speak to my child in a critical tone when she is simply being a 7 year old?  Why do I innocently say something to Tom, that deep down I know will bother him?  Is it because of my sinful nature?  Perhaps.  I also believe it is because there is some kind of reward attached to it.....even if it is a negative reward.
As I mentioned last week, the Bible has a lot to say about rewards.  There are 107 references to it.  They also include positive and negative rewards.  The first and last scripture references make it clear that the Lord believes in rewards, and it pleases Him to give them to us.  He is the Rewarder!  That is easy for me to see, especially when I look around at all He has blessed me and rewarded me with.  I also know that His rewards are better than anything I could ever come up with.  Still, I often find myself trying to reward myself for things in my life.  I want my reward.....and I want it NOW!  Another word for that behavior is instant gratification.  I used to refer to myself as "The Queen of instant gratification".....but one day the Lord told me to stop confessing that.  So let's just say, I still struggle with taking matters into my own hands when I want soomething, and I want it yesterday!
So Girls, we are going to take a look at the behaviors the Lord rewards, and how He rewards them.  We will also look at some of the negative rewards the Bible warns about.....and how you can avoid them!  We will even look at a few examples of true "queens of instant gratification".  My prayer is that in the end I will shed some light on those behaviors that I do not want to do.....yet find myself doing, over and over again.
Before we move on, I want everyone to see that the Lord is our Rewarder.  So here are the Two scriptures that started it all for me.......  I hope you will all be as stirred up as I am! 

Genesis 15:1 Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great."

Revelation 22:12  "Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds."

Love, patience, and rewards to you all,
Jen