You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
23 O love ['ahab] the LORD [Yahovah], all ye his saints [chaciyd]:
for the LORD [Yahovah] preserveth [natsar] the faithful ['aman], and
plentifully [yether] rewardeth [shalam] the proud [ga`avah] doer [`asah]. KJV-Interlinear
23 O love
the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful, And fully
recompenses the proud doer. NASB
This verse has two applications. In both, the good aspect and the bad, the Lord deals with believers in abundance and never short changes anyone, when it comes to providing or applying them with that which they are due.
Gods expectations of each person are made very clear throughout the scriptures. The mandates are clear, the examples are clear, the parables are clear. There is no question left that anyone can look to, in order to get an even more clearer answer.
And yet the vast majority of believers do not comply with Gods mandates. They remain in their world of pretense and self-defined spirituality.
And so, God deals with everyone accordingly.
For those who advance properly in their spiritual lives, there is an abundance of reward and blessing, both now and in eternity.
For those who fall short of that which is expected of them, due to their indifference, do to their neglect, do to their stubborn refusal to comply with Gods mandates, there is likewise an abundance of punishment, or the abundance of the removal of blessings.
God does not give a little or take a little. He either gives a lot, or takes a lot.
Plentifully, ‘yether,’ means an abundance, or that which is far beyond what is necessary, as in the case for positive rewards.
As for punishments, God likewise gives plentifully, and does not withhold punishment, or let up, when the punishment is due and proper. In the case of reward lost, God does not and will not forgive and forget and give out blessings anyway.
So, if you think that your sincerity will get you by, or if you think that God will give you something anyway, once you get to heaven, then you are mistaken.
The only things certain that any believer will receive in heaven and eternity will be eternal life and a resurrection body.
As to rewards, then look to the many good things in this world as an example guide for similar rewards for eternity. There are the obvious things like gold and jewels, but then there are the more subtle rewards like promotion, talent, abilities, insights, innovative abilities, privileges, and this infinite list continues.
So, missing out on eternal rewards means missing out on a huge array of blessings, even beyond ones imagination. And that qualifies as abundant.
There is incentive for complying with Gods expectations, but you really have to want to know God, fully. You really have to want to grow up in accordance with His expectations. You really have to want to complete yourself and fulfill your meaning and purpose correctly, not by some poorly defined pretense.
Lest, you fall short, and worse, do not discover your shortage until after death, when it is too late for you to change.
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