When years ago I imagined myself as a career novelist, I had a clear purpose in mind. I knew that God had given me a passion for writing and storytelling, and that He had commissioned me to use that passion to glorify and point hearts to Him. My calling was black-and-white, and so was my goal. I wanted to honour God first and foremost, and to reach the lost of this world for Him.
It's frustrating how Satan finds a way to corrupt everything that is simple and true. The further I travelled on the publishing journey, the more he raised up new desires, new goals and ambitions for the path I was on. The desire for approval from readers, for one; the desire for recognition, for another. The desire for success, that I wouldn't be a flop, the desire for affirmation, the desire to be known. Somewhere down the line, Satan introduced desires for the rewards of this world, until I had to take a step back and remember: those rewards had never been my aim.
Genesis 15:1: After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
God gave me a purpose to write, and He is my exceeding great reward. I don't need anything else—not fame, not success, not a name people know—because such treasures pale in comparison to the blessings He offers. The former desires are earthly rewards. They are temporal, fickle, fleeting. Though God has the power to bestow them if He so chooses, I should not be living for the hope of what is temporary and second-best. I should be living and writing for the true reward, my exceeding great reward that is promised by my Creator. Only then will I never be disappointed when this world and its dreams let me down.
May we all set our sights on the exceeding great reward, that we may always be joyful, fulfilled, and content regardless of what the world does or doesn't offer.
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