What is the reward for a life of righteousness? I’ve wondered that sometimes – I’m not sure if you have, too. The life of a Christian includes lots of sacrifices and decisions that in the short-term, sometimes seem less appealing. Thankfully, lots of scriptures – especially Old Testament ones, show the beauty of following God for a long period of time. Here is just one example from Psalm 93:12-15:
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.’”
God doesn’t just say the righteous will have a slightly better life, as if you just get a free cookie or a paper certificate celebrating your years of righteousness. No, you will FLOURISH. You will grow in an overwhelming fashion for following him in righteousness! I love the picture of trees in the passage, too. Both a palm tree and a cedar tree, when fully grown, tower over people in beauty. It takes time, but when they achieve their peak height, they are gorgeous sights, depicting God’s nature for everyone to see.
Making a righteous decision doesn’t always feel right in the moment. But if we lived based on everything we feel like in the moment, we would live a poor life with short-term pleasure. Instead, making a righteous decision will reap a reward that overflows and flourishes for years to come. As the psalm says, we will still bear the fruit of it in old age, which is why so many older, wise people look so young and fresh. The secret isn’t anti-aging cream, it’s a life of righteousness!
Whatever you do, choose the path of righteousness. It’s very rarely the convenient option – in fact, it’s usually much harder, but it reaps a beautiful, flourishing reward for years afterward. Whatever time God gives us on this earth, let’s use it to the best of our ability by living righteously and flourishing in his way. To end with a song lyric by Chris Renzema:
“You're the one thing that will last forever, so I'm done holding on to what won't matter.”
*Song Reference: The Right Things by Chris Renzema