The Lord wants us to experience a full reward

The Lord wants us to experience a full reward.  Read the following scriptures:

2 John 1:8 (NKJV) 8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) 6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Genesis 15:1 (NKJV) 15 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

Psalm 19:9-11 (AMP) 9 The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is Your servant warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed); and in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 57:2 (AMP) 2 I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]!

Proverbs 11:31 (ERV) 31 If good people are rewarded here on earth, then surely those who do evil will also get what they deserve.

1 Timothy 5:18 (KJV) 18 For the scripture saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

Do we follow a pattern of obeying the Lord's counsel?

The full reward of honor means that we develop a pattern in our life of obeying the Lord's counsel.  As children of God we can attain salvation and eternal life but miss out on experiencing the full reward of the Lord here on earth and in heaven, if we do not heed his counsel for our life.  How we walk this out is that we   develop a pattern of obeying what God has told us to do.  We think of the Israelites as an example of this when they were instructed to take the promised land.  They sent the spies into the land, as the Lord had instructed, and the majority of them came back and said it couldn't be done, except Joshua and Caleb.  The people had established a habit of complaining and being disobedient to the Lord.  The result of this practice of disobedience, is that when a life defining moment came up, they were ill prepared to do what God asked them to do.  It cost them the plan that God had for them.  They would not make it to the promised land.
They ended up dying out in the wilderness.  They had practiced disobedience so long, that when this life changing moment came up, they missed it.  It would prove to be irreversible.  It says in Numbers 14:26-30 (NKJV)  “26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: 29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.”

A contemporary look at the end times

Our Apostle Paul addresses the end times in a letter that he wrote to Timothy, his fellow co-worker in the faith.  Apostle Paul put it this way in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (AMP) 3 But understand this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear]. 2 For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane. 3 [They will be] without natural [human] affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); [they will be] slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good. 4 [They will be] treacherous [betrayers], rash, [and] inflated with self-conceit. [They will be] lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God. 5 For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them]."

What will it be like before the Lord returns?

We were recently moved in our heart by the Holy Spirit to focus on our Savior's second coming.  So we ask ourselves, what will it look like before the Lord's return?  The Lord Jesus gave us insight into this himself, it is recorded in Matthew 24:37 (NKJV) "37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."  Jesus insight into his second coming is that it will be like it was in the days of Noah.  So what was it like in the days of Noah?  It says in Genesis 6:5-8 (NKJV) “5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”  So we have a pattern of what to look for before the Lord's return.  But we want to find grace in the eyes of the Lord.  We activate this grace through faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.