Questions about rewards in heaven for believers

[cubeus19]

Hi everyone, I hope everyone has having a great Christmas season. I had some questions concerning rewards for us believers in heaven. It's been awhile since I wrote on this topic, but from what I know the various rewards that exist in the afterlife have to either do with crowns or specific governing positions. And from what I've researched you get certain things by living a relatively clean and sinless life after converting to Christianity, winning people to Christ, helping other believers, enduring hardship, dying a martyr (at the hands of someone else of course this isn't Islam) and doing other services related to the church.

But the questions I'm pondering have to do with this, once a believer dies and has their rewards tallied up and everyone is in heaven this present age is over I was wondering for those who didn't get many rewards for the afterlife and are quote un quote a pauper in heaven can they still somehow work their way up the ladder if you will to a better position in eternity or is the position they receive or the rewards they receive in heaven set forever in stone based on this short life and this short life only?

And if that is the case well then, what about various types of people who never even had the slightest chance of serving Christ such as people with various physical and mental disabilities like people who lived their lives mentally retarded or were insane? Or people whose lives were cut short whether it be when they were teenagers, children, toddlers or even infants (like the millions who have been aborted over the last few decades)? What kind of rewards will they be able to receive or will they be heaven's peasant class so to speak because they couldn't live their full lives and accomplish big things for God?

Also, how about people like myself who would love to do big things for God but because of finances, circumstances, the fact that for the most part these days, people don't listen or pay much attention to anything that I or anyone else tries to do for them that's spiritually related. Or others who may be living their full lives and are fully functional human beings, but because they are not as talented, rich, born in the right time period, or have the right set of circumstances going for them, will they get a chance to work their way up in the afterlife or is their reward/position forever set in stone based on this short unstable lifespan?

One of the things that encourages me about the last paragraph is this one video that was done by John Ankerberg and pastor Erwin Lutzer when they were discussing this topic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZeCI4qEfjk

They seem to tell me that if a believer intends to do great things, but does not accomplish them for whatever reason, they will still be rewarded regardless of the outcome. Likewise people who might accomplish big things for God but didn't do it for the right reasons will not receive as big of a reward. So that seems to answer that part, but I"m still wondering about whether or not this short life forever determines what a person's reward or ranking in heaven will be.

Because won't people be forever tormented with regret by not doing more to get such and such position? And won't we possibly have to deal with things like jealously and envy if these rewards are set in stone based on this life? But if somehow we are still able to work or way up by doing something in the afterlife,

I feel like that would keep such things like envy and jealously at a bare minimum because if you don't like your present position just move up! And it won't be like this life where certain people try to hold you back or keep you in a low position and you will get fair opportunities and have the ability to accomplish them. So that's the view I want to take since it's a win win situation and it clears up many potential problems, but do you think it's supported by scripture? if not then, how do you think people in heaven will deal with the disappointment of forever knowing that they could have had more but for whatever reason they are forever stuck with less?

But anyways let me know what you think, have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[1over137]

Hi,

While reading your post two parts from the Bible immediately came to my mind:

Mark 12:41-44 NIV
41 And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting [a]money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a [c]cent. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all [d]the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their [e]surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, [f]all she had to live on.”

From Luke 12:48 NIV
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Just my 2 cents on part of your post.

Merry Christmas to you too.

[pat34lee]

What would we do with gold or silver once we die? They will be useless. We won't be buying or selling. All we have, we will lay at the feet of Yeshua (Jesus).

Read Matthew 20:1-16 about pay. Then for duty, read Luke 17:7-10.

[cubeus19]

Great points, let's see, does anyone else have anything they want to add?