Scripture is clear: God has a plan for your life—a specific plan. God’s plan includes specific works that He planned and prepared for you to do.
Ephesians 2:10 (Expanded Bible):
"God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made and created us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing."
You’re going to be rewarded for your faithfulness in loving God, loving others, and completing the specific works that God planned and prepared for you to do.
I was always taught that we all get the same reward, but that’s not true. We don’t all get the same reward in heaven. What we do on earth determines our reward.
Jesus, in Matthew 16:27, says:
"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."
God will reward each of us individually based on our behavior and what we do for Him.
You aren’t saved through your effort or your works. The simple act of believing in Jesus and giving Him your life saves you. Salvation is a gift from God to all who, by faith, believe in Jesus.
But once you’re saved, what you do with your life will determine your eternity in heaven.
It isn’t just the big things. God rewards us for the simple, daily things we do. Don’t just think of the big things—like the heroic acts the people of faith in Scripture did for God. Think of the little, daily things you do and the things you could do. Every little thing you do for God in love and obedience will be rewarded in heaven.
In Matthew 6:6, Jesus said:
"Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly."
You are saved by what you believe, but you are rewarded for what you do after you become a Christian. This is a new idea to many Christians, and it’s a powerful truth. It means that what you do with your Christian life really matters—to you—for all eternity.