The Lord’s anointing oil is on you. —Leviticus 10:7
Our reward in heaven will not be determined by yesterday’s anointing but by today’s fresh anointing. I will not receive a reward for how well I preached, how many thousands I reached or blessed, or even how many people were converted under my ministry. To be rewarded for my gifts is nonsense! “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Cor. 4:7). God is not going to reward me for the ability He alone gave me. My reward in heaven (may God grant that there is such) will come entirely by whether I practiced what I preached: walking in the light, dignifying the trial, totally forgiving others, and placing utmost priority on my intimacy with Him.
And yet my continued effectiveness here below is also determined by my hearing God’s voice today. If my anointing given me yesterday is replenished by a fresh anointing that comes by the way I live personally and privately, I will continue to hear God speak and will know His will daily. I will not miss what He wants of me or what He wants me to see around me. I can think of nothing worse than missing out on what God is doing. And yet my knowledge of the Bible will not in and of itself guarantee that I will recognize what He is up to today.
We must all learn to distinguish the difference between what is important and what is essential—and always do the latter. Whether with our use of time, money, our diaries, or social relationships, the issue is what is essential and being sure we do what is essential. Yesterday’s anointing is important; today’s fresh anointing is essential.
Excerpted from The Anointing: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Charisma House, 2003).
