There’s a song that talks about a man who retires from his job after thirty years of faithful service to his company. Whenever I hear it, I can’t help but think about its spiritual and prophetic implications. The chorus goes like this:
Today’s the day I get my gold watch and chain,
Engraved with thirty years of service and my name.
Men in pin-striped suits and ties,
Shake my hand as they walk by.
Today’s the day I get my gold watch and chain.
This man has been faithful in his duties, waiting every hour of every day, day-after-day, for thirty years. Finally, the time has come for him to be recognized with his reward. Likewise, one day, each believer will be recognized in eternity, at the Bema–the judgment seat of Christ. Each believer’s deeds will be tested with fire. The hay and chaff will be burnt away, leaving only his pure, just, and precious rewards. Instead of a gold watch and chain, the believer will receive something of real value, too precious even for us to fully understand in this life.
Like the engraving on the gold watch, each believer’s rewards will be personalized. However, a gold watch and chain will seem like nothing compared to these eternal rewards. This is because the One that the believer is devoted to is so much more powerful than an earthly company.
We will no longer answer to authority figures wearing pin-striped suits. Instead we will answer to the ultimate authority. Here, we are congratulated with a handshake, but in eternity we will live forever with Jesus Christ.
I can’t wait for the day when I receive that ultimate gold watch and chain.