Receiving God As Reward God's S.C.A.R.F. Receiving God As Reward

Reward

Define Reward: Biblically Genesis 15:1b "I am your shield, your very great reward."

What's SCARF Quote from David Rock, author of SCARF: A brain based model for collaborating with and influencing others, he says this: “Much of our motivation driving social behaviour is governed by an overarching organizing principle of minimizing threat and maximizing reward. The SCARF model captures the common factors that can activate a reward or threat response in social situations.

What's SCARF Cont'd The SCARF model involves five domains of human social experience: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness: Status is about relative importance to others; certainty concerns being able to predict the future; autonomy provides a sense of control over events; relatedness is a sense of safety with others, of friend rather than foe; and fairness is a perception of fair exchange between people.

What's SCARF Cont'd These five domains activate either the “primary reward” or “primary threat” circuitry of the brain. For example, a perceived threat to one’s status activates similar brain networks to a threat to one’s life. In the same way, a perceived increase in fairness activates the same reward circuitry as receiving a monetary reward.”

A Bunch of Do Nots? No, it's a bunch of “do not need to do thems because you have God as your reward."

Our Thesis "We cannot feel rewarded when we receive God as our reward unless we allow God to define our SCARF. If we define our SCARF, i.e. our perception of status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness, we will not feel rewarded when we receive God as our reward, or worse, we do not know how nor have the capability to receive God as our reward."

Status David Rock says that “Status is about relative importance, pecking order and seniority. One’s sense of status goes up when one feels better than another person. Winning a swimming race, a card game or an argument probably feels good because of the perception of increased status and the resulting reward circuitry being activated.”

Status Giving to the needy Prayer Fasting Spiritual Status = Public Status

Jesus Said Jesus ended each of the paragraphs with “and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” you are co-heirs of Christ You can’t be more holy or more righteous or have more holiness or more righteousness than someone else. You are or you’re not. You are when you have God as your reward; You’re not if you don’t.

Certainty [Mat 6:7-8, 25-34 NIV] 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ... 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you--you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Pray Like This [Mat 6:9-13 NIV] 9 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

What about Squirrals? Invest? Plan? Save? Right or Wrong? Christian or Not?

Example Prayer “Dear God, my mutual funds in my RRSP portfolio are plummeting. I diversified but it’s not working because the interest rates are also low. Lord, I need these things to go up or how can I be sure that I will be able to take care of my family, buy a place to call our home and retire with no worries. Lord, I’m worried, please enable Barrick Gold, Suncor, GM, RBC, TD and all those companies that I’ve invested in to go up so that my future is secure.”

Autonomy “Autonomy is the perception of exerting control over one’s environment; a sensation of having choices. When one senses a lack of control, the experience is a lack of agency, or an inability to influence outcomes.”

Is Autonomy Bad?

What did Jesus Say? [Mat 6:19-24 NIV] 19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Our Fear: DEATH, DEAD, DIE, DYING

Word for Healthy = Generosity

Autonomy =Liberty “Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of being able to do what we ought.” — Lord Acton

Relatedness “Relatedness involves deciding whether others are in or out of a social group, whether someone is friend or foe.”

Relatedness [Mat 6:12-15 NIV] 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

God's Team of Forgivers

Fairness [Mat 20:12-16 NIV 'I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 "So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Conclusion Our status is that we are called co-heirs of the kingdom. Our certainty of the future is that His kingdom will come and His plan is what's best for us not ours, Our autonomy is that in Jesus, death is non existent and therefore, we have the freedom from the fear of death to be generous and to love others, our relatedness is fulfilled when we forgive and receive forgiveness from others and our fairness is that everyone who says yes to God receives His reward. Everyone has a chance to be called God’s child.

Review Our Thesis We cannot feel rewarded when we receive God as our reward unless we allow God to define our SCARF. If we define our SCARF, i.e. our perception of status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness, we will not feel rewarded when we receive God as our reward, or worse, we do not know how nor have the capability to receive God as our reward.

Question for You Do you really want God as your reward? Really want God as your reward? Then say, "God, let your will be done on me as it is in heaven."