Barnard Bail, 85, received the Distinguished Service Cross for saving the life of a pilot during a bombing raid over France, the day before D-Day. Bail rendered emergency medical treatment to the pilot, enabling him to safely land a plane. During the incident the pilot vowed to recommend Bail for high decoration for his unyielding dedication. The pilot later died and the account of Bail’s heroism was lost for decades.
For over sixty years Bail’s bravery went unrewarded—that is, until now.
During the ceremony, then Vice President Dick Cheney said,
“Today, however, is truly special: first, because the recipient is a hero of the Second World War…Second, this moment is special because it was so very long delayed.”
As Christians, many of us toil endlessly, ministering to people who are apathetic, unappreciative or simply aloof. At the end of a hard day we may feel unrewarded or unappreciated for our labor. The good news is that, like Bail, our service will not go unnoticed.
Here’s what the scripture says about the rewards of our service:
“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free” Ephesians 6:7-8 NIV
“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done” Matthew 16:27 NIV
“he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward” Psalm 11:18 NIV
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life” Mark 10:29 NIV