Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Revelation 14:12-13
Edmund McIlhenny was a successful and prosperous banker in New Orleans, Louisiana, before the Civil War, but the defeat of the South left both the region and his personal finances in ruins. Having no other option, he moved his family in with his in-laws. His responsibility was to tend the garden so there would be food to eat. In the postwar period, McIlhenny began experimenting with peppers and, in 1870, obtained a patent for what he named Tabasco sauce. The product was initially sold in cologne bottles, with its powerful taste making small containers the preferred option for users. Though the company had some success during his lifetime, Edmund McIlhenny apparently did not regard it as a major achievement. He did not include it in an autobiographical sketch written near the end of his life, and it was not mentioned in his obituary. But his sons greatly expanded the company in the years that followed, and it is still in business today.
Many times we do not see immediate results from the work that we do for God. Often we are tempted to wonder if what we do makes any difference. But we have the sure and certain promise of God that those who are faithful will be rewarded and that the work that we do for Him, even in small things will not be forgotten. Jesus said, “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward” (Mark 9:41). We must not stop our faithful service for the Lord just because the final results are not yet evident. Only in Heaven will we see the full harvest of our work.
