Are You Ready?

Yesterday I talked about being prepared to meet God. I did so because yesterday's paper's obituary reminded me that death could come knocking at my door at ANY time! That's true for me ... that's equally true for you. So we must be ready to meet God ... NOT on our terms ... but HIS! So again I ask you ... have you made a faith commitment to Jesus Christ, turning from your sin and rebellion and turning to HIM ... trusting Him as your savior? I hope you have!

 Now ... as promised ... a word to those who claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ: You must be ready to stand before Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5 ... the apostle Paul writes, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" (verse 9). Note that at this judgment, it is not our eternal destiny that is at stake. For the believer in Christ, that was cared for at the cross. What IS in view here is how we have lived our lives since becoming a Christian. Many Christians have either never been taught that this judgment is coming OR have forgotten about it (out of sight ... out of mind sort of thing). But friends, this judgment is real. It's on God's calendar. It will happen. We will be called to give an account for both the good and the bad that we have done (and the good we have not done)!

So ... given the reality of this impending "judgment seat of Christ," have you paused to evaluate your life recently? Let me ask you just a few questions to help you do so:

1. How do you spend your time? How much of your time can you honestly say is spent on kingdom-advancing activities? How much time do you spend strengthening your soul? Encouraging others (in either word or deed)? Reaching out to the poor? How much of your time is wasted on temporal pursuits like television, video games, and the like? (There is value to recreational activities ... but we live in a culture in which these take "center stage." Therefore we as Christ-followers must beware lest we lose sight of God's calling on our lives!)

2. How do you spend your money? How much have you given of late to your church? To missions? To others in need? If you have to put a percentage on the amount of your annual income that you give to God .... what would it be? (One of my seminary profs told me that tithing our income (10%) is a good place to start but a poor place to stop when it comes to giving to God! My wife and I have followed his advice and have never regretted it.)

3. What is the quality of your relationships with others? Husbands, are you loving your wives as Christ loved the church and gave his life for her? Wives, are you showing respect to your husbands? Parents are you striving to raise your children in the way of the Lord (and what are you doing that would lead you to answer "Yes")? Children, are  you honoring your father and mother? Do you seek to give more or get more from your relationships?

I could go on ... but I don't want to ask you questions that I will not take the time to answer for myself. So ... all this to say: There is coming a day when you and I (if we are true followers of Jesus Christ) will stand before Him to give account. Let's live life NOW in light of THEN! 

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj