Romans 14:10
"Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance praise to God.’” Isaiah 45:23-24 “I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to me.” 24 The people will declare, “The Lord is the source of all my righteousness and strength.” And all who were angry with him will come to him and be ashamed.” The dark and deceptive practices of this world are successful in creating a society where people focus on the here and now and ignore the consequences of their choices that will impact their eternal destination. We live in an environment that promotes and even celebrates an unlimited indulgence in pride, fleshly pleasures and self gratification. This culture of over indulgence, if allowed, can create tunnel vision for decisions that are made out of lust and in haste with a total disregard for how those decisions of today impact a person’s eternal life. Philippians 3:19 (NLT) states,”They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.” When making decisions in our lives, God instructs us to base those decisions on His Word knowing that the choices of today will one day be judged by Christ. The Bible is clear in outlining two judgments that will occur in the future. One judgment is for non believers and one is for believers. For non believers their judgment will be at the Great White Throne Judgment. For anyone that has not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, their verdict at the Great White Throne will be condemnation to hell for eternity (Revelation 20:11-15). The other judgment is for believers which will be held at the judgment seat of Christ. Believers who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will not experience the Great White Throne Judgment as that is only for non believers. Followers of Christ will however be judged for their actions on this earth, whether good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5:10 tells us, “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” We must always be on guard as this world can be very convincing in leading us to believe that our measure of success is based on personal success and materialistic things and not on the uncompromising Word of God. God is not impressed by your status with man or the things you have accumulated. What He is interested in is your relationship with Him and your willingness to serve Him and be obedient to His will for your life. As He has called us all to be a beacon to the lost, the question is not how much you have in the bank but rather how have you lived in relationship with others while exemplifying His Truth in your words and deeds? This is not talking about your salvation or forgiveness of sins, that is a free gift from Christ received through your faith in Jesus as the ultimate and final sacrifice for your sins. What God is looking for is your ability as believers to dedicate yourselves to His Word and fulfill His will for your life. How effective have you been in staying in a position of accountability with fellow believers and putting on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) so that your flesh does not influence the decisions you make? As you again reflect on the verses above, I ask you to step back, through prayer and a study of God’s Word, stop making decisions for the here and now and allow God to show you His will and plan for your life. Do not allow this world to dictate or rush you into earthly decisions or situations that down the road you will regret and one day you will be held accountable for. Separating yourselves from earthly influences and basing your decisions on God’s Word is a Christ centered lifestyle you should carry in all areas of your lives; in your families, finances, job, daily activities and your relationship with others. One day we will all stand before our Savior and give an account of how we lived our lives and how we upheld not only His will for our lives, but how we walked in His Truth. When that day comes and we stand before Christ, our knees will bow, our hearts will be exposed and our lives will be revealed. We will not be able to post a falsehood on social media or blame it on someone else, we will be held accountable for each good or not so good action, word and intention (1 Samuel 16:7) we had. Today I encourage you to repent and in your prayer time go to God through Jesus Christ asking the Holy Spirit to enhance your relationship with our Creator. Praying for the strength, wisdom and discernment to begin living the life He created you for. A life that not only gives you the anointing to be the difference, but more importantly a life that reveals His glory in all your ways. Dear Lord, open our eyes that we may see every situation around us through Your perspective. A perspective of clarity and focus, with hearts conformed to Your will. Our desire is to live a life pleasing to You and only You. We pray that You would rain down Your strength, endurance, wisdom, knowledge and discernment upon us that we would live a life representative of You and Your desires for this world. A life showing You and Your Truth in all of our words and deeds. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.
Shalom!!
Comentários