by David Brenneman
There indeed is a time that is for each person who breathes to have their moment before Jesus.
Hebrews 10:30-31 NASB "For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.”It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
What do you think about when you consider standing before Jesus? We all will someday. Will it terrify you or bring you joy unlike anything you have ever known?
We live in "live for the moment, live in the moment" world. Giving little of the time we have to God but often rather the leftovers.
We waste so much on worry and desires that are about the moment or the future.
We sometimes think that our moments of obedience outweigh the vast amount of time that we aren't obeying God's Word.
We forget that He desires obedience not sacrifice. He sent away the so-called leaders of the Jewish people to go and learn what that meant.
We pursue a life of personal desires that conflict most of the time with the desire of God in us.
We lift up organizations, businesses, sports, movies, entertainment of every kind, health, wealth, prosperity, self, above God. We lose out on so much that could have been had we been fully living the life we were meant to have in Christ Jesus.
Adding to our dilemma of living for self or things that matter not in light of eternity, we sometimes even do as is written in the Bible and think we are offering service unto God when we do such things...yet our hearts are far from God as is also written.
We need a right relationship with Jesus. A relationship where our focus as Disciples isn't on the water but on He who stands on the water. As followers of Christ Jesus we live a life of obedience in the one who gave up His life for me and you.
Earthly happiness is a fleeting thing. It's something we look for yet find it never lasts.
We look for this or that to bring about a life we think we desire or deserve...forgetting that passage where we are to deny ourselves and take up our own cross and follow Him. Forgetting to take His yoke upon us because His burden is easy and His load is light.
Time isn't on Our side in living life. It takes a breath or a heartbeat to change it forever. As I have shared, the husband of a former co-worker got up for a cup of coffee and fell dead to the floor. In recent months my Wife merely turned on her way and her knee messed up. Years ago I slept exactly wrong one night and woke up to an inability to move my head. Repeatedly we hear of the statistics of most of your car accidents happen within a few miles of your home.
We don't have all the time in front of us that we think we do. We have a day that's fixed where we will indeed give an account of our lives before Jesus Christ Himself.
I have often told people, as long as they breathe, there's hope. Regret is what's mostly pouring out of Hell. People weeping because they missed out all because of themselves. There will be no finger pointing at the Judgment Seat of God in that day. Everyone stands or falls on whether or not they had a right real relationship with Jesus Christ through salvation in Him alone.
We often don't understand what worship is. We are often worshipping and don't realize it for what it is. We take what belongs only to God, to Jesus, and give it to someone or something else. We set up idols and don't recognize them. We put people and things up on a pillar and point others to them to be recognized as worthy and don't see that for what it is.
We wonder why life isn't going well and we are contributing to that by not living the full life that God desires for us.
I often have to do my own review on my why's. Why am I wanting this or that. Why am I doing this or that. Why do I have this or that. Why's lead to other questions. What's my motivation? Am I going to point people to Jesus or to myself or someone or something else? Am I walking in a manner worthy of the calling that I have in Christ? Am I being a hypocrite or a follower of Christ? Will my day before Jesus Christ show anything that He considers worthy of value?
Your life, your breath, isn't for you to spend on you after you come to Christ for salvation. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus. We have a life to live as He sees fit. We have a responsibility as followers of Christ to live a life that honors Him. It may not be a life we are thinking that's 'us' but it will be a life that He's desiring to give us. We are workers in His fields. We are to obey in what He wants done in the time we have in those fields. Our goal is to receive that "Well done!" when we are finished. We are so easily distracted by the countless ways this world at Satan's direction draws people into sinful practices. We are unable outside of a life in Christ to fight on our own. If obedience were possible without a relationship with Jesus then Jesus died needlessly.
We also don't need to stay where we are. Time is too short to waste on trivial things that do not matter in light of eternity. We don't need to keep holding onto the past. We don't need to stay in whatever state we are if indeed it's unpleasant.
Take the hand of Jesus and ask Him to see you THROUGH it to the other side, whatever it takes, however He sees fit. We often let go of His hand when life gets difficult. We often start trusting in ourselves and our wisdom and knowledge. We start trusting our senses rather than the Spirit within us that is from God through Christ Jesus.
Time is so short. Most do not know at all when deaths door will open. The man who's voice is behind the audio version of the New American Standard Bible and another version...within a few days of completing those...he died. Quite unexpectedly.
We have but one life to live...making the most of every opportunity is what the Bible teaches. My mental state often gets misunderstood. I have a multitasking mind. I sometimes do check-out at the oddest of times because of that. It often settles down when I am focusing on just my moment with Jesus.
When you look at your life, how you are spending it, would you describe it as being a fully devoted follower of Christ? Would you say mostly? Would you say maybe half? Less? It's really important to determine that and fix that now. Remember our lives are not our own we were bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We owe Him everything. We ought to honor Him in what we do even if it's not what we prefer to be doing.
If you stepped into eternity today...would people describe you as a follower of Christ or list off things that never pointed people to Jesus? Right now you have the time to get life right. Right now you can choose to live as one who does not fear that day to come. Right now you have the time...
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