“And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27- Revised Standard Version)
How many boxes can we check in the following list?
· I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior (John 3:16).
· I love others as God loves me (John 13:34).
· I pray every day (I Thessalonians 5:17).
· I make it a practice to worship God (John 4:24).
· I regularly study God’s Word (Joshua 1:8).
· I share my faith in Christ with others (Matthew 5:14).
· I care for the needs of others (Galatians 6:2).
· I would rather be humble in heart than conceited (James 4:6).
· I am not judgmental of others (Matthew 7:1).
· I treat others the way I want to be treated (Luke 6:31).
· My aim is to glorify God in all that I say and do (I Corinthians 10:31).
· I am ready to face God at the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
Prayer
Dear Lord, help me to order my steps in Your Word. Amen.
“JUDGMENT DAY”
By: Rev. Dan Minor
“It is appointed to man once to die, then comes the judgment”
Hebrews 9:27
This is a follow-up to last week’s article entitled “Checking all the Boxes.” We talked about such things as accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, loving others as God loves us, etc. We ended up by asking “Am I ready to face God at the judgment?”
Christian believers have nothing to fear because Jesus took our judgment upon Himself by dying on the cross for our sins. When we repented of our sins, Jesus forgave us as He promised. In Romans 8:1 we read, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
The Judgment of believers will be a time of rewards for being faithful to God and by using the gifts God has given us to serve Him. In 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 we read, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
In the next life there will be a crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7-8) for those who have lived in a right relationship with God; “the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12) and the crown on life will become “the crown of glory that will never fade away” (I Peter 5:4).
The other kind of Judgment is called The White Throne Judgment where unbelievers whose names are not written in the book of life will experience eternal separation from God (Revelation 20:11-13). Jesus spoke about this in His Parable of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46).
Let us live with the promise of God’s salvation to all who believe.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank You for the promise of eternal life. In Your strong name. Amen.
