ROMANS 14:10-12 – “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

THEME OF THE DAY: THE DAY OF ALL DAYS.   We will be there.  We won’t miss this appointment.  We cannot cancel or reschedule it.  It is the Day of Judgment.  To go along with today’s scripture, the Apostle Paul would add this concerning that day of all days – “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 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” (2 Corinthians 5:6-10).

There are a couple things about judgment day we need to know.

First of all, we don’t need to be afraid.  We are not going to face judgment for our sins.  We stand before the Judge, the Lord Jesus, who is also our Savior, and our advocate. The Apostle John gives us such good news about these truths – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). So let’s not live in dread over being judged for our sins.  Jesus paid the price for them, all of them, once and for all – “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:11-14).

The second thing to remember concerning Judgment Day is how to live in light of its coming.  Initially, we are to be conscious that we are going to give an account to God for the stewardship of our lives.  This stewardship will be how we spent the life He gave us in the use of our time, talents, and treasures.  Don’t forget, everything we have is from God and He demands a good stewardship of all (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).

With this consciousness, we then follow the Apostle Paul’s instructions in the fifth chapter of his letter to the Ephesians – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17). Who is the wise Christian? The one who uses time wisely, and nothing is wiser than the proper use of our time because time is what will be judged – how we used it, what we used it for, and who we invested it in.

We know it is appointed unto man when to die, then the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). What we don’t know is the appointed time.  Be wise in living for that day of all days. After all, that is what life is really about – preparing for judgment.

PRAYER: Father, may I live my life each day realizing I am a steward of my life to give an account of it to You.

REFLECTION: Judgment Day should not make us afraid, but wise, and to live wisely in light of that day.