PHILIPPIANS 1:21 – For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

THEME OF THE DAY. JUST IMAGINE. Just imagine Jesus interrupting us right now as we are reading today’s nugget. We stop, look into His penetrating, all-knowing eyes and He says, “My child, a week from today, at this same time, I am calling you to Myself. It will be your last day on earth. Your life here is over. It is time to give an account for your life.”

Now before we go further, we need to make sure we understand that a Day of Accounting for our lives is going to happen. For some reason, there are Christians who believe there is no judgment for believers. This is a failure to understand both Old and New Testament teachings as well as the theology of salvation. In the closing of Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us – The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Our Lord Jesus ends His last public sermon, the Olivet Discourse, with a description of the final judgment where both sheep – His people – and goats – not His people – appear to be judged for the lives lived (Matthew 25:31-46). Moving further into the New Testament, the Apostle Paul makes it clear all people will face a day of personal judgment – 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” (Romans 14:10-12). He would also add this statement in his second letter to the church at Corinth – 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 5:10). One reason Christians resist this truth is due to failure to understand the doctrine of justification by faith and the work of the Gospel. Believers will be judged for how they lived but not for their sins. We should not be afraid of this judgment but be wise and live in light of this judgment. It isn’t punitive. It is to be a day of rewarding faithful living with the warning of losing rewards if we don’t – For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

With the issue of judgment settled, let’s go back to the “just imagine” scenario. Jesus finished telling us we have a week left on earth. So what difference would that revelation make? I hope not any. But think about it. Would we change how we plan the coming week? Would we parent our children with greater emphasis on their spiritual development? Would our marriage roles reflect greater obedience to God’s Word? Would our free time be used more for Kingdom purposes than our own? Ideally and scripturally, we should not have to change anything. After all, today’s scripture is how we already are supposed to be living – for Him, each day, with an eye to eternity, knowing today may well be our last day on earth.

PRAYER: “Father, help me daily to live my life as You intend – as a pilgrim passing through heading to heaven.”

QUOTE: “Live today as if it were your last day on earth. It might be and someday it will be.”