“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Since then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others.” 2Corinthians 5:10-11
In 2006 Al Gore released a documentary on global warming called, “An Inconvenient Truth,” urging us to do something to make changes in the environment before it’s too late. It’s not just about us, he urged, it’s about the world we’re giving to our children.
While I’m all for stewardship of the earth and reducing carbon emissions, there’s another inconvenient truth that troubles me way more than global warming – it’s the final judgment. It turns out that our lives on this planet will one day appear like a vapor in light of eternity, and that the choices we’re making now determine how our judgment will go then. To live in light of that day is to know the fear of the Lord. To live ignoring our accountability to God is reckless and dangerous. As Hebrews 10:30-31 says, “For we know Him who said, ‘It is Mine to avenge; 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.” That is, it’s terrifying to be completely unprepared for our judgment day.
Here’s the inconvenient truth that must be told: Jesus came the first time as a Lamb to save the world, but He’s coming the second time as a Lion to judge it. I want to be ready for that day and I want to persuade others to be ready as well. Let’s change our lives now, let’s serve God now, and let’s seek His presence now before it’s too late. Jesus took God’s judgment on sin when He died on the cross, so that we could be forgiven. Let’s make our identity in Him and receive His love now instead of being exposed by His holiness then.
One Thing 