My dad used to say “my job as a pastor is to help my people to have a better judgment seat.” Studying for a message, and came across the words below. Somber reminder that one day I will stand before the Judge of all the earth. But a heavier weight is the realization that how I order and lead my family will affect their judgment seat too.

Even now, I am working to make sure that my family is set up for the future. When most people make that statement, they are talking about financial security for their last few years on earth. When I say it, I’m referring to the millions of years that come after that. People accuse me of going overboard in preparing for my first ten million years in eternity. In my opinion, people go overboard in worrying about their last ten years on earth.

 I have imagined what it will be like when (my wife) comes face to face with God. The Bible guarantees this will actually happen. One day, my wife will stand before the Creator and Judge of all things. What a staggering moment that will be! I can’t imagine any of us being ready for the shock of that day, yet Scripture begs us to spend our lives preparing for it.

Romans 4:19-24 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Reading through Hebrews and Romans, we see one common teaching point, which must be the foundation of our Christianity – faith. There may not be a greater example of faith in Scriptures that that of Abraham. He was called by God to leave His home and homeland. He was given an amazing promise. He followed, not even knowing where he was going. And yet the passage above says that in all of it, He believed God. He didn’t stagger (To hesitate; to begin to doubt and waver in purpose; to become less confident or determined). Without a GPS or destination in sight, he walked strong. With no child, but the promise of a great nation to his name, he stayed steady. When it was long, and trials came, he was fully persuaded that what He had promised, He would perform.

Abraham’s example of faith is a tremendous model for us today. Peter tells us that we, too, have been given exceeding great and precious promises. With these, let us walk in faith, not staggering, and with nothing waivering. When He calls us to step out or leap out in faith, let us follow in faith. When it seems long, we must walk on. When it doesn’t make sense – and many times it won’t – we must walk on. When it hurts, we must walk strong. Might we not be “roller coaster Christians”, who sway and ride the ride of emotions. Let us be fully persuaded that he that hath begun a good work in us will perform it. He will do and fulfill what He said He would. Let us be “faithful to the end”, with full assurance in faith and God, because He can be trusted. Might I be faithful to the end, starting today.

While meditating on 2 Corinthians 5:10 today, I came across this clip. What a sobering reminder that, when it’s all said and done, there’s a real possibility we will look back with regret and say, “I could have done more…”

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

Paul writes to Titus a list of character qualities for preachers. They range from money, to violence, to child rearing, and even touch on anger management. But if we meditate upon this passage, one quality sums them all up. Paul says that a bishop is not to be “self-willed”. This is the mind of Christ, Who said “Not my will, but thine be done.”

Naturally, I am selfish. Naturally, I want “my will be done”. But if, like Christ, “my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me”, when my will and God’s collide, I’ll surrender mine to His. When petty things of life come up that irk me, I’ll be ok, realizing that the Lord might have brought them into my path to teach me patience, which leads to godliness and holiness. If I live a “not my will” life, I’ll be willing to step outside of my comfort zone to be what He wants me to be or do what He wants me to do. I’ll be willing to put my plans aside to meet the needs of others He wants me to help.

Today, might we lead a life that is not self-willed, for as I surrender my will to His, many other things on the “list” will take care of themselves.

Philemon 4-7 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.

There is much we can learn from this small book. We are reminded of the importance of forgiveness, even to those who have wronged us (vs 17). We are reminded that we may have a lot going right in our lives (vs 1, 4, 6, 7), but may still have wounds, scars, areas of forgiveness, or areas in which we can grow (vs 9, 11, 17-29). We also see that all things work together for good. Things that we may see as losses or hurtful in our lives may be for the furtherance of the Gospel (vs 15).

But today, I was challenged to be one that refreshes the saints. It is very evident in Paul’s writings the value he places on men and women who refresh and encourage brothers and sisters in Christ. The word “refresh” means: To give new strength or energy to; to revive; reinvigorate; to reanimate after depression; to cheer; to enliven; to give rest. We all know people who take energy out of us. We shouldn’t, but it’s tempting when we see them coming, to “remember something we had to do” and walk the other way. But we also know people who, after a good conversation with them, they refresh us. Our soul feels lighter. We feel comforted and energized. Let’s be that person! Might we look for ways – both physical and spiritual, with which we can refresh the saints.

Just a thought: “It was F.B. Meyer, I believe, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances”

Hebrews 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

We are surrounded by people going through a hard time. From those suffering outside of our boarders, to those in our country, to those in our church, and even in our own family, if we look, we’ll see people going through the fire. For those of us who work in ministry, we can get numb to it. If we’re not careful, we can even become calloused to people’s hurts and needs. This verse reminds us that not only are we to be mindful of these things, but we are to, almost meditate on their situation, putting ourselves in it, as if it was me going through that same thing.

As I think of this verse, I think of Christ. Isn’t this what Jesus did and does for us? He’s a high priest that is “touched” with our infirmities. He sympathizes and empathizes with us. And then, as our Advocate, He “goes to bat” on our behalf. Might we look around and recognize that “that could be me”, putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes. If I see that as “my child” or “my sickness” or “my poverty”, I’ll be more apt to reach in and then reach out to meet the need how I can. Let’s be like Christ in this area.

Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

Hebrews 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 

Reverence is defined as “deep respect for someone or something, awe, downcast eyes in the presence of“. Godly fear is defined as “caution (religiously), reverence (piety), respect, a just view and love of the divine character of God”; Growing up, we loved my dad. He was our hero. He took time from his (very) busy schedule to play ball with us, have activities with us, take us on vacations, have family alter with us, meet our needs as individuals, and much more. He was a great father to us. But as much as we loved him and enjoyed his company, we feared him. When we heard that dad was coming home, we went into “dad’s coming home” mode. We “sat up straight, with our hands on our laps” as dad would say (ok, maybe not literally). We made sure it was clean. We made sure there wasn’t any bickering or feuding amongst the siblings. We shaped up because we feared dad. This doesn’t mean we scared of him. It means we respected and reverenced him. We knew his (high level of) character, and that he expected his house to follow a certain order.

This fear of dad was good for us. It kept us right. It helped us to choose our friends wisely. It helped us to keep things decently and in order. It kept order in the home. I thank God for a dad who loved, but also chastened. I believe that one reason a fear of God or authority is lacking in society, is because there’s lacking of fear of dad in the home. It’s from our earthly parents we learn much of the character of our heavenly Father.

Whether or not we had a good home situation growing up, if we are to serve the Lord acceptably, we must possess a holy fear of God. As we saw earlier, a proper fear of God is understanding His divine character. He is holy. He is just. He is love. And as such, He expects His home (He dwells in us) to be ordered a certain way. For us, dad might have gone away to preach, or to work for a moment. But God never leaves or forsakes us. He’s always there, watching and kn0wing everything we do. Having this understanding will help keep us doing what we ought to do and being what we ought to do. Today, this week, and through our lives, let us develop a holy fear of God.

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

This verse that reminded me of an instance that happened a couple days ago. I was walking briskly (as I generally do) through Walmart (where all good Baptists shop :). As I passed the snack section, I noticed two rows of “star crunch” snacks. This wouldn’t seem significant to most people, but my sister (who has been serving as a missionary in Asia for the last two years) really likes these snacks. And the last time we were going to pay her a visit, we looked at three Walmarts, at Albertsons, and small stores trying to find them, but to no avail. However, this time, I saw two full rows of them, in two sizes (jumbo and regular).

As I passed the snacks, it seems a still small voice said “get those for Sue”. In my logic, it didn’t make too much sense, because I’m not going to see her again in Asia for another 4 months. But I bought them anyway. Fastforward to the next day, and I received a call from my friend – a faithful man in our church (John Castle). He had cancelled a job laying tile, and found out that tickets to Cambodia were less than $800. He had two weeks off, and he wanted to go to Cambodia that day! We talked, and I encouraged him to commit by purchasing the tickets. Then, later on that evening, two hours before check in time, John called me and said, “I have one carry-on that’s empty. Do you have anything you’d like me to take to Cambodia for you?” Oh – I did. And he did take them overseas for me.

It may not seem like much, but it seemed to be a big deal to Sue. She posted it online. She sent a nice text (or two or three) thanking me. She was grateful that someone had thought of her, and had sent something she liked her way. Yes, I was thinking of her while in that isle in the States as she slept in Asia. But I believe it was the Holy Spirit that really prompted me to do what I did.

I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit’s leading in the life of a Christian. Unfortunately, I think many times I’m guilty of quenching the Spirit. This little, seemingly insignificant illustration is a great reminder for us to seek to be sensitive to His leading. Maybe it’s a tract we ought to hand out. Maybe it’s someone we’re prompted to witness to. It can be as small as a note to someone who comes to mind. Perhaps it’s a need we can help someone with. Or maybe something as simple as a text or email to let someone know we’re thinking of or praying for them. Let’s be sensitive and obedient to the Spirit’s “still small voice”. We don’t know the difference it might make!

Hebrews 9:22-24 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 

This morning, I thank God for the shed blood of Christ. I know some have downplayed the importance of the blood. Some have preached that Christ could’ve been strangled and still been our substitute and mediator. But if the verse above is true, His blood must have been shed, and I’m thankful that it was! Without the shedding of blood, “there is no remission (pardon, deliverance, forgiveness, liberty)”. Leviticus 17:11 tells us that it is blood that makes the atonement for the soul. Col 1:14 tells us that we have redemption “through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins”. Romans 5:9 reminds us that we are “now justified by his blood”. In Exodus He said “when I see THE BLOOD, I will pass over you” – a beautiful picture of what Christ’s work would do for us, and His blood that would be “sprinkled” on us – causing God to pass over our sins and accept us.

I thank the Lord that though He didn’t deserve it, and though He didn’t have to, and though I should’ve been on that cross, He shed His blood for us. He walked Calvary’s hill. He bore the cross. He was nailed to that cross. And His blood – of necessity – and out of love for us and obedience to the Father, was spilt, as the One and perfect sacrifice. Might we not lose sight of the importance of the blood. Might we praise Him for it today.