Diserner
Well-known member
You know, it used to be for me, I felt like a pretty average Christian.
Maybe I felt I tried a little harder than the average Christian to pray and read and witness.
But I thought I was.... you know, pretty okay, doing pretty good actually.
And, it was my understanding, and it was taught to me, that basically, as a Christian you get a free pass to heaven and all your bad stuff gets taken care of.
You pretty much don't have to worry too hard about it, you know, God will show you the places you fell short here and there and you'll feel a bit bad for a second or two.
And then it's just, all happiness and joy forever, just a moment of feeling a little bit bad where you fell short, and the rest is gravy.
Well.... gone are those days for me. I have, after many decades of following the Lord, been privileged with a glimpse of his judgment on my life.
"He who knows what to do, and does not do it, will be beaten with many blows."
"The Lord chastens his sons, just as a father disciplines his children."
"If the righteous are barely saved what will become of the wicked?!"
All the places I thought I was doing "ok," I saw how far short I was really falling:
Hidden resentment and offense, and underneath even rebellion, for the mistreatment of superiors, and this brought in demonic strongholds.
Hidden spiritual pride for how holy I thought I was, and how I read the Bible and prayed more than anyone I know, and secretly looked down on them.
Places I really wanted people to like me, and indulged in the world, even when claiming to put God first.
Hours wasted in worldly activities that garnered no heavenly treasures but wasted precious time on this earth.
The pettiness with which I argued with fellow believers, caring more about being right than the state of their soul.
And I saw that God can be angry—really angry—even with his children.
Just like if you talked back to your mother, and your dad took you out to the woodshed—
God's discipline, even with the destination of heaven, was a far, far more serious matter than I ever realized or anticipated as a Christian.
And I humbled myself greatly, and I spent years repenting and repenting for all these things;
When I thought I was passing with top marks, I had to go all the way back to Go and not collect 200 dollars.
Now, I'm not saying a believer goes to hell for messing up, and we all mess up in various little ways.
But man, Christians everywhere really do not take seriously the judgment seat of Christ, and how powerful and frightening our Savior can be.
The atonement—which completely covers our sin, make no mistake—does not somehow invalidate God's chastening judgments.
There is a price to pay for lukewarm and disobedient sons and daughters, and it's scary.
I don't think it's wrong for each of us to evaluate our lives and pray and meditate on whether we are really living up to the standard of grace, and the great cost Christ has paid for us, whether we are a Bride with a beating heart in earnest love with the One for whom we wait, and everything he had hoped for when he suffered so miserably in such humiliation; or whether we have in fact fallen asleep in the lap of worldly entertainments while we indulge in a self-righteous view of ourselves.
I read a story in an old book, it was not an official publisher, but it was on the judgment seat of Christ.
A well known evangelist who had traveled the country and led thousands to the Lord with many hundreds of meetings, had a dream one night.
In this dream he was standing in line with thousands of people, and angels were at the head of the line opening a book for each person and reading out what they had done, and the Lord was sitting above with eyes of fire. He said, there was such a sense of sobriety and seriousness about it, and people were weeping as the state of their lives were examined and read out. These where Christians—weeping and crying over how their lives fell short and were full of sin.
As he made his way up he started to doubt himself and wonder how well he had done and what he was to expect, and even though he was such a successful minister in the church's eyes and the world's eyes, that fear of the Lord made him wonder exactly where he stood. Finally his turn came up, and the angel opened a book and slowly turned it page by page, and when he came to the end the angel turned to the Lord, with a moment of suspense. He just said four words, "He has a little."
He woke up in a sweat, and re-evaluated his life. I believe this was a wake up call to this man.
Now I know a lot of modern day "grace" would invalidate this message and say you can just shout the "Blood" of Jesus and that's what grace means, but Christ having paid for all our sins does not leave him with no expectations on our lives and no consequences for our works.
It would be a wise thing to thoroughly repent and cry out for vision and mercy before we go on to meet our Maker.
If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Cor. 3:15 NKJ)
And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (Lk. 12:47 NKJ)
For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." (Heb. 12:6 NKJ)
"I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. (Dan. 7:9-10 NKJ)
Let all who name the name of Christ examine our lives and behavior.
If we start now, here in this life, there will be far greater mercies for us in the life to come, and we can stand before him unashamed at his presence.
God bless the readers.
Maybe I felt I tried a little harder than the average Christian to pray and read and witness.
But I thought I was.... you know, pretty okay, doing pretty good actually.
And, it was my understanding, and it was taught to me, that basically, as a Christian you get a free pass to heaven and all your bad stuff gets taken care of.
You pretty much don't have to worry too hard about it, you know, God will show you the places you fell short here and there and you'll feel a bit bad for a second or two.
And then it's just, all happiness and joy forever, just a moment of feeling a little bit bad where you fell short, and the rest is gravy.
Well.... gone are those days for me. I have, after many decades of following the Lord, been privileged with a glimpse of his judgment on my life.
"He who knows what to do, and does not do it, will be beaten with many blows."
"The Lord chastens his sons, just as a father disciplines his children."
"If the righteous are barely saved what will become of the wicked?!"
All the places I thought I was doing "ok," I saw how far short I was really falling:
Hidden resentment and offense, and underneath even rebellion, for the mistreatment of superiors, and this brought in demonic strongholds.
Hidden spiritual pride for how holy I thought I was, and how I read the Bible and prayed more than anyone I know, and secretly looked down on them.
Places I really wanted people to like me, and indulged in the world, even when claiming to put God first.
Hours wasted in worldly activities that garnered no heavenly treasures but wasted precious time on this earth.
The pettiness with which I argued with fellow believers, caring more about being right than the state of their soul.
And I saw that God can be angry—really angry—even with his children.
Just like if you talked back to your mother, and your dad took you out to the woodshed—
God's discipline, even with the destination of heaven, was a far, far more serious matter than I ever realized or anticipated as a Christian.
And I humbled myself greatly, and I spent years repenting and repenting for all these things;
When I thought I was passing with top marks, I had to go all the way back to Go and not collect 200 dollars.
Now, I'm not saying a believer goes to hell for messing up, and we all mess up in various little ways.
But man, Christians everywhere really do not take seriously the judgment seat of Christ, and how powerful and frightening our Savior can be.
The atonement—which completely covers our sin, make no mistake—does not somehow invalidate God's chastening judgments.
There is a price to pay for lukewarm and disobedient sons and daughters, and it's scary.
I don't think it's wrong for each of us to evaluate our lives and pray and meditate on whether we are really living up to the standard of grace, and the great cost Christ has paid for us, whether we are a Bride with a beating heart in earnest love with the One for whom we wait, and everything he had hoped for when he suffered so miserably in such humiliation; or whether we have in fact fallen asleep in the lap of worldly entertainments while we indulge in a self-righteous view of ourselves.
I read a story in an old book, it was not an official publisher, but it was on the judgment seat of Christ.
A well known evangelist who had traveled the country and led thousands to the Lord with many hundreds of meetings, had a dream one night.
In this dream he was standing in line with thousands of people, and angels were at the head of the line opening a book for each person and reading out what they had done, and the Lord was sitting above with eyes of fire. He said, there was such a sense of sobriety and seriousness about it, and people were weeping as the state of their lives were examined and read out. These where Christians—weeping and crying over how their lives fell short and were full of sin.
As he made his way up he started to doubt himself and wonder how well he had done and what he was to expect, and even though he was such a successful minister in the church's eyes and the world's eyes, that fear of the Lord made him wonder exactly where he stood. Finally his turn came up, and the angel opened a book and slowly turned it page by page, and when he came to the end the angel turned to the Lord, with a moment of suspense. He just said four words, "He has a little."
He woke up in a sweat, and re-evaluated his life. I believe this was a wake up call to this man.
Now I know a lot of modern day "grace" would invalidate this message and say you can just shout the "Blood" of Jesus and that's what grace means, but Christ having paid for all our sins does not leave him with no expectations on our lives and no consequences for our works.
It would be a wise thing to thoroughly repent and cry out for vision and mercy before we go on to meet our Maker.
If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Cor. 3:15 NKJ)
And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. (Lk. 12:47 NKJ)
For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives." (Heb. 12:6 NKJ)
"I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. (Dan. 7:9-10 NKJ)
Let all who name the name of Christ examine our lives and behavior.
If we start now, here in this life, there will be far greater mercies for us in the life to come, and we can stand before him unashamed at his presence.
God bless the readers.
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