What if...

It is very easy to become caught up in the everyday routine of one's life. Sometimes it may seem that instead of our keeping schedules, the schedules are actually keeping us. I must confess that, to a degree, I like routine. I suppose that it gives me some sort of feeling of security. I believe many of us are this way. The danger in routine however, is that sometimes we become so entrenched within it that we become blind to the larger picture. The little question above is designed to shake us out of any lethargy which our routine may have lulled us into.

What if the Lord were to return in the next few moments? We know that His coming is sure and certain, but none know the day or time. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Matthew 24:27) Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. (Luke 12:40) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2). If the Lord were to return in the next few moments would you be ready to stand before His mighty judgment seat? Consider these words from Hebrews, For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:30-31). Is this sobering? It should be.

What if you were to die today? Many live as though they will never die. Again, the writer of Hebrews states And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus tells us of a foolish rich man who thought that all was under his control and that he'd live forever, but God told him that very night he would die and all his earthly pursuits would be left to others (Luke 12:16-21). If we don't learn it from the Bible, our own life experiences teach us that our mortal existence is fragile and uncertain. If you were to die this very day, would you be ready to meet the Lord in judgment?

What if I really took these two questions to heart and got serious about my Christianity? Now we're getting somewhere, aren't we? You see as we answer the above two questions, We are faced with another vital question. What are we going to do about it? Each must ask and answer “What am I going to do with Christ?” Am I going to be a genuine, born-again, devoted disciple of Christ or am I going to be a pretender, a pew warmer, one who plays church?

When we meet the Lord in judgment, all the superfluous and pretentious will be stripped away and we will be exposed for what we truly are on the inside. Are you ready? I fear many are not. Isn't it time you got ready?

...Paul