Corona Devo 138
Did anyone tell you Bible stories when you were little?
Did you have the pleasure of learning about David and Goliath or the Prodigal Son on a flannel board in a Sunday school classroom?
For many of us, Bible teachings were a part of our childhood foundations, and they set a warm fuzzy feeling about God's love and future for us. God does love us, and he has a future in Heaven for us with Him if we choose to live our lives on earth for Him.
I'm pretty sure that the Sunday school flannel board didn't clarify that Heaven is not the default location for our souls, but rather it is a privilege that Christ died excruciatingly on the cross for us to inherit if we choose to follow Christ on earth.
Today's scripture is anything but warm and fuzzy, but it is also Biblical truth, spoken by John as he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos as a result of spreading the gospel of Christ. While John was there, he and God had lots of alone time, and John received "visions" or "revelations" that John wrote down to form the Book of Revelation.
Maybe you fear death. Maybe you ignore that death will come. Maybe you contemplate death in confusion about what comes after. Or maybe you have an acceptance about death.
Did you know that the Bible tells us what will happen after we die? These verses are not ones that we memorized in Vacation Bible School, but for those that have accepted Christ into their hearts and live for Him here on earth, there is nothing to fear. For those of us who don't take living for Christ seriously, then these verses may be a wake-up call for our lives.
And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. ~Revelation 20:11-15
John catches a glimpse of people that have died standing before God’s throne (Revelation 20:12) and they are not separated by the lines that we draw here on earth. John said that he saw the dead, both great and small (Revelation 20:12). This means that there will not be two lines: one for the rich and one for the poor. There will not be two lines, one for Republicans and one for Democrats. There will not be two lines, one for black people and one for white people.
We will all stand before God's throne, without differentiation. The lines and barriers that we draw between us and our neighbors on earth are man-made. We are all God's children, and He does not separate us into any of those groups. That is our own doing.
And it is also our own un-doing. Perhaps one of the secondary steps in having our name in God's Book of Life is to stop drawing lines of separation between us and others.
And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. (Revelation 20:12)
I am not going to open a huge theological debate in explaining "faith versus works" in our lives and our salvation, in reference to "according to what they had done", because my Biblical knowledge and understanding is that for us to accept Christ into our hearts and to be accepted by Him, all we must DO is confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9). THAT'S IT! The Bible says that is ALL we have to do in asking God to enter our hearts and lives. The end. There is no list of have-to services or "rites" that God asks us to check off, or at least not that I have ever seen in the Bible. The 10 Commandments are rules for us to follow, but not rules that save our souls and get us into Heaven. People have made many rules for Christ-followers, but God only said confess...and believe...and you will be saved (Romans 10:9).
BUT, once we do come to know and love Jesus and God in our hearts and minds, a change takes place within us. Faith. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, and we are changed. It changes the way we think, the way we act toward ourselves and others, and how we live. True faith changes our deeds. We simply cannot continue to live and serve only ourselves if Christ is living within us. And so, works/deeds/acts of service become a part of our lives because they are an outpouring of our faith.
This is what I believe John is referring to when he foretells "And all were judged according to their deeds." (Revelation 20:12) How are we living for God? How are we loving others for God?
Sitting in church once a week for an hour doesn't cut it. If we are all-in for Christ, how could it?
If our hearts are changed for God, then our lives will be changed for God.
If we are doing our best (no one is perfect) to live for Christ, then there should be no fear in being judged according to (our) deeds.
The remainder of the verses basically say that everyone (from all times on earth) will be judged, And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15).
Spoiler alert: the lake of fire is not good. In fact, I believe it means Hell. Really not good.
But, if we are still breathing, then we still have time to live and breathe for Christ. Let's start today. Or let's start fresh today.
These verses are blunt, but God's love for us is warm and fuzzy. God does love us, and he has a future in Heaven for us with Him if we choose to live our lives on earth for Him.
What can we do today as an outpouring of our love for Christ?
Does anyone have a flannel board?
Blessings,
sarah
Comments
Post a Comment