[God] has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.
It occurred to me that I don’t think enough about The Day – Judgment Day.
Especially when I played pro baseball, there was a sense in which “judgment day” was everyday. Baseball is a game of stats. Every at bat is recorded. Every box score is published. The stats are complied and published throughout the season, at the end of each season, and then at the end of every career.
When our youngest son, Evan, was 12, we visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Maryanne wanted Evan:to see my baseball stats. She called the Hall of Fame staff in advance. They were very helpful. When we arrived, they had a folder all ready for us with many of my stats from my five years of pro ball.
Since I never made “the show,” you can imagine that some of my stats were not what I would have liked for them to be. See, published baseball stats can work for you… or against you. For Hall of Famers, the stats work for them. For me, well…
But here’s my point: The fact that baseball stats measured my productivity as a player served as a motivator for me to play hard. Unfortunately, my ability didn’t match my desire.
Think about it. In an infinitely more significant way, the fact that we will one day be judged by God ought to motivate us to live righteously.
The world, the flesh, and the devil all conspire against us to make us forget about Judgment Day. But the word of God is full of reminders. Here are a few.
- I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. Matthew 12:36
- The Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. Matthew 16:27
- They will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. I Peter 4:5
- If you say, “See, we did not know this, “Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? Proverbs 24:12
- Each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:12
- Each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. I Corinthians 13:3
- We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. II Corinthians 5:10
- Whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord. Ephesians 6:8
- He who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. Colossians 3:25
- All the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. Revelation 2:23
- I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. Revelation 20:12
- Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. Revelation 22:12
So, I’m praying that God will remind me often about The Day that is coming. And that I will be ready. There is a sense in which “spiritual stats” are being compiled by God as He watches our lives moment by moment, day after day, year after year. And these “spiritual stats” will either work for us or against us. I want to be found being filled with the Spirit, abiding in Christ, and being busy inviting people to new life in Christ.
I want to be ready. I want you to be ready, too.
