A Sobering Thought

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
2 Corinthians 5:10

I do not often write about judgement. My desire is to encourage Christians with the words written here. At the same time, I want to challenge us to move forward in our relationships with God. The lives we live are not our own. We belong to Christ and what we do matters to him. I do not want to condemn anyone, but rather spur you on in a growing, responsible Christian life. We should not fear the judgement seat of Christ, for it is there that we will give account of our Christian lives, not our pre-Christian lives. Our salvation is secure because of the sacrifice of Christ. He bought our salvation through his blood. If you have received his forgiveness, you have nothing to fear. This verse refers to a judgement involving us as true followers of Christ.
    However, the judgement that is referenced certainly requires us to give account of both the good we have done, and the bad. It is a sobering thought to realize that we must give account for all the careless words we have spoken, the poor attitudes we have displayed, and the times we misrepresented Christ to others. the Bible teaches us to stop doing these things and start doing things that glorify God. It sounds easy enough, but we all know that we must still fight the sinful nature.
    Still, it is difficult for me to believe that God will scold us for the negative things. I don't think anyone is going to enter heaven with their heads hung in shame. The judgement seat of Christ is focused on the good things we have done. It is a time when we are rewarded for representing Jesus well, for truly being his ambassadors on the earth. So we should be encouraged to know that God sees all that we do, and these things will not be forgotten. Some of the simplest acts of kindness may well turn out to be the greatest rewards, the weakest of prayers may become the greatest victory.
    Sometimes we labor under the misconception that God is keeping records of the failures of our lives. We think he is storing them up, only to bring them out on the day of the judgement seat. We need to change our perspective. God loves us. He is madly in love with us. It is not a stretch to apply his words here, "Love covers over a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8). That verse refers to our love for one another. If our love, as incomplete as it is, cover over sin, how much more can the pure love of God cover our sin?
    So the conclusion is this: Take responsibility for your life. Be challenged to change the things that are bad, and be encouraged to feed the things that are good. There is a judgement coming, and to the victors go the crowns!