Jeremiah 28:16 – “Therefore thus says Adonai: I am about to send you away from off the face of the earth. This year you will die since you have spoken apostasy against Adonai.”  TLV

Truly Life is short compared to Eternity and it is important and necessary that we make the most of our time here on planet earth.  Today I feel compelled to ask the question, “What if this year was your last?”

THERE MUST BE A FULL AUDIT OF OUR LIVES, SOMEWHERE, SOMETIME…

That was one of the reminders that our LORD and his disciples frequently addressed.  Jesus spoke of a day of honor and reward.  He spoke of the final reporting day when we would receive our final report card.  A day when our lives would be an open book for all to seek, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

We dare not miss the Bible’s reality that everybody will be there.  People from all ages, eras, nations, tribes, and people will stand before God.  Those we loved and those we had dealings with will be there.  Our grades will be posted and there will be no secrets that will not be disclosed.  Every evasion, deflection from honor, and integrity will be exposed. Every postponement and procrastination.  Every quibbling with conviction, every hidden act and thought of dishonesty, every theft, ever misused influence will be there.  Also, every honorable deed, righteous action, and godly act will be identified.

We will be seen as we really are!  That can be wonderful or frightening.  We will be exposed as we are not how we think we are or how others think we are.  The real us will be on display.  That is why I pray daily, “LORD let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight.”  I pray for the Holy Spirit to help me be conformed and transformed to godliness.  I want no wicked thing to live in me!  Do I fail?  Of course, but when I know I have, I run to the Cross and seek His pardon, then move forward in His mercy and grace.

YOU AND I MUST COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT OF THE BREVITY OF LIFE…

You and I are commissioned to make our lives count.  We have an assignment in life, a job to do, a work to accomplish.  The question is, “Am I, are we doing it?”  We have a mission and a commission. 

I say to the husbands, fathers, wives, and mothers, that each of us should live as though this text was the sentence of our life – This could be our last year.  This could be our last day.  We need to live every moment as if it were going to be our last moment on earth.  That would solve most of the world’s problems if everyone did.

Parents, we should all be asking ourselves, have we shaped the character of our children in a godly fashion.  We may have a large amount of insurance, but do we have assurance?  Are we instilling that assurance in the hearts of our children and those within our sphere of influence?

The training of our children cannot be delegated to the babysitter or the educational system, it is ours.  Every ship carries life jackets, hoping they will never be used.  But, just in case there is an emergency they are there.  Can it be less important to provide for the spiritual needs of our families?

I suggest that because this year or this day could be our last, we need to Look Back.  I know Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.”  However, looking where we came from and learning from our mistakes is not what He was addressing.  If we look back and long for what we left, that is a disqualifier for kingdom service.  We cannot repair the past, but we can learn from our mistakes.

I remember reading of an account in a city in the western part of the United States, on the edge of an Indian Reservation, an old man and his nephew were given shelter by a local farmer.  During the night, the nephew and the old man had a disagreement. The nephew packed his belongings and left.  The next day the farmer went to the police and reported that the nephew had killed the old man and ran off with $5,000.  The nephew was captured, tried, and executed. 

The farmer sold his farm and moved out of state.  Thirty years later the farmer returned to the city and confessed that the nephew was innocent and that he had killed the old man and stolen the money.  The burden of guilt was more than he could bear.  He confessed before the judge and died a few days later in jail. 

Why do I share that?  I share it because some reading this have been lugging things around that should have been confessed long ago.  For some, the two-minute warning has sounded and the sand in the hourglass is almost emptied.  Therefore, for some, it is vital to look back and do the right thing. There are things you have postponed cleaning up and correcting.  The time is now to do what should be done!

The homegoing of a person who is prepared for eternity is a blessed event.  Blessed is every person who can look back over their life and say, as did the apostle Paul this.  “The time of my departure is at hand.  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the LORD the righteous judge, shall give me at that day.”  (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

I pray that you are ready, but if you are not TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION!  Jesus is calling now and awaits you to confess and forsake your sin. 

God bless you and may the Peace of God embrace you!