Judgment Day!

One day, the man I am, will be measured against the man that I could have been! All my actions, and inactions will be placed on a balance, and my possibilities on the other side of the balance. On that day, the Judge of all, will have an expression on His face, will it be a smile or a frown? Will the words I’ll hear be ” well done, good and faithful servant”, or will I be cast into utter darkness with the words “get rid of this play-it-safe who won’t go out on a limb”? I don’t know if you are living today aware that that day exists. A day we will all be scored for how we have fared in the examination called life. A day when our intentions and motives will become plain and the reality of our actions and particularly our inactions will be crystal clear. Are you living with that consciousness? Or is your life mantra “Que será, será”.

The thought of this day, is the reason why I have decided to live my life fully with a good conscience towards the things of God and the issues of men. The thought of this day, is why I am a student of the Bible, and run my life based on it’s principles. The thought of this day is why I judge myself daily, that I might be fairly judged. Interestingly there is a chapter of the book of Matthew that renders 3 Judgement day scenarios, this is the 25th Chapter. These are scenarios that anybody desirous of a great end, should read and meditate on from time to time. Ahead of my sharing the lessons from these 3 scenarios for you, I’ll like you to ponder about the questions asked, and the ones I’m about to ask? Are you living your life fully? Are you preparing for an unseen future? If you have to stop doing what you are doing today, do you have a fall back position? Are you playing it safe or taking the risks? The way you are living now, is it based on faith or fear? Are your skills and talents fully invested? Do you have skills that will shock the world if you manifested? Is your life touching any other persons life? Are you a blessing to anyone else, does your life make meaning to any other mortal? Are you meeting people’s needs?

These are questions we should all ask ourselves, or wait to be asked one day. You were deliberately created and made to live a life that answers these questions positively. That great and terrible day will come, it’s the day our actions and inactions will be judged. Let’s study a quick template that clearly defines to us all the dimensions we must not be found wanting in. Judge yourself daily, monthly and yearly based on these things, because they’ll be the priorities in the end.

1. The Story of the Virgins

The summary of the Story of the Virgins is simple. There were 10 Virgins,  5 were labelled wise, and five were labelled foolish. What qualified them for these label was just one word – “Preparation”.  The presence or lack of it.  In this evaluation, what mattered was not their character or purity, they all had that. Character is a foundation, if it’s missing it’s going to be another judgement entirely! Even among the upright, God measures preparation and calls it wisdom. The wise virgins had prepared for the worst and for the future, the foolish ones were unprepared for the worst. In this amazing story, both classes of virgins slept and were woken up to see what they had all been waiting for, the smart ones were prepared and the silly ones were not. This act of foolishness ultimately destroyed the masters memory of them, his final words were – “I don’t think I know you”. Anyone who does not work with the wisdom of preparing for the unknown tomorrow, has obliterated him/herself from God’s view.

The questions you need to judge yourself by are simple. Is there anything I have done today that is preparation for the future? Will I judge myself wise or foolish today by the standards of what I have prepared for? If I were unable to continue doing the work I am doing today, how long can I stay before I run out of oil? What is the worst that can happen? Am I prepared for it? Do I have more oil than I need today? Can my resources last and support my cause for the next 52 weeks? Am I preparing something for my children’s children? The wise man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, am I wise?

2. The Story about Invesment

The is also an easy to summarize story. A master left on an extended trip and left his servants with resources. To the first he gave the equivalent of $5000, to the second the equivalent of $2000 and to third the equivalent of $1000. The first 2 engaged their resources in risky business, and ultimately made profit at the time of judgement. The 3rd servant was afraid, decided to play it safe by hiding the masters money, unwilling to fail, he failed! Unwilling to lose, he lost! He didn’t lose any money but he lost his place. In the day of Judgement, the risk takers were commended and made partners, the cautious one was dispossessed of what he had, and was thrown into utter darkness. Every man, woman, boy or girl, has resources. We are given resources to manage based on our abilities, and we are given more based on how we handle what we are trusted with. Everyone has something! Judgement is not a function of how much you had or how much you were able to make, it’s about the activity and effort you put into making yourself productive. God is not happy with play-it-safe’s who won’t go out on a limb.

The questions you need to ask yourself are quite simple as well. Am I using it? The skills, the gifts, the talents, the money, the relationships, the access, the platforms that I have am I burying them or using them? Am I being criminally cautious? Am I living my life to the fullest of my potentials or am I being numbed by the fear of failure? Will I look back 10yrs from now and have regrets on the path I have followed vs the one I could have? Are you productive? Are you living life fully, or half heartedly? Are the investments of God in your life yielding good ROI?

3. The Sheep and the Goats

This story touches yet another dimension. The result of Judgment was either being a sheep or a goat. The goat were people who had little or no impact on their society or fellow men. They had no impact on the hungry, no witness among the thirsty, they were unknown to the homeless, strangers to the shivering, invisible to the sick and unheard of by the prisoners. Their lives were about them and their families… and perhaps a few of their rich friends. The were summarized as Goats. And oh, they were religious, at least they confirmed that if they knew it was for Jesus, they would have done all they were blamed of not doing. The sheep were the opposite, their impact was grand scale. They fed the poor, quenched thirsts, offered their rooms to the homeless, gave the shivering clothes and visited the prisoners. They were there for others. Many people testified to their being a part of their success stories.  They even did it without knowing it was counting before God in their favor. Judgement on this dimension, is the judgement of impact!

Ask yourself -Who is excited about their lives because of you? To whom have you had impact? If you were rushed off to the hospital today and informed that tonight was your night, what would you regret? Are you living for impact or living for salary? Is your salary truly your living or are you making lives? Are you a goat or a sheep? When was the last time you led someone to God? When was the last time you shared hope with another? When was the last time you heard thank you? When? If you are goat everyday, you cannot but be a goat in eternity. It’s not the ultimate judgement day that counts, it’s the daily judgment we must put ourselves through, so that Judgment Day will be sweet.

So, judge  yourself so that  you will not be judged. The wisdom of preparing for the future, The Productive use of resources and Impact! Are you living on point? Please do!